Trump: Voters tired of politics as usual

WATERLOO - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gave an hourlong speech that jumped from his high poll numbers, to building a wall on the border, to the quagmire in the Middle East, to his speaking style and back to his poll numbers.

More than 1,000 people turned out for Trump's first event in Waterloo on Wednesday afternoon to hear the Republican front-runner speak.

'I'm so excited about talking about this stuff. I don't want to wait for the applause,” Trump said of a criticism on his speaking style after he talked over chants from the audience of 'We want Trump.”

He continued, 'I know my audience. They're smart. I finish 80 percent, and I want to go on to the next sentence. You know what the other 20 percent is going to be.”

Even as he rambled at times, the message was clear: people are tired of politics as usual.

Trump attributed part of his success in the polls to the fact that he doesn't do 'politico” speak. Not shy about naming his Republican opponents, Trump said the relationship between Florida politicians and presidential hopefuls Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush is emblematic of politics as usual.

Citing Bush's mentor status to Rubio and their kind words to each other as both are competing for the presidency, Trump said he would have had harsher words for someone who challenged him if he had mentored them instead of 'dear, dear friend.”

'This is politico speak. That's why we're not getting anywhere folks. We're not getting anywhere. It's not working,”

He said in contrast that he is not beholden to anyone and is willing to tell it like it is.

As Trump neared the end of his speech, he began, 'If I get elected president …,” someone in the crowd shouted 'When.” Trump said he didn't want to be 'too braggadocios,” so he uses if instead of when.

Like other politicians, however, he ended his speech by talking about the importance of Iowa and winning at the Feb. 1 caucus.

'I'll be here a lot over the next four months … and beyond,” Trump said. 'We're going to take this country back, and we have something that's amazing. We have the people.”