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When CNN anchor Don Lemon asked Trump if he's ready for the first rhetorical bout with his GOP rivals, he said he didn't know.
"I have absolutely no idea how to answer that question," Trump told Lemon. "I am me. I don't have pollsters. I mean, I have a lot of money - much more money than all of them put together and all of their phony contributions put together. But, you have to understand, I want to be me."
Trump has been generating waves of headlines since he leaped into the presidential race last month. He has also had a penchant for off-color and off-the-cuff remarks about many of his rivals: He's said former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) is stupid and said former New York Gov. George Pataki (R) "couldn't be elected dog catcher."
The real-estate magnate's unpredictable nature apparently caused John Weaver, a strategist on Ohio Gov. John Kasich's (R) presidential campaign, to issue a memorable quip about preparing for next week's debate:
Imagine a NASCAR driver mentally preparing for a race knowing one of the drivers will be drunk. That's what prepping for this debate is like
- John Weaver (@JWGOP) July 27, 2015