Donald Trump raised eyebrows at his final rally before the New Hampshire primary by repeating a vulgar slur shouted from the crowd about a rival candidate.
The American media speculated whether Mr Trump’s use of an epithet for a part of the female anatomy was the businessman’s most lewd remark of his campaign and the first time that a presidential candidate has ever used the word during a stump speech.
The incident on Monday night marked the culmination of a day of vitriol and insults between the Republican presidential frontrunner, who needs a win in the second nominating state to maintain his national lead, and Florida governor Jeb Bush who must finish strongly today to keep his White House hopes alive.
The businessman was speaking to about 5,000 people at a sports arena in Manchester, New Hampshire last night on the eve of the "first-in-the-nation" primary, comparing comments he and fellow candidate Ted Cruz made about waterboarding during Saturday's Republican debate.
The property mogul was remarking about how he had expected Mr Cruz to say that the form of torture used by the CIA on suspects was “okay” when he was interrupted by a shout from the crowd
He pointed at a woman, saying: “She just said a terrible thing. You know what she just said? Shout it out cause I don’t wanna.”
She obliged.
“I never expect to hear that from you again, ” Mr Trump continued, mock-scolding the woman, as he often does during his campaign when there is a reference to a politically incorrect remark or bawdy comment.
For the benefit of those in the audience who didn’t hear, the billionaire entertainment mogul repeated her remark.
“She said, he’s a pussy,” he said. “That’s terrible. Terrible!” he added, walking away from the microphone in faux-disgust.
The rally was the fourth of the day for Mr Trump as he campaigned hard to encourage voters to turn out on a snow-blanketed New Hampshire on Tuesday as he attempts to shore up his frontrunner status after coming second in Iowa’s caucuses last week behind Mr Cruz.
The Cruz campaign responded to the latest controversy around the businessman with the Texas senator's spokesman Rick Tyler tweeting: "@realDonaldTrump turning the campaign into the latest episode of a reality show but let's not forget who whipped who in Iowa. "
Earlier in the day Mr Trump and Mr Bush shot insults at each other on social media and in separate interviews on television and radio.
The Floridian took to Twitter, Mr Trump’s favourite online forum for invective, to jab the billionaire businessman.
“@RealDonaldTrump, You aren’t just a loser, you are a liar and a whiner. John McCain is a hero. Over and out,” Mr Bush tweeted, referring to Mr Trump’s past insult directed at the Republican senator.
The son of one president and the brother of another was asked about his long-running feud with Mr Trump in an interview on CNN.
Describing himself as a “joyful warrior,” he said he wasn’t going to allow “someone try to hijack a party that I believe will allow people to rise up again”.
Mr Trump shot back immediately, attacking the latest candidate from the Bush presidential dynasty in another interview with CNN.
“Jeb is having some kind of a breakdown,” the businessman told the same news network. “He’s an embarrassment to his family.”
A tracking poll by CNN and New Hampshire news channel WMUR put Mr Trump’s lead in the state at 14 points, receiving 31 per cent of the support in the notoriously difficult-to-predict state.
The businessman is ahead of Florida senator Marco Rubio who is on 17 per cent, Mr Cruz on 14 per cent and Ohio governor John Kasich on 10 per cent. Mr Bush received 7 per cent in the poll.
Mr Trump suffered an early defeat in New Hampshire, losing the tiny hamlet of Dixville Notch in the northern reaches of the New England state to Mr Kasich by three votes to two.
The mountain town near the Canadian border has hosted a midnight vote in the presidential elections since 1960, one of the first to cast ballots in the race.
Nine people voted in the town as midnight struck; the remaining four voters participated in the Democratic primary, handing victory to Vermont senator Bernie Sanders over Hillary Clinton by four votes to zero.
The ballot opened and closed less than a minute later. The votes were counted and a result announced within minutes.
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