GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump took to the microphone at his Mar-a-Lago resort in South Florida Tuesday night after being projected the winner in at least five of the 11 Super Tuesday states, saying he is ready to move on to Florida.
Trump just edged out Florida Sen. Marco Rubio in Virginia, and vowed to do the same thing in Rubio's home state.
"I know it was a very tough night for Marco Rubio," Trump told what was billed as a press conference rather than a victory rally.
Rubio "had a tough night, but he worked hard. He spent a lot of money," Trump said. "He is a lightweight as I've said many times before. But you know what? We're going to go to Florida and spend so much time there. We have about a 20-point lead."
Trump also congratulated Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on his win in his home state. Cruz also was the projected winner in neighboring Oklahoma.
He slammed Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, who mocked his "Make America Great Again" theme, saying she would "make America whole again."
"Hillary has been there so long, if she hasn't straightened it out by now, she's not going to straighten it out in the next four years," Trump said. "It's just going to become worse and worse…. Making great again is going to be much better than making America whole again.
Trump struck a more presidential tone for the most part, and the elegant surroundings of his resort were reminiscent of a White House ceremony, a possible move to use the optics to provide a view of how he would appear in the White House.
Trump said it might sound unbelievable to his critics, but he will be a uniter if elected, and is drawing more people into the Republican Party. He cited higher voter turnout in the GOP and falling turnout among Democrats.
That said, Trump said he would be able to work with House Speaker Paul Ryan, who today criticized Trump over his response when asked on Sunday to disavow former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke.
"I'm going to get along great with Congress," Trump said. "Paul Ryan, I don't know him well, but I'm sure I'll get along great with him. If I don't, he'll have to pay a big price. OK?"
Trump faced a press question about the recent Buzzfeed report that Trump told the New York Times in an off-the-record meeting that his stands on building a border wall and deporting 11 million illegal immigrants are just bargaining chips.
Trump denied those positions are intended to be a starting point of negotation, but admitted there is going to always be some negotiation.
"It is going to be a good negotiation, not a bad negotiation," he said.
Asked if he would allow some illegal immigrants to stay, Trump said, "At this moment, absolutely not. … At this moment, the answer is absolutely not."
Trump said that if Republicans try to replace him on the ticket, "They'll just lose everything, and that would be the work of a loser."
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