Trump defends Ramaswamy ad in combative exchange and previews Michigan trip

Donald Trump defended an advertisement linked to Vivek Ramaswamy during a question-and-answer session, arguing that a mother's criticism of her daughter, a candidate for Ohio governor, was fair game. According to Trump, the mother said on air that her daughter was a liar and should not be governor. He said the press was trying to 'nullify' the ad and argued that Democrats would use similar material if they had it. 'If I had that ad, I should be so lucky to have an ad like that,' he said.

When an NBC reporter pressed him on sexual abuse allegations, Trump rejected the line of questioning and insulted the reporter. He called him a 'horrible little reporter' and repeatedly told him to be quiet. Trump said the issue had nothing to do with a stepfather and returned to the mother's on-air comments. He described the mother as lucid and smart and said her decision to speak out made the ad fair game.

On Michigan, Trump said his Sunday trip would be 'very exciting' and predicted that voters would elect 'a great governor, a great senator.' The excerpt did not include an attack on a Michigan Senate rival. He also said he would go to Mississippi on Monday and claimed he had won the state by 32 points.

Trump took further questions on foreign and trade matters. He said he had discussed North Sea oil with the British prime minister, that the United States was close to a trade deal with Mexico, and that Canada was working hard on a deal. He said he had not heard that Starlink was still not working for Ukraine. He also praised the Navy's role in protecting shipping and said more oil was moving through the Strait of Hormuz than before the war.

On the midterms, Trump dismissed Karl Rove's warning about a possible backlash to his rally strategy. He called Rove a loser and said Rove did not know what he was talking about. Trump said his rallies were drawing large crowds and that every place he had visited had been helped by his presence.