![Trump Admits Campaign Rhetoric Will 'Probably' Hurt GOP Nominee [VIDEO].mp4](https://images.dailycaller.com/image/width=960,height=411,fit=cover,f=auto/https://cdn01.dailycaller.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2016-02-09T010350Z_1_LYNXNPEC18028_RTROPTP_4_USA-ELECTION-TRUMP-e1455229462576.jpg "Trump Admits Campaign Rhetoric Will 'Probably' Hurt GOP Nominee [VIDEO].mp4")
Donald Trump admits that the heated campaign rhetoric “probably will” hurt the eventual Republican nominee.
Appearing on CNN’s “The Lead” with guest host Jim Sciutto on Monday, Trump said that the eventual Republican nominee with most likely face Hillary Clinton because “she’s being protected by the Democrats, otherwise she wouldn’t even have an option of running.” (RELATED: Trump: [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] Is ‘A Nasty Guy’ [VIDEO])
Sciutto asked Trump, “As the rhetoric between you and Mr. [Ted] Cruz and others reaches this sort of vitriolic pitch, I wonder if you’re concerned at all that that will hurt you or whoever the Republican candidate is in the general election in the fall?” (RELATED: Trump Vows To Sue Cruz If He Doesn’t Take Down Attack Ads)
“It probably will to a certain extent, but I think we’ll get over it, whoever it is,” Trump admitted. “I think you get over it and you go and have to fight Hillary probably or whoever it might be. Maybe it’s Bernie. I can’t believe how poorly Hillary is doing. But probably it’s going to be Hillary because she’s being protected by the Democrats, otherwise she wouldn’t even have an option of running.”(RELATED: Trump Says Hillary Is ‘Absolutely Guilty’)
“But yeah, it’s — I don’t say it’s a good thing. Don’t forget, I wasn’t going to do negative ads. When I saw a negative ad go up by Cruz, I put up the negative ad,” Trump said.
Changing topics, Trump said, “Remember this though, the politicians are controlled by the special interests. That’s one of the reasons we’re doing so badly. It’s one of the reasons we have these massive trade deficits. I mean, virtually it’s inconceivable that it could be so much. Hundreds of billions of dollars and the politicians will never fix it because the people that control them are the ones making the money but that’s what’s giving us the trade deficit.”