Donald Trump visits Iowa and asks, 'What the hell are you people doing to me?'

The Donald Trump that took the stage in Sioux City, Iowa Tuesday was a whole lot "humbler" than the swaggering real estate magnate who previously touted his poll leads as proof of his legitimacy, The New York Times reports.

"What the hell are you people doing to me?" Trump asked the crowd, referring to the fact that Ben Carson now leads Trump in Iowa by as much as 14 points, according to the latest Monmouth University poll.

Even with his poll numbers plummeting, Trump reassured the people of Iowa that he's not going anywhere. "I'm sticking with you people," Trump said, promising that he would return to the state often. "I love you all. I mean — you laugh — but I love you all. I'm going to stay here. We're going to work really hard."

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But Trump's love for Iowa doesn't seem to be unconditional. After goading Iowans to get their "asses in gear" to make sure he wins, he promised that bad things would happen if they didn't do that for him.

"Now if I lose Iowa," Trump said, "I will never speak to you people again."