[Stardust]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/polit.../31376365/

WASHINGTON — The political hurricane that is Donald Trump didn’t recede over the weekend, even in the face of a rising tide of criticism from Republican rivals about his attack on Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly.

Instead, the celebrity billionaire insisted in a string of interviews on Sunday TV shows that he had done nothing wrong, that “only a deviant” would interpret his words in an offensive way, and that he is leaving open the possibility of running an independent campaign for the White House if the GOP doesn't treat him “fairly.”

“I do have leverage and I like having leverage,” Trump declared on CBS’ Face the Nation on a morning that also included interviews with ABC’s This Week, CNN’s State of the Union and NBC’s Meet the Press.

Some Republicans are hoping that Trump's meteoric rise may be peaking, in part because of his refusal to promise to support the Republican nominee in the general election if it’s not him. Opponents also have focused on his past support of liberal policies and contributions to Democratic candidates, including likely 2016 nominee Hillary Clinton.

His latest comments — which seemed to attribute tough questioning in Thursday’s debate by Kelly to female hormones — were “completely beyond the pale,” said Republican strategist Liz Mair, who attended the conservative RedState Gathering in Atlanta over the weekend. She said an increasing number of Republicans have soured on Trump. “Hopefully, we’re at the point where he is only hurting himself.”

For a conventional presidential contender, Trump’s latest burst of inflammatory language would be a political catastrophe.