Story highlights
Donald Trump asked a crowd in Pennsylvania on Monday, "How handsome am I, right?"
His comments come amid efforts to make the GOP front-runner sound and look more presidential
Donald Trump admits he hasn’t acted very presidential in the GOP primary, but he thinks he at least looks the part.
“Do I look like a president? How handsome am I, right? How handsome?” Trump asked a crowd here on Monday.
Trump and his aides are making new efforts to portray the Republican front-runner – known for his off-the-cuff and at-times insulting style – as a more presidential figure, with more policy speeches and fewer TV interviews on the horizon. Trump has insisted that while he is capable of making the stylistic switch, he first wants to dispatch his final two primary contenders.
Those efforts – which came amid a slew of new hires that are professionalizing the Trump operation – appeared to be put on pause Monday as Trump lashed out at Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for agreeing Sunday to tag team the coming primary contests in an effort to keep Trump from clinching the 1,237 delegates needed to win the nomination outright.
Trump especially leaned into Kasich, knocking the Ohio governor’s eating habits during his first two rallies Monday.
“This guy’s shoving pancakes … and it’s pouring out of his mouth. That’s not presidential I can tell you,” Trump said here in Pennsylvania.
Despite the vitriolic rhetoric, Trump insisted Monday that while he may not yet sound presidential, he certainly looks it.
And he also appeared to cast doubt on whether Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton has the looks of a president.
“And I’m looking at this stage of people – my competitors. Does Hillary look presidential?” Trump said after praising his own looks.
Trump then continued, “Was she there at 3 o’clock in the morning to answer the call? No, now and she won’t be, she won’t be, she won’t be there. She doesn’t have the strength and she doesn’t have the energy to be president, I will tell you.”
Trump on Sunday also suggested he is the most presidential-looking candidate among his competitors.
“I think I look real good. I mean, I think I look like a president. You mean, you mean Kasich looks better than Trump? I think a lot of people would disagree with that. Cruz? Cruz? You think lyin’ Ted is better?” Trump said Sunday during a speech in Hagerstown, Maryland.
CNN’s Ashley Killough contributed to this report.