The GOP Primary, As Told by Trump

Donald Trump traveled to New Hampshire Tuesday a second-place finisher in Iowa, falling short of his own goals and statements that if he didn’t win, his campaign would have all been for naught. Speaking in Milford, N.H., Trump tried to put a positive spin on his loss, highlight how far he’d come, complaining that voters were giving him short shrift, and criticizing his rivals in the Granite State. New Hampshire presents more fertile ground for Trump than Iowa, with voters who are equally or more disaffected with the traditional GOP, but fewer evangelicals loyal to Ted Cruz.

Bernie Sanders was on a similar public relations campaign Tuesday, as he sought to spin his razor thin defeat as a victory over Hillary Clinton on account of his come-from-nowhere campaign. His argument was tempered by continued speculation and accusations of conspiracy from his aides about the Iowa Democratic Party’s process, and he may discover he can’t have it both ways.

In New Hampshire, the race to be the chief rival to Trump and Cruz is on, and Marco Rubio is adjusting to being the front-runner. Facing criticism from Jeb Bush, John Kasich, and Chris Christie, Rubio dismissed them in nearly Trumpian fashion as insignificant. “Sometimes when people run into adversity they don’t react well and they say things they maybe will later regret,” he told reporters.

Rubio isn’t worried about diversity at the Oscars. Kasich mixes it up over military base closures. And Bush is going up with a new ad against Trump.

Here are your must-reads:

Must Reads

The 2016 Republican Primary, As Told by Donald Trump
TIME’s Philip Elliott on Trump’s alternate history of the race

Clinton’s Campaign Manager Isn’t Worried About a 2008 Repeat
TIME’s Jay Newton-Small interviews Robby Mook

Sanders Stokes ‘The Bern’ in New Hampshire Victory Lap
Never mind the final vote count, TIME’s Sam Frizell reports

Obama Will Visit a Mosque for the First Time as President
TIME’s Maya Rhodan on Obama’s historic visit

In New Hampshire, GOP Governors Take Aim at a Resurgent Marco Rubio
The gloves come off [Washington Post]

Sound Off

“As long as we don’t say Po-lo, Po-lo. I really hated that game. When I’m president, we’re banning that game.” — Marco Rubio as the crowd chanted his first name at a rally in Exeter, N.H.

“I beat a lot of senators, a lot of governors. They do it professionally, I’ve never done this before. I’m not a professional politician and I came in second. It was such a big story that I came in second. I don’t know why. I was actually semi-satisfied with it.” — Donald Trump to NBC’s Today Show on his performance in Iowa

Bits and Bites

Rubio Says Hollywood Has Bigger Problems Than ‘Oscars So White’ [TIME]

Ted Cruz Really, Really Wants to Win New Hampshire [TIME]

Kasich Scraps with Audience Member at N.H. Town Hall [Politico]

Jeb Bush Attacks Trump Hard in Two-Minute Ad [TIME]

Sanders Suggests Clinton Is Not a True Progressive [TIME]

Clinton Sounds a Progressive Note in New Hampshire [TIME]

Hillary Clinton Recruits Eric Holder for New Campaign Ad [TIME]

Loser.com Now Redirects to Donald Trump’s Wikipedia Page [TIME]

Paul Ryan Tells Conservatives: It’s Time to ‘Unite the Clans’ [Washington Post]

102-Year-Old Woman Caucuses for Clinton [CNN]

*A correction from yesterday’s newsletter: Cruz scored 8 bound delegates out of Iowa, Trump and Rubio each won 7.