Donald Trump: Here's why I would drop out of the race
In an interview Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press, the current Republican presidential front-runner said he would bow if his poll standing declines to a level at which he thought he could no longer win the GOP nomination.
"I'm not a masochist. If I was dropping in the polls where I saw that I wasn't going to win, why would I continue?" Trump told NBC's Chuck Todd.
"I believe in polls. How many elections do you see where the polls were wrong? Not that many. OK. You see them, but not that many. If I were doing poorly, if I saw myself going down, if you would stop calling me 'cause you no longer have any interest in Trump because 'he has no chance,' I'd go back to my business. I have no problem with that."
Trump currently leads the field among Republican primary voters. But some polls are starting to show his support waning somewhat in key early-nominating states, as other candidates like former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson have gained steam.
Throughout the race, Trump has been incredibly vocal about his strong poll numbers, frequently brandishing them as a rhetorical weapon during interviews, debates, and campaign rallies to demonstrate the depth of his support.
He has also been dismissive of polls that have shown his support dropping. When asked by Business Insider about negative media coverage showing his support sagging after last month's Republican presidential debate, Trump lashed out.
"It's dishonest reporting and - let me change it - it's knowingly dishonest," Trump said. "Because the polls speak for themselves. I'm up. Check out Zogby. Check out Reuters - the Reuters - what do they call that? The Reuters average. Even The Huffington Post. Check all of them."