Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump tried Sunday to fend off critics who say he has been too cozy with Democrats and their causes — notably single-payer, government-run health care.
Mr. Trump, who leads Texas Sen. Ted Cruz by 5 percentage points in a Des Moines Register/Bloomberg poll before Iowa’s caucuses on Monday, said he wants to scrap Obamacare and help poor people get health coverage by negotiating with doctors and hospitals, though he offered few specifics.
“We’ll work something out, that doesn’t mean single payer,” Mr. Trump told ABC’s “This Week.”
He also said his past friendships with Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton, her husband, Bill, and their foundation are part of his businessman persona.
“Frankly, when I was in business, I got a long with everyone,” the real estate mogul said.
Turning to his own party, he criticized his closest rival, Mr. Cruz.
“Not one endorsement of Cruz, because he’s a nasty guy, no one likes him,” Mr. Trump said of Mr. Cruz’s time in the Senate. “You can’t run a country that way.”
Mr. Trump hasn’t won support from members of Congress, either, ABC host George Stephanopoulos noted.
The former reality TV star said lawmakers will endorse him “very soon,” but he didn’t name names.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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