Donald Trump's direct threat to the Republicans who shunned him over Muslim ban: If you're not nice to me I will run as independent

Donald Trump floated the idea of a third-party bid this morning  - but insisted he doesn't 'want to do that.' 

'I'm leading every single poll...so obviously, I'm very happy where I am,' he told Michael Strahan today as he responded to a question from the Live with Michael and Kelly host about running as an independent.

The people of the Republican Party have been 'phenomenal,' Trump said. 'The party, I'll let you know about that. And if I don't get treated fairly, I would certainly consider that.'

Trump touted a USA Today poll that found 68 percent of his supporters would stick with him if he parted ways with the party, before he again said, 'I don't want to do that.'

All of the GOP's candidates for president signed a loyalty pledge, promising to endorse the party's eventual nominee. 

Trump announced his signing at a showy press conference in September in the lobby of his New York City headquarters after meeting with the party head Reince Preibus. 

After Trump introduced his Muslim-banning proposal on Monday and the party began to turn on him, the billionaire fired several warning shots.

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Donald Trump floated the idea of a third-party bid this morning - but insisted he doesn't 'want to do that'

'I'm leading every single poll...so obviously, I'm very happy where I am,' he told Michael Strahan today as he responded to a question from the Live with Michael and Kelly host about running as an independent. But he said, 'If i don't get treated fairly, I would certainly consider that'

On the defense: Trump said in an interview with Barbara Walters on Tuesday he is not a bigot and does not regret his proposed ban on Muslims that even fellow Republicans don't agree with

Picking fights: he also took time to call his critics 'foolish' on Twitter

The crossfire between Trump and frustrated Republicans became a furious blur the day after the billionaire businessman announced his plan. Beleaguered 2016 rivals condemned his proposal and complained that his divisive positions were dominating attention in the crowded Republican contest.

The tycoon is at the center of a growing tidal wave of criticism from the White House, the entire GOP establishment, the leaders of Britain and France and many more people across the globe. 

Trump has branded people who oppose his plans to ban Muslim immigration 'foolish' and insisted he is not a bigot, amid nationwide and global condemnation. 

He defended his plan in a series of interviews and tweets on Tuesday, including one with ABC News' Barbara Walters, in which he said he is not bigot and is 'doing the right thing' - as his poll numbers remain strong.

'Wow, what a day. So many foolish people that refuse to acknowledge the tremendous danger and uncertainty of certain people coming into U.S.' he said yesterday evening.

Scholars say banning Muslims from entering the United States is unconstitutional. And even if it weren't illegal, practical considerations make it impossible to enforce.

Trump noted today that his proposition would not apply to people already living in the country, therefore the U.S. Constitution does not apply to them.

And, he said, 'This has nothing to with religion. It's about safety.'  

Sitting down with Walters in New York on Tuesday, he was first asked if he had any regrets about the Muslim ban. 

He quickly replied; 'Not at all. We have to do the right thing.'

He went on to say he has 'tremendous relationships' with many Muslims who completely agree with him on this issue and his planned ban.

Trump used the interview to attack those running against him as well who have all come out against his plan.

'I'm the worst thing that ever happened to ISIS. The people in my party fully understand that -- they're running against me. For the most part, they have no poll numbers. I'm leading by a lot. They get it. They're trying to get publicity for themselves,' said Trump. 

Taunt: A hint at an independent run made by Donald Trump on Twitter highlighted chaos inside the Republican camp after his decision to call for a ban on Muslims entering the US

Over it: 'What he said is disqualifying. And any Republican who's too fearful of the Republican base to admit it has no business serving as president either.' said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest

Trump also pointed out during the interview; 'You know when I came out against illegal immigration, everybody said the same thing. Two weeks later, everybody was on my side, including the members of my own party.'

He said the shutdown he speaks off would not have to be lengthy, just until the country got everything in order to monitor Muslims.

'There are people that have tremendously bad intentions. We have to be tough, we have to be smart and we have to be vigilant,' said Trump.

The presidential hopeful promoted his interview with Walters throughout the day, which seemed to cut off abruptly at the end meaning that ABC will be airing more in the near future. 

That likely means that Walters has listed Trump as one of her 10 Most Fascinating People for her December 17 special on ABC and the interview was already planned before his comments on Monday.

Walters previously spoke with Trump and Melania last month at Trump Towers, while also sitting down with his four oldest children - Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany. 

The massive amount of media coverage Trump has been receiving from the networks may be more important now than ever before as he bragged on Wednesday that it had saved him digging deep into his war chest.

Trump said he's sitting on $25-30 million that he could use fund his campaign, but he hasn't seen the necessity yet.

'I’m at like nothing – it’s embarrassing,' he said. 'But I get so much television. Can you imagine you go all program Trump, and then you have a commercial, Trump. People would get sick...I don’t know what they’d do.'

Some of his opponents have already spent as much money in the race - donated to them by supporters with deep pockets or to their Super PACs - to try to catch up with Trump or take him down. Most have not been successful.

New foe: Trump said police in the UK fear for their lives because of radicalized Muslims to which London Mayor Boris Johnson (above) responded by saying Trump's 'ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense.'

The real estate tycoon posited during the interview that he's up on the bulk of the field by 20 plus points. When you're riding that high, you don't need to run as a third-party candidate he said.

'A lot of the...people that are very critical' of him, he said, people like Jeb Bush, 'who’s got nothing going, and a lot of the others that are critical, they’re doing very poorly. 

Still on Tuesday, Trump tweeted the USA Today poll and noted that more than two-thirds of his backers would stand beside him if he sought the presidency independently. 

But that survey was taken last week, before Trump's plan to ban Muslims from entering the United States brought his party to the edge of chaos, abruptly pitting GOP leaders against their own presidential front-runner and jeopardizing the party's longtime drive to attract minorities. 

This morning, on Live with Michael and Kelly, Trump pointed out that he's also leading in every poll nationally and in six states, including New Hampshire. 

The most moderate of the early primary states, Trump went up to 32 percent in a CNN/WMUR poll published on Tuesday. Poll-takers conducted most of that survey before word of Trump proposal spread, though, and its unclear how it will affect his position in the race there.

On Twitter and on television, Trump cited a Fox News poll putting him ahead of Hillary Clinton in the general, that too appears to be outdated.

According to Real Clear Politics, the network last conducted a survey that fits that criteria in mid-November. It's true that Trump was beating Clinton by five points then. 

More recent surveys, all of which were also completed before Monday, have Clinton up by three to six points.

In his interview today with Michael and Kelly, Clinton repeated his new favorite attack on his contemporary  - she doesn’t have the 'strength or the stamina to be president.'

'It’s not a nice thing to say,' Trump, who is one year Clinton's senior, admitted.

But he said she its clear from the way she goes to an event, her staff takes reporters, 'they put em in a pin, they hold em’, she does a little event, and then she goes away for four five days.'

Trump's campaign routinely puts reporters in a holding pen as well that prevents them from interacting with the candidate or the crowd, but he routinely sticks around his events to sign autographs and take questions.

Break with convention: Paul Ryan, the new Republican speaker, condemned Trump as 'not true to the country's principles' 

If Trump does launch a third-party bid, party elders worry he would hand the presidential election to Clinton, a likely contender in November, and the Democrats. 

Republicans on Capitol Hill grew terse this week as they were repeatedly asked to respond to Trump's remarks.

'This is not conservatism,' declared House Speaker Paul Ryan, the Republican Party's top elected leader. 'What was proposed yesterday is not what this party stands for. And more importantly, it's not what this country stands for.'

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest minced no words when speaking about Trump on Tuesday.

'What he said is disqualifying. And any Republican who's too fearful of the Republican base to admit it has no business serving as president either.'

He also suggested that Trump has 'fake hair' and claimed he has an 'outrageous' appearance.

Across the Atlantic, many in the United Kingdom were also none too happy with Trump, and discussed implementing their own ban that would keep him out of their country.

Trump - who for some reason chose to speak in the royal 'we' - said; 'We have places in London and other places that are so radicalized that police are afraid for their own lives.'

London Mayor Boris Johnson responded by saying Trump's 'ill-informed comments are complete and utter nonsense.'

He then added; 'I would welcome the opportunity to show Mr Trump first hand some of the excellent work our police officers do every day in local neighborhoods throughout our city. 

'Crime has been falling steadily both in London and in New York - the only reason I wouldn't go to some parts of New York is the real risk of meeting Donald Trump. '

A petition on the UK government website to ban Trump from Britain on the grounds of hate speech had attracted more than 200,000 signatures as of this morning.

It says: 'The UK has banned entry to many individuals for hate speech. The same principles should apply to everyone who wishes to enter the UK.

'If the United Kingdom is to continue applying the "unacceptable behaviour" criteria to those who wish to enter its borders, it must be fairly applied to the rich as well as poor, and the weak as well as powerful.' 

Trump's grand plan still has one major problem however in that it would be near impossible to implement and may be illegal.

He would need the Supreme Court to uphold a decision that allowed for the internment of Japanese-American citizens in the final years of World War II.

The move, spearheaded by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, is considered by most to be one of the most shameful episodes in the history of the United States.

The Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians ruled that the policy was 'motivated largely by racial prejudice, wartime hysteria, and a failure of political leadership.'

Assuming the Supreme Court allows the ban, it would be difficult for customs agents to identify Muslims when they enter the country.

Most international travelling documents - including passports and visas - do not list an individual's religion.

Trump would have to force all individuals entering the country on international flights to go througha religious test upon arrival at the airport.

One by one, Republican officials across the country have subsequently lashed out at Trump's plan.

The GOP, said Jeb Bush adviser Ana Navarro, is stuck between 'a rock and a jerk.'

In New Hampshire, Republican National Committeeman Steve Duprey called Trump's idea 'abhorrent.' At the same time, he reminded Trump of his Republican loyalty pledge, saying, 'I know him to be a man of his word.'

In Mississippi, RNC member Henry Barbour said Trump's comments 'aren't worthy of someone who wants to occupy 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.' He said Trump would be a 'disaster politically for the GOP if he won the nomination.'

'It's embarrassing at best,' Barbour said of Trump's impact on his party. 

Yet Trump has stayed at the top of the Republican 2016 field, even after calling Mexican immigrants 'rapists' and 'criminals' in his announcement speech. 

And his newest plan to lock down the nation's borders was met with cheers during a South Carolina rally Monday evening.

The situation has Trump's Republican competitors struggling for attention with only weeks until Iowa's Feb. 1 caucuses.

Trump also revealed on Twitter yesterday that he is planning a trip to Israel before the end of the year. Israel's government confirmed this morning that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet with Trump during his stay.

The majority of the population in Israel is Jewish, but 20 percent of its population is Arab.

Trump tweeted Tuesday that he would be making a trip to Israel at the end of the year. The Republican Party has always advocated for supporting Israel against its Arab neighbors