Donald Trump consolidates his lead in New Hampshire

Several social media users tweeted screengrabs of an alleged deleted tweet from Trump’s official account, in which he said Cruz had “illegally” stolen the vote.

Cruz had apologised to Carson on Tuesday because of an email from his campaign before the caucuses, which are the crucial first vote in the U.S. presidential nominating process.

While Carson relaxes in Florida, Trump is taking the baton away from the retired
neurosurgeon and playing the victim card.

In the weeks before the Iowa caucuses, he held leads in nearly every statewide and national poll though his dominance in Iowa wobbled after Mr Cruz won a key endorsement from a local evangelical Christian leader.

While the small state is rural, like much of Iowa, analysts say its Republican electorate is much less religious than the group of voters that helped give Cruz a 28-to-24 percent margin over Trump in Iowa.

Trump predicted he would win in New Hampshire-a state that he said probably suits him better-but said coming in second wouldn’t be “horrible” because he is “competing against a lot of talented people that have been politicians all of their lives”.

Mr Trump has been leading the Republican polls in New Hampshire, which has historically favoured more moderate candidates than Iowa. Florida senator Marco Rubio also had a strong night, snapping at Trump’s heels and running a close third.

He also said he had not tried very hard to win Iowa. Sanders, who memorably dismissed questions about Clinton’s emails at the first Democratic presidential debate last fall, said Tuesday in Iowa that he didn’t regret giving his rival a pass on a sensitive issue.

According to the survey, Trump has dropped to 25 percent among Republican primary voters, down nine points from December.

Earlier in the day, Bernie Sanders was tough on Hillary Clinton in a gaggle with reporters, which took place after a large Get Out The Vote rally in Keene.

And the man who got the voters turning out in their droves on Monday Donald Trump is definitely putting his shock second place behind him.

Trump’s New Hampshire organization has, for months, appeared more robust than the operation he’d put together in Iowa. I was told by everybody, ‘Do not go to Iowa. New Hampshire. We love New Hampshire.