Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spoke to more than 1400 in Oskaloosa Saturday afternoon. Trump greeted a crowd inside the 700-seat high school auditorium and his speech was broadcast into a building next door for the overflow crowd, with still more standing outside unable to get in to either venue.

He spoke for nearly an hour, touching on many of the topics he’s discussed in previous solo stops in Winterset and Des Moines in June. Trump did take on Republican rival Scott Walker, the current front-runner in Iowa polls, saying “He’s the only guy that’s ahead of me. I can’t believe I’m in second place…Folks, would you please put me in first place so I feel better?”

Trump told the audience he had appreciated Walker’s fight in surviving a recall election in Wisconsin, but Trump says a “stupid person” on Walker’s staff made a “horrible statement” about him — and then Trump blasted Walker’s management of Wisconsin. He said “They projected a $1 billion surplus and it turns out to be a deficit of $2.2 billion. The schools are a disaster and they’re fighting like crazy because there’s no money for the school…and he was totally in favor of Common Core. Did you know that?” The crowd cheered Trump’s negative critique of Walker.

Later Trump told reporters Walker hadn’t been that nice to him anyway, saying “One of his people hit me…and I said: ‘Hey, now the glvoes are off…The real truth is that Wisconsin’s it’s a mess right now. It’s a mess, from an economic standpoint.” Trump told reporters there is “no cap” on the amount of his personal fortune that he will spend running for president.

The Trump campaign handed out “Veterans for Trump” signs to the crowd and Brad Nagle, a native of Cherokee, Iowa, who is a former Navy Seal, spoke to the crowd before Trump arrived on stage. Nagle said “Donald Trump loves veterans unlike some others who think . crazies,” Nagle said, to applause. “Donald Trump is someone who talks the talk, but walks the walk. I like that.”

A man in the crowd gave a Marine “oorah” yell in response. Trump later told reporters his well-publicized dust-up with Arizona Senator John McCain over McCain’s “hero” status as a prisoner of war was “over with.”

(Radio Iowa)