Trump: Iowa Result 'Could Have Been a Little Bit Better'

If Donald Trump was devastated by being mocked as a loser on Tuesday, he managed to hide it pretty well: He was in his usual form at a raucous rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday night where he laid into his rivals and portrayed the loss to Ted Cruz as a minor setback, the Washington Post reports. "I think we had a very good result yesterday. It could have been a little bit better, could have been one notch better," he said before the rally. "I think the result was quite good, especially for the amount of time I spent and the amount of money I spent." More:

• Trump predicted he would win in New Hampshire—a state that he said probably suits him better—but said coming in second wouldn't be "horrible" because he is "competing against a lot of talented people that have been politicians all of their lives."
• Trump—who was endorsed by former Sen. Scott Brown at the rally—admitted that skipping the Fox debate could have cost him, but he would do it again "because I raised $6 million for the vets in one hour."

• At the Milford rally, Trump slammed the media for portraying his second-place finish as a loss and Marco Rubio's third-place finish as a triumph, CBS News reports. "The headline is 'Winner of the Night, Marco Rubio!"' he scoffed. "'Trump Humiliated!"'
• Trump isn't the only one laying into Rubio, Politico reports. Fellow establishment-friendly candidates Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, and John Kasich are all on the attack against the man they see as their biggest obstacle to success in New Hampshire. On Tuesday, Christie described Rubio as "the boy in the bubble" who "never answers questions" at appearances.
• Trump still has a double-digit lead in New Hampshire, though Cruz is in second and the Iowa win is expected to boost his numbers. "I don't expect a win, but there is an opportunity," the Texan's communications director tells the Hill.
• In New Hampshire, Republicans opposed to Trump say the Iowa result has been a huge relief. "For a lot of folks who are really upset about the idea of having Trump as our nominee, it gives us hope in America—not as crazy and lost as we thought it might be," conservative activist Shannon McGinley tells the New York Times. She says she has now settled on Rubio.

(More Donald Trump stories.)