Donald Trump has repeatedly refused to bow to political correctness, the mainstream media, or the elite Republican establishment, and his approach has won him a massive following.
While many out-of-touch media and political types are still scratching their heads over Trump's success, millions of Americans feel they've finally found a champion who's willing to tell it like it really is.
Gathered below are 12 of Trump's boldest tweets. Though many were decried by his rivals and critics, his messages clearly resonated with Americans across the country as evidenced by his surging poll numbers, massive Twitter following, and tight control of the news cycle.
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1. Trump calls for pause in Muslim immigration — This week, Trump proposed that the U.S. stop allowing foreign Muslims into the country until the government can deal with the terrorist threat. While Trump received flak from a great many people, including the Republican leadership, a Bloomberg poll soon found that nearly two-thirds of likely GOP primary voters agreed with the plan.
2. Trump speaks candidly about the U.S.-Mexican border — In launching his campaign, the real estate mogul was not afraid to bring up the lightning-rod issue of illegal immigration. Some critics tried to shut down the discussion by calling him a racist, but many were happy Trump had brought up an important concern shared by many Americans.
3. Trump honors woman killed by illegal immigrant — After San Francisco resident Kathryn Steinle, 32, was shot and killed by a Mexican immigrant who'd been deported multiple times and convicted of at least one felony, Trump was one of the few people to call attention to the problem of so-called "sanctuary cities."
4. Trump boycotts Macy's — After the department store severed ties with Trump for his politically incorrect comments on illegal immigration, Trump wasn't afraid to call the company out.
5. Trump speaks frankly about Sen. John McCain — In his ongoing dedication to U.S. military veterans, Trump was unafraid to criticize the Senate representative who is himself a veteran of Vietnam.
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6. Trump tells the media to stop glamorizing terrorists — The GOP frontrunner took issue with the media's characterization of the ringleader terrorist who attacked Paris as a "mastermind." In an interview, Trump said, "I call him the guy with the dirty hat, the guy with the filthy, dirty hat."
7. Trump mocks Rick Perry's eyeglasses — Before the Texas governor dropped out of the presidential race with low poll numbers, Trump joined the chorus of critics who said he'd failed to secure the border, and that his new, thick-rimmed glasses were pretentious.
8. Trump responds to Bobby Jindal — Before the Louisiana governor dropped out of the presidential race due to his extremely low poll numbers, he called Trump "shallow," a "narcissist and an egomaniac," and a "non-serious carnival act," among other things. Trump responded with a surgical strike.
9. Trump offput by Ben Carson's past — Donald Trump is skeptical that rival Ben Carson has what it takes to be president, and wasn't afraid to question some bizarre stories about the man's past actions and current beliefs. Since these stories came to light, Carson has taken a nosedive in the polls.
10. Trump criticizes Time magazine — After the publication chose German Chancellor Angela Merkel as its No. 1 "Person of the Year" and placed Trump at No. 3, the billionaire took issue.
11. Trump hits back at Philadelphia mayor — Michael Nutter called Trump an "a******" during a press conference, and Trump was not about to let that fly.
12. London police say Trump was right — Recently, Trump said that there are "places in London and other places that are so radicalized [by Islamists] that police are afraid for their own lives." British officials embarrassed by the statement said that Trump "could not be more wrong," but a number of actual street cops came forward to say, "Trump's not wrong. He pointed out something plainly obvious."
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