Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

The Trumpiest lines from Donald Trump’s South Carolina victory speech

Donald Trump took the stage for his South Carolina primary victory speech in true Trump fashion Saturday, with a jab at Marco Rubio, a jab at the media, and a crowd cheering for Mexico to pay for a $10 billion border wall.

Trump cemented his place as the GOP frontrunner with a more than 10-point lead over second-place tied finishers Rubio and Ted Cruz at the first Southern state primary, gaining momentum for the Republican caucuses in Nevada next week.

Here are the four Trumpiest moments from his victory speech:

1) Trump gets in a dig at Rubio

Trump gained an endorsement from South Carolina’s Lt. Gov. Henry McMaster in January, far ahead of the state’s primary. He didn’t, however, get the backing of the state’s Gov. Nikki Haley, who swung her support behind Rubio.

“We have a wonderful lieutenant governor who backed us very early in the process. You know Henry, right? The lieutenant governor of South Carolina. I will take him over the governor any time. Because we won. We won. He can handle that very nicely. He’s tough. He’s very tough,” Trump said.

The “tough” guy Trump is referring to? Rubio. So there, Rubio. Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

2) The “genius” pundits that don’t know how to do voter math

Jeb Bush dropped out of the election Saturday night after performing poorly in Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina. His announcement sent media pundits spinning, trying to calculate how many voters Bush’s support would bring against Trump.

But according to GOP frontrunner, that’s not how it works.

“A number of the pundits said, ‘Well, if a couple of the other candidates dropped out – if you add their scores together, it’s going to equal Trump!’ What? These geniuses. They’re geniuses. They don’t understand that as people drop out, I’m going to get a lot of those votes also. You don’t just add them together. So I think we’re going to do very, very well,” Trump said in his victory speech.

3) He has “thousands and thousands” of Hispanics

It’s no secret that Trump had a rough start with American’s Hispanic community after alleging that all the undocumented immigrants that cross the border are drug traffickers and rapists. Now going into the Republican caucuses in Nevada, which has a more substantial Hispanic community than Iowa, New Hampshire, and South Carolina, many have speculated Trump will have a harder time winning with such a large margin.

Trump doesn’t seem to think so — he’s up by 20-odd points — and professed the mutual love he has with the Hispanic community.

“I have thousands and thousands of Hispanics. We’re going to Nevada. I lead — I lead with the Hispanics. I’m leading in every poll with the Hispanics. They love me, I love them,” Trump said.

4) And last ... running for president is both “vicious” and “beautiful”

“There is nothing easy about running for president, I can tell you. It’s tough, it’s nasty. It’s mean. It’s vicious. It’s beautiful. When you win, it’s beautiful.”

More in Politics

Podcasts
The Supreme Court abortion pills case, explainedThe Supreme Court abortion pills case, explained
Podcast
Podcasts

How Louisiana brought mifepristone back to SCOTUS.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
Politics
Trump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expectedTrump’s China policy is nearly the exact opposite of what everyone expected
Politics

As Trump heads to China, attention and resources are being shifted from Asia to yet another war in the Middle East.

By Joshua Keating
Politics
Are far-right politics just the new normal?Are far-right politics just the new normal?
Politics

Liberals are preparing for a longer war with right-wing populists than they once expected.

By Zack Beauchamp
The Logoff
Flavored vapes doomed Trump’s FDA headFlavored vapes doomed Trump’s FDA head
The Logoff

Why Marty Makary is out at the FDA, briefly explained.

By Cameron Peters
Politics
Virginia Democrats’ irresponsible new plan to save their gerrymanderVirginia Democrats’ irresponsible new plan to save their gerrymander
Politics

Democrats just handed the Supreme Court’s Republicans a loaded weapon.

By Ian Millhiser
The Logoff
Can Trump lower gas prices?Can Trump lower gas prices?
The Logoff

What suspending the gas tax would mean for you, briefly explained.

By Cameron Peters