• by Erik Sass , Staff Writer, February 11, 2016

Among its many other remarkable aspects, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign will long be remembered for the amount of attention paid to the long-term viability of legacy publications confronted with declining print circulation and advertising revenues.

That’s because every time a newspaper or magazine criticizes the irrepressible real estate mogul, rather than the trying to refute its arguments, he responds with ad hominem attacks on the publication itself.

The latest victim of Trump’s impromptu media critiques is the New York Daily News.

It aroused his wrath on Wednesday by depicting him as a clown following his victory in the New Hampshire Republican primary, under the headline, “Dawn of the Brain Dead,” in reference to people who voted for him. Te accompanying caption read: “Clown comes back to life with N.H. win as mindless zombies turn out in droves.”

In the article recounting Trump’s victory, NYDN reporter Adam Edelman wrote that “Clueless,” “brainless” voters handed the “mad mogul” despite his “outrageous comments” and “bizarre endorsements,” in a result it called “stupefying.”

OK, so the NYDN isn’t exactly known for its subtlety either, and its Democratic political leanings are hardly a secret. Indeed, of all his adversaries in the media, the brash Big Apple tabloid it’s probably the best match for the vulgar titan in tone and content. Therefore, it's the most deserving of the Trump Treatment.

Which it duly received: Trump responded to the NYDN cover with a ferocious counterattack on the newspaper itself, asserting that owner Mort Zuckerman is “jealous as hell” of his fellow tycoon. He called him a “loser” with an “inferiority complex” presiding over a dying publication.

Noting Zuckerman’s repeated attempts to sell the NYDN, Trump argued that it is a “totally failing paper” and predicted it is “going to be closing soon, I’m pretty sure.”

Twisting the knife, Trump also tweeted: “Worthless @NYDailyNews, which dopey Mort Zuckerman, is desperately trying to sell, has no buyer! Massive liabilities!”

Trump previously savaged the New Hampshire Union Leader and The National Review after they attacked him.