Donald Trump does not like to lose...

[kentuck]

So, he has figured out a way to claim victory, no matter how the Iowa caucus turns out.

If he loses Iowa, after missing the debate and taking all the criticism, he will claim that he stood on principle and stood up to the mainstream media. He will say that he would have won the debate, just like all the others, if he had attended? But, there was a more important point to make.

If he wins Iowa anyway, he will define it as a popular victory and proof that the people of this country are tired of politics as usual. Either way, he will have saved face and claim victory. This entire charade is a creation of Trumps, so he will have an excuse if he loses Iowa. He didn't really lose. He stood up for a principle.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

1. I hope he's paying all his taxes?

[HuckleB]

2. And yet he has filed for bankruptcy four times.

He's fine "losing," as long as someone else pays the price.

[0rganism]

3. i have the feeling if he sticks it out he'll be a formidable opponent

he's got a layer of teflon that would make Reagan blush with envy and media coverage for free on a scale that other candidates can't buy.

he can say anything he wants at any time, and makes any scrutiny of his remarks irrelevant.

he can verbally abuse all his politicial opponents on the unreflective tautological basis that they are politicians, and it goes over quite well with his core supporters, who now appear to represent about half the republican party.

he's going to be a lot harder for the Democratic nominee to beat than Mitt Romney, even if there isn't a terrorist attack on US soil in October. sure, he's patently offensive to any number of demographics and the campaign ads write themselves, but given Trump's stranglehold on the media, will those campaign ads do any good? he can say something Tuesday and then outright lie about not saying it Wednesday, and people are fine with that. he can make the most preposterous hyperbolic accusations and there will be a large % of the population who just believes it because he said it. consequently, the press is required to treat everything he says as if it represents a common opinion, and they're not wrong.

how do you run against that?