Trump had a big night. He won Florida, North Carolina, Illinois and, at this moment, is still holding a narrow lead in Missouri.
Speaking from his own resort in Florida, Trump gave a mostly gracious speech thanking his family and then turning to his favorite topic: trade. He promised once again that when he becomes president iPhones and other products will once again be made in the U.S.
After walking through his endorsements, Trump also acknowledged Todd Palin, husband of Sarah Palin, who was seriously injured a few days ago in a snow machine accident. “He was in a very bad accident. He’s tough as nails; he’s going to be fine. But I just want to pay my respects, by the way, to Todd,” Trump said.
Perhaps the most striking part of the speech was Trump’s kind words for Marco Rubio who had announced he was suspending his campaign earlier in the night. “I want to congratulate Marco Rubio on having run a really tough campaign. He’s tough, he’s smart and he’s got a great future,” Trump told the crowd.
Trump also displayed a sense of humor about some of the negative ads that have been run against him. He described watching a golf tournament with executives from Cadillac and other businesses and finding that every commercial break contained at least one ad attacking him. Trump joked that his response was, “Look over there, don’t watch…Isn’t the grass beautiful?” This brought a wave of laughter from the audience.
Trump didn’t completely remain on his best behavior though. At one point he referred to “disgusting reporters” while pointing to the media in the back of the room. But his jocular tone when saying it brought more laughter from the crowd. Here’s the full speech via ABC News:
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