Donald Trump downplayed his second-place finish behind Sen. Ted Cruz in the Iowa caucuses, telling TODAY's Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie he's "semi-satisfied" with his performance.
"I came in second and nobody said it was a victory. It's kind of strange," the GOP presidential candidate said Wednesday.
Trump placed second to Republican rival Cruz despite leading Iowa polls Monday as voters headed into caucuses throughout the state.
Trump said he still has faith in polls but said that the Iowa selection process made things complicated because "caucuses are hard to poll."
After delivering a concession speech late Monday in an uncharacteristically subdued manner, Trump headed straight to New Hampshire where he returned back to form Tuesday, lashing out during a rally at Cruz and other Republican presidential candidates vying for the White House.
On Wednesday, Trump mocked descriptions of him in the media and by political pundits that described the Iowa results as a humiliating loss when he viewed it as a strong showing.
"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," he said on TODAY. "It was such a big story that I came in second. I don’t know why. I was actually semi-satisfied with it."
RELATED: How Iowa works — and why it's different from New Hampshire's primary
Trump last appeared on TODAY on the morning of the caucuses, giving a somewhat subdued interview. But he dismissed the idea that his manner indicated he knew his campaign wasn't doing as well as polls indicated.
"I was just trying to be a little bit more understated and statesman-like," he said. "Some people like that."
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