Trump blasts Cruz before large Little Rock crowd

Donald Trump accused Sen. Ted Cruz of fraud in his GOP victory in the Iowa caucus and touted his own deal-making prowess in front of an announced crowd of 11,500 at Barton Coliseum Wednesday.

Trump repeated accusations he had made earlier in the day that Cruz’s campaign had stolen a victory in the Iowa caucus by, among other tactics, spreading misinformation that neurosurgeon Ben Carson was leaving the race so he could collect some of his votes. Trump finished second there. Cruz earlier in the day ridiculed the accusation.

“This political stuff is dangerous, and these political people are really, really dishonest,” Trump said.

Trump also repeated his claim that Cruz’s Canadian birthplace could make him ineligible to run for president and would lead to an immediate lawsuit by Democrats.

“We don’t need a president who was born in Canada,” Trump said.

Trump called Obamacare “a disaster” that exists because Cruz supported the nomination of Chief Justice John Roberts, who was one of five justices to uphold the law.

Trump’s speech started more than an hour late because mechanical problems had delayed his flight. Before the event, a Barton Coliseum manager announced a crowd of 11,500, breaking a record set in the 1970s by the rock group ZZ Top. The seating was about two-thirds full, with hundreds standing in front of the podium.

Trump sounded many of his campaign’s familiar themes. At one point, he said, “So what are we going to do at the border, folks? Build a wall.”

“Build a wall,” the crowd chanted.

He later asked, “Who’s going to pay for that wall?”

“Mex-i-co!” the crowd shouted.

Trump, author of “The Art of the Deal,” said he would “be the best jobs president that God ever created” and criticized current policymakers for their lack of negotiating skills. Examples included trade deals with China, the nuclear deal with Iran, and the government’s inability to negotiate deals with drug companies for Medicare prescriptions.

Even when both parties agree – that money held overseas by American corporations should be brought to the United States – nothing happens because, “We don’t have a president that can sit these people together and get the damn deal done,” he said.

He touted the fact that he is self-funding his campaign, explaining that candidates who accept donations are under the influence of their donors. He said he is spending less than other candidates and is $40 million under budget.

Trump promised to get tougher with ISIS and said Syrian refugees should not be brought to America, saying the potential migration “could be one of the great trojan horses of all time.” Instead, a safe zone should be built in Syria.

He said he opposes gun-free zones because they leave the population vulnerable and said he opposes the Common Core standards, explaining that education should be local.

The speech drew protestors inside the event and out. Early in his speech, a line of protestors walked down the steps behind Trump to a chorus of boos. Later, at times, hecklers shouted from the stands or the floor and were escorted out by security.

Protestors stood along Asher Avenue and cheered as drivers occasionally drove past and honked. Amy Spears, 24, of Little Rock, organized the event via Facebook starting last Thursday and said the event had drawn 1,000 invites. She carried a sign with a picture of Trump with a Hitler mustache.

“I think that we are all here in the name of humanity,” she said. “I think we all stand for equality for all humans, and that is something that Donald Trump has made very clear that he does not stand for.”