'Trump without the baggage': GOP presidential hopeful takes dig at main rival in pivotal primary state

MANCHESTER, N.H. – In a Republican presidential nomination race currently dominated by former President Donald Trump, Michigan businessman and long shot GOP White House candidate Perry Johnson says he’s "Trump without the baggage."

Johnson, who made a fortune through his successful companies in the quality control industry, described himself as "Yankee frugal" and touted in an interview Monday with Fox News in New Hampshire that "none of my companies have any debt. None of my companies have ever gone bankrupt."

That appeared to be a swipe at the former president, a real estate and business mogul before winning the White House in 2016. Six of Trump’s companies over the years filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, which means a company can stay in business while wiping away many of its debts.

"The reason I say I’m Trump without the baggage is that we both are businessmen. We both started companies. Both became successful. But I spent a lot less money," Johnson emphasized. 

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And pointing to the nation’s exploding debt during Trump’s tenure in the White House, Johnson argued that "he spent so much money, nobody’s ever spent that much money in four years. I think we went from $19.9 trillion in debt to something like $28 trillion in debt in those four years and right now we’re at $32 trillion in debt."

After crisscrossing Iowa – the state that leads off the GOP presidential nominating calendar – Johnson on Monday kicked off a swing through New Hampshire, which holds the first primary and second overall contest in the Republican schedule.

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After a brief visit to shake hands with customers at the Red Arrow Diner in Manchester – a must stop for decades for White House hopefuls – Johnson headed to the nearby New Hampshire Institute of Politics to showcase his "Two-Cents Plan to Save America" budget proposal.

"We’re going to cut two cents out of every dollar in discretionary spending. We’re going to do that year after year," he explained to Fox News. "Some departments we’re going to close. I say get rid of the Department of Education. It’s a waste of money."

And he emphasized "let’s make sure we keep America the greatest country ever and we’ll do that with my two-cent plan."

Johnson ran last year for the 2022 GOP gubernatorial nomination in Michigan and was considered a top contender before he and four other Republican hopefuls were disqualified because of invalid signatures. Johnson poured millions of his own money into his campaign – and he vows to do it again as he runs for the White House.

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"I do intend to self-finance," he pledged. "It may cost $50 million. Whatever."

Johnson’s already dished out nearly $2 million to run ads in Iowa and New Hampshire. But he faces a steep uphill climb in a race where Trump is currently the overwhelming front-runner for the GOP nomination. The field also includes other Republican candidates and likely contenders – including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former ambassador and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina – who enjoy much higher name ID than Johnson.

But Johnson says he’s "all in – in Iowa and New Hampshire," and teases that a national strategy will be unveiled in a couple of weeks.

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And he optimistically says he’ll make the stage for the first GOP presidential primary debate in August.

"I think we’re doing well in Iowa and now we’re in New Hampshire and I think I’m going to do well here. And then we’ll use that strategy across the entire country," Johnson said. "All I need to do is get on that debate stage and I think I’m going to win this race. That is the key. But keep in mind, at this point nobody ever really knows who’s going to be the nominee."