INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Donald Trump Not His Usual Self After Iowa Defeat

By Coburn Palmer
Published on: 06:57 PST, Feb 2, 2016

Donald Trump finished second to Ted Cruz in Monday night’s Iowa caucuses, and the loss has stunned the billionaire into some very unusual behavior.

The Republican candidate, whose campaign has been characterized by outlandish and offensive statements, actually gave a humble concession speech and didn’t insult anyone, according to People.

“We finished second, and I want to tell you something: I’m just honored. I’m really honored. And I want to congratulate Ted, and I want to congratulate all of the incredible candidates, including Mike Huckabee, who has become a really good friend of mine.”

Then, perhaps even more surprisingly, Trump went quiet on Twitter for 15 hours and only broke the silence Tuesday with more gracious remarks.

“My experience in Iowa was a great one. I started out with all of the experts saying I couldn’t do well there and ended up in 2nd place. Nice.”

Donald’s silence shocked his 6 million Twitter followers and national media outlets — Politico even posted a clock on its website to keep track of how long Trump went without tweeting.

Trump went into Monday’s Iowa caucuses with a clear lead in the polls and an utter confidence in his victory and his unexpected loss may have shattered, or at least damaged, the real-estate tycoon’s seemingly unshakeable confidence.

Donald’s inability to convert fans into voters proved to be his undoing in Iowa and may hint at the future of his campaign, Republican operative Ryan Williams, a former Mitt Romney aide, told Politico.

“Tonight showed that Trump is mortal and his strategy of hyping himself has the potential to backfire.”

The billionaire’s campaign focused on large crowds and sound bites designed for TV, but paid little attention to the common voter in Iowa, a strategy that proved to be his undoing.

Political experts are calling Ted Cruz’s Iowa win, a victory for the grassroots, but Trump’s strong showing proves he’s not out of the race yet. Next up is New Hampshire, where polls show Donald Trump with a commanding lead, according to the Business Insider.

“We’re leaving tonight and tomorrow afternoon we’ll be in New Hampshire. And that will be something special … I think we’re going to be proclaiming victory, I hope.”

Despite his second place finish Donald picked up seven delegates to the Republican nominating convention as did third place finisher Marco Rubio while Iowa’s winner, Ted Cruz, walked away with eight.

Meanwhile, Mike Huckabee officially suspended his presidential campaign after a poor showing Monday night, reports the USA Today.

“Voters are sick of me.”

Ben Carson finished in fourth place, with nine percent of the vote and, in a bizarre move, immediately headed home to Florida. His campaign staff insists he’s not quitting the race, he just needs to go home and pick up a fresh pair of clothes.

Cruz, however, found out about Carson’s plan to travel home while Monday’s caucuses were still going on, and told his precinct captains the retired neurosurgeon was quitting the race. He apologized Tuesday morning, calling it a “mistake.”

All eyes now turn to New Hampshire, where Trump is heavily favored by 38 percent of Republican voters, and where Cruz follows with a distant second and 13 percent of the vote, while Rubio and Jeb Bush are tied with 10 percent, according to the Washington Post.

[Image via AP Photo/Jae C. Hong]

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