Trump campaign shows a different side after Iowa loss

EXETER, N.H. -- Stung by his second-place finish in Iowa, Donald Trump is facing new pressure to prove he can translate his massive crowds and poll leads into election wins. And his team appeared intent to demonstrate Thursday they'd learned from any past mistakes.

Trump's campaign increased the day's planned events for New Hampshire from two to five -- the most he'd ever advertised on the trail. He visited with local business owners, answering questions and signing autographs, then offered a pep talk to several dozen local police.

That was in addition to two of his usual large-scale events, less than a week before next Tuesday's primary.

A handful of reporters also were invited into his campaign headquarters to chat with staff and volunteers as he held a private meeting -- a move that would have been unheard of in Iowa, where his team imposed a strict "radio silence" policy and shrouded its operation in secrecy.

Trump has blamed his second-place finish in Iowa on a long list of factors, including, at times of reflection, his own missteps. He's conceded he could have done better if he'd spent more time and money in the state.

"You know, I think in retrospect, we should have had a better ground game," he said in an interview this week on MSNBC.

Trump remains far ahead in polls in New Hampshire, which is considered friendlier turf for the billionaire businessman. The electorate tends to favor more moderate candidates, making him a more natural fit than he was in evangelical-dominated Iowa.