By Jonathan Easley - 02-07-16 13:56 PM EST
PLYMOUTH, N.H. -- Donald Trump on Sunday defended his support for waterboarding and other controversial interrogation techniques, saying the U.S. is at war with terror groups willing to do far worse to Americans.
Speaking to hundreds of supporters at Plymouth State University in northern New Hampshire just two days before the primary here, Trump doubled-down on remarks he made at the GOP debate last night, when he said he’d do “a hell of a lot worse than waterboarding” to captured U.S. enemies.
“We are living in medieval times,” Trump said, referring to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. “There’s never been a time like this. Medieval times, they chop your head off. Even in the wild west, you’d get shot, but they didn’t chop your head off.”
Trump said U.S. enemies are laughing at us for even debating whether to waterboard.
“They’re sitting back there saying, 'can you imagine these stupid people talking about waterboarding' while they’re chopping off heads?," Trump said.
During the rally, a protester was removed after ripping off his shirt to reveal body paint that said, “Trump is racist.”
It was a lower-energy spectacle than Trump usually presides over.
About 1,000 people showed up, but dozens streamed out before the end.
Trump didn't boast about his polling numbers, barely attacked his rivals, other than Jeb Bush, and complained about having to drive 90 minutes back to Manchester, N.H. when the rally concluded.
Trump may have been running on fumes after the debate, hitting the morning talk shows and greeting potential voters at a surprise visit to a diner in the morning, as his stump speech appeared unfocused even by his standards.
His rally in Manchester on Monday night is expected to draw thousands more than he did Sunday at the gymnasium in rural New Hampshire.
The billionaire businessman, who is the favorite to the win the primary here on Tuesday, also doubled down on his attacks against the audience on hand for Saturday night's debate in Manchester.
Trump was booed by the audience at the debate during one exchange with Jeb Bush, and subsequently turned his fire against those in the room.
“That’s all of his donors and special interests out there,” Trump said looking into the audience. “By the way, we needed tickets, we don’t get them. By the way you know who gets the tickets for the television audience? Donors, special interests, the people putting up the money. It is. The [Republican National Committee] RNC told us.”
ABC News, the media outlet that hosted the debate, said that the audience "consists mostly of New Hampshire residents, including a mix of local college students, guests of the candidates and the media, as well as top national and state Republicans."
But on Sunday, Trump accused the RNC of giving away the tickets that were supposed to go to college students to “rich donors and special interests and lobbyists.”
“They didn’t give the tickets to the kids unless the child is 54 and lives on Park Avenue,” Trump said.
--This report was updated at 3:35 p.m.
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