Trump thanks Axelrod for 'nice words'

Donald Trump thanked David Axelrod for his “nice words” after Tuesday’s GOP presidential debate. But the former White House political guru’s remarks were not exactly kind to the Republican front-runner.

“He operates by his own set of rules. He’s not held to fact checks,” Axelrod said on CNN's "New Day." "He doesn’t have to have any linear thoughts. And yet he seems to survive these debates. He doesn’t excel in these debates."


“Thank you @davidaxelrod for your nice words this morning on @CNN. It was a good night!” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

Axelrod said that Trump was good at appealing to a certain type of voter —“non-college educated whites who have been hit by the current economy" — who are frustrated with politics and government. “He articulates that frustration in the kind of terms that they use and he’s very, very good at it. So it really doesn’t matter whether the facts line up or the arguments line up,” Axelrod said.

The former Obama adviser also cited specific moments where Trump said things that transcend party lines, noting in particular his complaint that the money used to launch wars abroad would have been better spent on infrastructure in the U.S.

“What he said last night, which was we wasted trillions of dollars we should have spent at home — I hear that all the time from people and not just on the left but on the right and everyday people,” Axelrod said.

Later Wednesday morning Axelrod replied to Trump's tweet and invited him onto his political podcast "The Axe Files," making a joke about the fact that Trump rarely appears in person during interviews.

"@realDonaldTrump You clearly need more media exposure! Why not join me on my podcast, The Axe Files? We'll even let you call in!" Axelrod tweeted.