• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer, December 29, 2015

Since this blog is about publishing, I was hoping to make it through 2015 without having to write about He of the Uncanny Bouffant, but like a gas, Donald Trump has a way of expanding to fill all available space. Now the Republican rabble-rouser has set his sights on the publisher of New Hampshire’s Union Leader, who endorsed rival candidate Chris Christie, leading to a dignified, civil exchange of ideas.

Just kidding! It’s a total bilefest — and Trump, true to his nature, isn’t confining himself to petty issues like, well, issues. He’s going after the newspaper’s viability as a business.

Trump took grave exception to an editorial by publisher Joseph McQuaid that appeared on the Union Leader’s front page on Monday, running under the headline “Trump campaign insults NH voters’ intelligence.” McQuaid went on to endorse Christie, the governor of New Jersey, although Trump remains ahead in polls of likely Republican primary voters in the state.

In response, the real estate tycoon and self-described “really smart person” tore into McQuaid at a rally in Nashua, where he told the audience: “You have a very dishonest newspaper, it’s also a failing newspaper. It's going down the tubes. I remember when this was a big paper. Look at the size of this thing! If they cut it down any more, they won't be able to find it. It looks like the things when you go to the grocery store when they give you a little handout. What do they call that? Coupons?”

That was just the beginning, as he also characterized the publisher as a “low life,” “useless,” “sleazebag” and “bad guy” in an interview with a local TV station. He also returned to his criticism of McQuaid’s management of the Union Leader, noting “the paper’s failing, he’s doing a terrible job… The paper’s doing absolutely terribly, they’re moving out of their headquarter space because they’re occupying so little of it…”

Trump also claimed that McQuaid had previously asked him for personal favors and was bitter because Trump didn’t attend a local debate arranged by the newspaper, and also refused to advertise in the newspaper.

Oy vey.