The national spotlight was again shining on Donald Trump Thursday night, despite his absence from the Republican debate.

"I didn't want to be here, I have to be honest. I wanted to be about five minutes away," Trump said to a standing-room-only audience at Drake University. "When you're treated badly, you have to stick up for your right. Whether you like it or not, whether it's something we have to do or not, and that's what our country has to do."

Trump hurriedly put a rally together for the evening on Wednesday, after he and Fox News got in a public scuffle over the network's GOP debate, the party's seventh of the election season.

The Republican front-runner took issue with Megyn Kelly moderating the debate, claiming she would treat him unfairly. Fox News issued a tongue-in-cheek statement in response, wryly pointing out that Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Russian President Vladimir Putin both "intend to treat Donald Trump unfairly when they meet him if he becomes president." Trump responded by pulling out of the debate and scheduling a rally less than three miles away.

"Fox has been extremely nice, the last number of hours," Trump said to scattered laughter. "And they've wanted me there, and they said, 'How about now?' They called a few minutes ago -- 'How about now? Can you come over?' I said, 'Hasn't it already started?'"

Trump said he delayed his rally 15 minutes to give viewers a chance to switch over from the debate. He went on to say that his campaign raised over $6 million dollars for veterans in one day. One of the donations, he said, came from "a great builder" from New York: himself. Trump added he had personally donated $1 million.

According to ThinkProgress, Trump's speech was twice interrupted by protesters shouting, "We love veterans; Trump loves war." The candidate didn't skip a beat, dismissing the outbursts by saying he welcomed protests.

"I love the protesters in the big arenas because the cameras never move. They're always on my face," Trump said. Following the second interruption, Trump added, "If we could sit with them for ten minutes, maybe they would understand."

Latino and Black Lives Matter protesters have been ejected for similar actions at previous rallies, sometimes forcefully by Trump's supporters, Mediaite reports. A Muslim woman wearing a hijab staged a silent protest during a South Carolina event two weeks ago and was subsequently escorted out.

Midway through the event Thursday, Trump called former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum -- winners of the 2008 and 2012 Iowa caucuses, respectively -- up to say a few words. Santorum notably stood away from Trump's podium, saying that he didn't want to be photographed next to the candidate's sign.

"I'm supporting another candidate, but that doesn't mean we can't work together when it comes to helping our veterans," Santorum said.

It was a reserved performance for Trump. Aside from taking a jab at fellow GOP candidate Jeb Bush, the real estate mogul stayed on message by focusing on problems facing veterans -- including PTSD, drug abuse, and homelessness -- and thanking donors, some by name.

Admittedly, Trump said he wasn't sure if missing the debate would dissuade Iowa caucus-goers.

"Once this started and it was for our vets there was nothing I could do," Trump said. "I don't know. Is it for me personally a good thing, a bad thing? Will I get more votes? Will I get less votes? Nobody knows. Who the hell knows."

Watch Trump's full speech below.