Trump Tells Critics to Lighten Up and Bring on Bloomberg, Bernie

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump is confident he could beat former New York City Mayor and fellow billionaire Michael Bloomberg, if he were to start his own campaign.

“I’d love to have him in, I think I’d beat him,” Trump told the FOX Business Network’s Maria Bartiromo. “I think I’d beat him easily.”  Trump maintains his lead in the polls, according to a recent Fox News national poll in which he received 34 percent among Republican primary voters. Cruz had 20 percent, Rubio 11 percent, and Carson 8 percent.

Over the weekend, critics blasted Trump after he told supporters he could shoot someone and not loose supporters. Trump said these comments were made as a campaigner and wouldn’t have been made if he were president.

“When you leave the clip, if you left it for another second you’d see everyone is laughing -- it was said as a joke… only dishonest reporters would report it anything other.”

He also took credit for boosting Democratic candidate, Bernie Sanders’ rise in the polls.

“I haven’t even thought about Hillary except for maybe a two-day period… where I think I did a very strong statement about her and I think frankly, I helped Bernie more than Bernie helped himself… I’m running against 16 people… I have to be a little verbose.”

Meanwhile, Trump hopes to see former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, who endorsed him last week, on the campaign trail.

“I’d like to have her do that,” Trump said. “You know she’s a very supportive person, a very loyal person, and I think the answer is yes.”