'Used car salesman' Trump ridiculed on CNN for his 'deeply offensive' endorsement stunt

Donald Trump was slammed on CNN on Wednesday night for a conditional endorsement Trump offered as he continues to seek retribution against Republicans he views as insufficiently loyal.

"The former president is endorsing Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy for re-election, as he did four years ago, but this time a very important catch," CNN's Jim Acosta reported. "In a statement released Tuesday, the former president said Dunleavy 'has my Complete and Total Endorsement but, this endorsement is subject to his non-endorsement of Senator Lisa Murkowski who has been very bad for Alaska, including losing ANWAR, perhaps the most important drilling site in the world, and much else. In other words, if Mike endorses her, which is his prerogative, my endorsement of him is null and void, and of no further force or effect!'"

Acosta said the statement "sounds like the lease on an apartment I rented back in the 1990s."

He said Trump sounds like a "used car salesman. You know, got to read the fine print here in this endorsement, I suppose."

"Have you ever heard of this kind of conditional endorsement before?" Acosta asked for Rep. Scott Rigell (R-VA). "This is the kind of thing I suppose that happens behind the scenes with the former president, but he -- he did kind of say the quiet part out loud, this is how he operates."

"He has a track record of using intimidation to advance his political goals, but this is clearly the most egregious example of basically a quid pro quo in the negative. That is, if you do something, I will take something away," he explained.

"It's really deeply offensive to me and I think it's -- it will breach the governor's conscience if he -- if he lets Trump influence him in this decision," he said.

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