“Well, it was part of the game,” the GOP presidential front-runner told “Fox and Friends” on Friday, shortly before he was set to receive the retired neurosurgeon’s endorsement at his Palm Beach, Florida, resort.

Trump had been asked by co-host Brian Kilmeade if that was, indeed, just part of the “game” that is the Republican presidential cycle.

“And all I was doing was trying to say exactly what he said about his growing up, which was tough,” Trump said. “And I just all I did was read parts of what he said and then I hoped, but it all worked out.”