Trump attacks publisher of largest New Hampshire newspaper

Joe McQuiad, the publisher of the influential New Hampshire Union Leader, compared Trump to the jock who torments Marty McFly’s dad in a scathing editorial Sunday night.

Trump enters the last week of 2015 atop the Republican field nationally with 39% support, according to the latest CNN/ORC poll, and maintains a lead in New Hampshire with 32% support among Republican likely primary voters, according to a CBS News poll released earlier this month.

In an interview with CNNMoney Monday, Joseph McQuaid called the Republican frontrunner “dishonest and terribly confused”, and said Trump was attacking the Union Leader because he had lost the endorsement to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

In an exclusive telephone interview with WMUR Political Director Josh McElveen, Trump also went after Christie, the candidate that received the Union Leader’s endorsement. They included him giving a speech at an event to help the family of ISIS captive and journalist James Foley and tweeting out to his Twitter followers that New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie should be allowed on the main debate stage. “And that’s fine, he can do it”, Trump said.

“It’s number 50 out of 50 in terms of economic development and in terms of the economy”.

“The taxes are through the roof”, he said of Christie’s Garden State record.

Trump said the once powerful conservative paper has now gotten so small it looks like the coupon papers handed out in grocery stores.

Trump began the rally at the Pennichuck Middle School as if reconvening with his television or radio audience after several days of holiday repeats. “Everybody said I was brilliant not to be in it. Please endorse me”.

The Tri-State area Republicans have had a relatively friendly relationship on the campaign trail, with Christie declining to get suckered into the daily verbal wars against Trump, which have engulfed other GOP campaigns. Thirty-nine to 16 – listen to these numbers! But Donald Trump? Not so much, according to a scathing new editorial.

John Kasich at the CNN GOP in Las Vegas.

Trump is scheduled to visit Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Tuesday, Hilton Head, S.C., on Wednesday, and Biloxi, Miss., on Saturday.

The Union Leader’s endorsement of Christie kicked off a wave of recent momentum for the New Jersey governor, whose presidential hopes hinge on a strong performance in New Hampshire’s primary.

“By the way, one thing I have to tell you: New Hampshire will always maintain its place if I win”, he said at one point.