Republican system is 'crooked' and 'rigged': Donald Trump

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump today said his party's nomination system is so "crooked" and "rigged" that people like him cannot run for elections and "defend" the nation against countries like China, Vietnam and India.

"It (system) is a rigged, crooked system that's designed so that the bosses can pick whoever they want, and that people like me can't run, and can't defend you against foreign nonsense, and can't defend you against China and Japan and Mexico and Vietnam and India, and every single country you can name, because we lose with every -- we lose -- believe me, with every deal we do," Trump told his supporters in Maryland.

This was Trump's first public rally after his impressive victory in New York primary.

He is leading the delegate count in the Republican party, but still far away from the 1237 delegate needed to become the party's presidential nominee.

Trump said he is on his way to win the party's nominee and get the necessary number of delegates.

An internal campaign memo said yesterday that they expect to have 1400 delegate before the July Cleveland convention.