Donald Trump celebrated his wins in Kentucky and Louisiana Saturday, calling for Marco Rubio to drop out of the 2016 race and saying he wants a "one on one" contest against Ted Cruz.
"I think it's time now that he drop out of the race," he said of Rubio, who has won just one contest to date.
"I think it's time for Marco to clean the deck," he added later in the press conference. "I do. And I say that respectfully."
Rubio campaign spokesman called Trump a "con artist" in response, and suggested that Trump is worried Rubio will win the Florida primary and gain momentum.
A relatively subdued Trump, who appeared at Trump International in West Palm Beach, congratulated Cruz on his wins in Maine and Kansas, though he said his own campaign "really didn't spend very much time" in either state.
"He should do well in Maine, because it's very close to Canada," he joked of Cruz. "Let's face it."
Just after he suggested he wanted a "one on one" race against Cruz, Trump also pushed for unity, saying that the party should "come together and stop this foolishness."
Alluding to suggestions that mainstream Republicans could mount a third party candidate if Trump is the nominee, Trump warned against the possibility of splitting conservatives in the general election.
"It 100 percent guarantees the election of the Democrat," he said, adding that the next president will name multiple Supreme Court justices.
Trump supporters filled the front rows of the press conference and reacted to some questions from the press, including boos when one reporter asked about this week's back-and-forth with Marco Rubio regarding the size of his hands.
Indicating a member of his golf club in the audience, Trump asked: "Do I hit the ball good? Do I hit the ball long? Is Trump strong?"
The press conference was delayed while Trump awaited results from the GOP primary in Kentucky.
"I've been in competitions all my life. There is nothing so exciting as this stuff," he said when he began his remarks.
Trump announced the projected Kentucky win around an hour before the close contest was called.
"We won the two big ones, folks," Trump said, adding the states were Louisiana and Kentucky, at around 10 p.m. E.T. in Florida.
When informed the Kentucky race hadn’t been called, Trump left behind closed doors, but time would prove him right. NBC News and other outlets projected Trump would win Kentucky over Cruz shortly before 11 p.m.
