Transcript - CNN: John King Interviews Donald Trump on John King USA - April 26, 2011 | Factba.se

John King

00:00:00 - 00:00:23 (23 sec)

In a moment, the reasons for the big White House strategy shift, but first Mr. Trump, the man the president had in mind when he talked of sideshows and carnival barkers. Mr. Trump is here in New Hampshire today, introducing himself to Republican leaders and voters, saying he expects to formally enter the 2012 presidential race in June. Now self-promotion is a Trump trademark and when he landed here this morning, he was beaming.

Donald Trump

00:00:23 - 00:00:44 (21 sec)

Today, I'm very proud of myself because I've accomplished something that nobody else has been able to accomplish. I was just informed while on the helicopter that our president has finally released a birth certificate. [End Clip]

John King

00:00:44 - 00:01:01 (17 sec)

Now Mr. Trump mixed bragging with a bit of revisionist history, suggesting it was us in the news media somehow forcing him to question whether President Obama was born here in the United States.

Donald Trump

00:01:01 - 00:01:19 (18 sec)

We can get on to issues and hopefully when I sit down with interviews people don't start talking about birth certificate, birth certificate, like they've been doing. So I feel I've accomplished something really, really important. And I'm honored by it. [End Clip]

John King

00:01:19 - 00:01:50 (31 sec)

Now, we're here in beautiful Portsmouth tonight because we scheduled an interview with Mr. Trump several days ago, well before we had any clue the president would make his birth certificate public. Mr. Trump told us this afternoon he wanted to cancel that interview. He accused CNN of being unfair to him in recent days. We don't think that's true. Although we are proud of our consistent reporting showing the birther conspiracies to be bogus. In the end though, Mr. Trump did agree to sit down and talk. Thanks for your time.

Donald Trump

00:01:50 - 00:01:50 (0 sec)

John King

00:01:50 - 00:01:53 (3 sec)

You've said today that you're honored and proud --

Donald Trump

00:01:53 - 00:01:54 (1 sec)

Very honored and proud.

John King

00:01:54 - 00:01:56 (2 sec)

That the president released this.

Donald Trump

00:01:56 - 00:02:15 (19 sec)

Very good, I'm very happy about it. I think I've been given great praise by the press, and I'm honored to have -- look, he should have done this years ago. He didn't do it for Hillary Clinton. He didn't do it for John McCain. He did it for me. The fact is I get things done. And I don't understand why he didn't do it a lot sooner, John, but he didn't, and it's a shame.

John King

00:02:15 - 00:02:21 (6 sec)

Are you at all maybe a little embarrassed for stoking what many in the country see as a foolish debate?

Donald Trump

00:02:21 - 00:02:28 (7 sec)

No, I think I really did a great job in getting him to -- I mean, first of all, I haven't seen it. You're just -- I'm looking at that --

John King

00:02:28 - 00:02:28 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:02:28 - 00:02:48 (20 sec)

It doesn't -- I'll look at it later. I don't need to look at your copy. But I hope it's -- everything's perfect. And I've been saying that very consistently. I hope that he has it. I don't understand why he didn't do it years ago when Hillary Clinton wanted it, when Bill Clinton wanted it, when John McCain wanted it.

John King

00:02:48 - 00:03:00 (12 sec)

Some supporters of Hillary Clinton circulated an e-mail asking him to release it. I don't recall Senator Clinton or President Clinton ever asking --

Donald Trump

00:03:00 - 00:03:17 (17 sec)

I heard everybody wanted to see it and I was the only one that got him to do it. And nobody understands why he didn't do it sooner, and he should have, because it would have been good for the country. And it's also good for me -- I've been given great credit for having him do something that he should have done and should have done a long time ago.

Donald Trump

00:03:17 - 00:03:31 (14 sec)

But what I like about it, it allows me to get on to subjects like China ripping us off, because they are just absolutely brutalizing and abusing this country. Like OPEC, what they're doing to the price of oil, and nobody talks to them. Nobody calls them.

Donald Trump

00:03:31 - 00:03:44 (13 sec)

Saudi Arabia, three days ago, just, as you know, they really cut back on their oil production, meaning let's raise the price some more. And people are going to be paying six, seven and $8 for their gasoline.

John King

00:03:44 - 00:03:44 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:03:44 - 00:04:01 (17 sec)

And it's really a shame. [Crosstalk] Excuse me, John. And I'm really happy that we can finally get on to that subject, because that's my strength, jobs, the economy, getting OPEC to behave. We have all the power. Getting OPEC to behave. They don't respect our leadership.

John King

00:04:01 - 00:04:03 (2 sec)

But you raised this, saying the president should release --

Donald Trump

00:04:03 - 00:04:04 (1 sec)

No, no, you raised this -- [Crosstalk] Excuse me --

John King

00:04:04 - 00:04:05 (1 sec)

No, I did not raise this --

Donald Trump

00:04:05 - 00:04:05 (0 sec)

You raised this, John.

John King

00:04:05 - 00:04:07 (2 sec)

I didn't call a press conference in Palm Beach earlier this week --

Donald Trump

00:04:07 - 00:04:09 (2 sec)

Excuse me, you raised this --

John King

00:04:09 - 00:04:09 (0 sec)

I haven't been on -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:04:09 - 00:04:16 (7 sec)

And every time I sit down with the press, all they want to talk about is the birth certificate. And I got him to do something that nobody else could get him to do.

John King

00:04:16 - 00:04:17 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:04:17 - 00:04:18 (1 sec)

And I've been given great credit for that.

John King

00:04:18 - 00:04:21 (3 sec)

And you raised this issue of his credibility, that if he has it he should release it.

Donald Trump

00:04:21 - 00:04:22 (1 sec)

John King

00:04:22 - 00:04:30 (8 sec)

There are some people who question yours in the middle of all this. The other night you went on Anderson Cooper and you said your investigators told you it was missing or it wasn't there.

Donald Trump

00:04:30 - 00:04:31 (1 sec)

John King

00:04:31 - 00:04:31 (0 sec)

What was that based on?

Donald Trump

00:04:31 - 00:04:42 (11 sec)

Excuse me, very simple, I had people looking into it. Now I don't have to have the people -- I can call them back. I hope, I mean, I haven't seen this. And I'm sure that a lot of experts will analyze it. [Crosstalk]

John King

00:04:42 - 00:04:47 (5 sec)

But would you ever pay them -- if serious people told you it was missing or not there, here it is.

Donald Trump

00:04:47 - 00:05:22 (35 sec)

Would I pay them? I don't know. Maybe I'll let you negotiate it for me, OK? [Crosstalk] I can say this, John. Let me just tell you, I don't make up anything. Let me tell you something. I have done a great service to the American people. I got him to release a birth certificate that he should have done three years ago and four years ago and he didn't it. And if you remember, he said, oh, no, no, there's no such thing as a birth certificate, it doesn't matter. They don't have it. There is no such thing. He was saying the live -- the certificate of live birth was the only thing that mattered. Hawaii doesn't have that. All of a sudden, Hawaii has it? Sort of strange.

John King

00:05:22 - 00:05:23 (1 sec)

He said he didn't think he needed to release it.

Donald Trump

00:05:23 - 00:05:27 (4 sec)

Excuse me; he kept saying about the certificate of live birth was all they have --

John King

00:05:27 - 00:05:27 (0 sec)

That should be good enough -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:05:27 - 00:05:37 (10 sec)

Excuse me, John. He kept saying the certificate of live birth was all they have in Hawaii. They don't have birth certificates in Hawaii. And I said he was wrong. Guess what? I turned out to be right.

John King

00:05:37 - 00:05:44 (7 sec)

Today, he said that he felt he would reverse himself and release this because of the distraction he blamed on sideshows and carnival barkers.

Donald Trump

00:05:44 - 00:05:45 (1 sec)

John King

00:05:45 - 00:05:47 (2 sec)

And people say he means you.

Donald Trump

00:05:47 - 00:06:23 (36 sec)

Look -- well, that's OK, and I will tell you, we have a president that's incompetent. We have a president who's doing a terrible job. We have a president that has fuel oil and fuel prices and gasoline prices going to six, seven and $8 and people can't even fill up a tank of gas now because they don't have the money. And we have OPEC making more money than any group of countries has ever made in the history of the world. We have China taking our jobs and ripping us off. And we have a president that gives the head of China a party at the White House. We have a president that's incompetent.

John King

00:06:23 - 00:06:26 (3 sec)

You don't consider yourself a sideshow or carnival barker, I assume?

Donald Trump

00:06:26 - 00:07:02 (36 sec)

I am a very serious person. I am a person that has made great wealth. I have built up a great, great company. And if and when I decide to run -- and you may be pleasantly surprised in your case, in the case of CNN, you may be unpleasantly surprised, I'll be announcing sometime prior to June. Not only will I be announcing something that I think a lot of people will be happy -- because I feel I formed something in my own mind as to what I want to do. But as you know, if I announce, I have to present very detailed information on wealth, cash, the banks --

John King

00:07:02 - 00:07:09 (7 sec)

You told Eliot Spitzer this week that if Obama released this, if the president released this, you would release your tax returns.

Donald Trump

00:07:09 - 00:07:14 (5 sec)

Well, I don't know what I told Eliot Spitzer -- I look at Eliot Spitzer --

John King

00:07:14 - 00:07:17 (3 sec)

You told George Stephanopoulos the same thing.

Donald Trump

00:07:17 - 00:07:22 (5 sec)

Excuse me, excuse me, I'll be doing my tax returns at the appropriate time. I haven't even announced yet.

John King

00:07:22 - 00:07:26 (4 sec)

You said this was missing. You had investigators who said it was missing.

Donald Trump

00:07:26 - 00:07:26 (0 sec)

John King

00:07:26 - 00:07:28 (2 sec)

You're questioning the character and integrity --

Donald Trump

00:07:28 - 00:07:29 (1 sec)

The president himself -- [Crosstalk]

John King

00:07:29 - 00:07:31 (2 sec)

Let me finish. I let you finish --

Donald Trump

00:07:31 - 00:07:31 (0 sec)

John King

00:07:31 - 00:07:33 (2 sec)

You're questioning the character and integrity of the president of the United States.

Donald Trump

00:07:33 - 00:07:34 (1 sec)

The president himself -- [Crosstalk]

John King

00:07:34 - 00:07:37 (3 sec)

' -- CNN poll that shows you in a dead heat with the president of the United States.

Donald Trump

00:07:37 - 00:07:37 (0 sec)

John King

00:07:37 - 00:07:40 (3 sec)

There's no such poll. We've never polled.

Donald Trump

00:07:40 - 00:07:41 (1 sec)

I'll give it to you. [Crosstalk] I'll give it to you.

John King

00:07:41 - 00:07:43 (2 sec)

We have never polled Obama versus Trump.

Donald Trump

00:07:43 - 00:07:46 (3 sec)

Yes, you have. [Crosstalk] Oh really? Do you want -- [Crosstalk] Can I show it to you? [Crosstalk] Can I show it to you?

John King

00:07:46 - 00:07:47 (1 sec)

Yes, I'd love to see it.

Donald Trump

00:07:47 - 00:07:54 (7 sec)

Excuse me, hold it. Can you get that poll? It was like 42 to 44. A CNN poll.

John King

00:07:54 - 00:07:56 (2 sec)

CNN has never polled Obama versus Trump.

Donald Trump

00:07:56 - 00:08:07 (11 sec)

OK. That's fine. Let's see if you're right or wrong, OK? CNN -- it had like a 42 to 44. It was a statistical dead heat. Check it. You know the one I'm talking about, Michael? OK, I think you're wrong.

John King

00:08:07 - 00:08:07 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:08:07 - 00:08:11 (4 sec)

Of course you're not going to show that because if you are wrong, you will cut it out. [Crosstalk] Excuse me, if you are wrong --

John King

00:08:11 - 00:08:12 (1 sec)

When I find out --

Donald Trump

00:08:12 - 00:08:13 (1 sec)

Excuse me, if you are wrong, you'll cut it out. [Crosstalk]

John King

00:08:13 - 00:08:14 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:08:14 - 00:08:14 (0 sec)

John King

00:08:14 - 00:08:17 (3 sec)

No, if I'm wrong, I look at the camera -- I made a mistake. I'm wrong.

Donald Trump

00:08:17 - 00:08:19 (2 sec)

Good, good. I hope you do that.

John King

00:08:19 - 00:08:20 (1 sec)

That's what I do.

Donald Trump

00:08:20 - 00:08:23 (3 sec)

I mean, I hope you do that. OK, next question. [End Clip]

John King

00:08:23 - 00:08:32 (9 sec)

But we're not wrong. We told the Trump people if they could produce evidence of that poll, we'd be happy, happy to correct the record. We also rechecked with our polling department and our polling director specifically.

John King

00:08:32 - 00:08:49 (17 sec)

The Trump people never got back to us and this is why. We're positive, positive CNN never conducted such a poll. More of my interview with the possible presidential candidate coming up and how did he fare here in New Hampshire and why did the president choose to show his birth certificate today after two years of saying no? That's next.

John King

00:08:49 - 00:09:05 (16 sec)

So why did the president after two years of saying no decide not only to release his birth certificate today, but to come into the White House briefing room to discuss it? And now that it is public, will the birther debate finally fade away? One other question, is Donald Trump a legitimate presidential candidate?

John King

00:09:05 - 00:09:34 (29 sec)

Joining me here is the New Hampshire State Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball -- good to see you, sir -- and in Washington a Democratic pollster and CNN contributor Cornell Belcher and our national political correspondent Jessica Yellin. Jess, to you first, the president had said for two years no, no, no, this is a distraction. This is bogus. I'm not going to do this. Today, he released this document, and the spin from the Democrats is he thinks this helps him. If he likes the Republicans talking about this, why did he put it out there?

Jessica Yellin

00:09:34 - 00:09:48 (14 sec)

There is a political downside to this, as you point out, John, which is that the more the Republicans are spinning up about this birther issue, they're not talking about jobs and the economy, which is what ultimately will get the next president elected, everyone agrees. So it was a useful political distraction.

Jessica Yellin

00:09:48 - 00:10:18 (30 sec)

But all my sources in the White House and on campaign Obama believe that this was becoming such a distraction it was stepping on the messages that they really want to communicate, especially about the plan to bring down the debt, the president's vision, and the day after he unveiled his plan, major news networks came to talk to the president about the plan and were asking about this instead and word is that the president himself was personally miffed. He just wanted it to go away.

John King

00:10:18 - 00:10:43 (25 sec)

So Cornell Belcher, is that it? I'm always -- forgive me -- a bit suspicious when the White House changes a position that they've thought through for a very long time. They have access to this document. They could have done this at anytime. I get suspicious that they're seeing something in the numbers, as ludicrous as they think this debate is, as ludicrous as our reporting has shown this debate to be, that they see something that's hurting the president. Is there anything in the numbers?

Cornell Belcher

00:10:43 - 00:11:01 (18 sec)

Two things. One is I got to back up a little bit because, you know what, in 2008, you know, the Obama campaign, campaign Obama actually released what Hawaii says is a birth certificate. You know the long form thing is sort of the opposition moving the goal post. But back in 2008 the campaign actually released what Hawaii gave us as his birth certificate.

Cornell Belcher

00:11:01 - 00:11:25 (24 sec)

So there's that. But in the numbers, this cuts against Republicans in a real damaging way. It cuts against Republicans because it's about judgment. If you're an independent voter in middle America worried about jobs and the economy and you see that the leading Republican candidate -- by the way, I want to know about this secret CNN poll John -- that your leading Republican candidate right now is -- number one issue is the birthers, that's got to be really problematic for the Republican Party.

John King

00:11:25 - 00:11:50 (25 sec)

So, Mr. Chairman, you are in the first primary state. Iowa has its caucuses. New Hampshire has its primary. The candidates including Mr. Trump here today beginning to get more active. Is this a real issue? Are you happy that the president has put this document out and now you can talk about -- I assume Republicans will argue, you know, he wants to raise taxes or he has too big of a government. Would you rather talk about those issues?

Jack Kimball

00:11:50 - 00:12:00 (10 sec)

I think that it's a little funny that Mr. Trump showed up today and the birth certificate showed up as well. I think it's important that we get this out of the way. I think it's very --

John King

00:12:00 - 00:12:03 (3 sec)

You don't think that's a coincidence?

Jack Kimball

00:12:03 - 00:12:12 (9 sec)

I don't know. I really don't. But, really, I think probably the transcripts are next. And when you look forward to these things the only --

John King

00:12:12 - 00:12:21 (9 sec)

Wait, wait, wait, wait -- I'm going to jump here -- use the transcripts, you mean his college records?

Jack Kimball

00:12:21 - 00:12:22 (1 sec)

Yes, that's probably next --

John King

00:12:22 - 00:12:24 (2 sec)

Why is that relevant?

Jack Kimball

00:12:24 - 00:12:29 (5 sec)

Well, think it's not. I think -- the only grades -- that's really not relevant to me --

John King

00:12:29 - 00:12:42 (13 sec)

He's been president of the United States for two-plus years now. He'll be president for almost four years when he runs for re-election. Whether he got a C or an A in Greek studies in college I hope my employer doesn't -- [Crosstalk]

Jack Kimball

00:12:42 - 00:12:57 (15 sec)

I'm only concerned with the F's in the stimulus package and the F's in Obamacare that he gets from me, that's for sure. The same thing with foreign policy. So those are the things I'm worried about. I think we've got to move forward in the campaign and the candidates as well.

John King

00:12:57 - 00:13:21 (24 sec)

One of the things we try to do here is hold people accountable and we try to hold everybody accountable. You saw part of a contentious conversation with Mr. Trump there. There's more of it to come. I want to play one other thing the president said because as Jess just noted, the White House making this decision, saying it believes that this birther debate had become a huge distraction. Let's listen to a little bit of how the president characterized it.

Barack Obama

00:13:21 - 00:13:45 (24 sec)

During that entire week, the dominant news story wasn't about these huge monumental choices that we're going to have to make as a nation. It was about my birth certificate and that was true on most of the news outlets that were represented here. [End Clip]

John King

00:13:45 - 00:14:17 (32 sec)

Not exactly. We want to give credit where credit is due. Jake Tapper of ABC News I think was the first one to notice this Thirty-nine percent of television news program, then the Middle East unrest, the Japan quake and the tsunami and then the Obama administration and Southeast tornadoes. So the president certainly felt that there was a lot of cable chatter about it no doubt, but the president not exactly factual in that one. Cornell, I want to come back to the point that if this is such a good issue for the president, why say anything? Why put the document out?

Cornell Belcher

00:14:17 - 00:14:53 (36 sec)

I don't -- I don't argue that it is a good issue. I think it is a horrible issue for America. I think this is a bad issue for Republicans and I think you see Republicans even sort of Bachmann and Governor Brewer in Arizona sort of backing away from this issue because guess what, if your central premise right now is not jobs and economy but whether or not a birth certificate -- you know, moving the polls, moving back the goal posts on the birth certificate, you are missing where American people are right now and I think Republicans fall into a trap right now and right now their leading Republican candidate right now is a guy whose central issue has been the birther issue.

Janet Yellin

00:14:53 - 00:15:20 (27 sec)

John, if I can also add, I would -- I will say that one top Obama aide said to me after this, and what's Donald Trump going to talk about now? So it's not like they're tone-deaf to the political environment out there. And then there's this larger concern of the ways that it's an effort to discredit the presidency in general, call him illegitimate, bring in these larger issues of is he really a Christian or is he Muslim? They didn't want it to get into all of that and keep this dragging on, so there were larger concerns beyond just the media coverage.

Cornell Belcher

00:15:20 - 00:15:35 (15 sec)

And real quickly, John, the whole now -- the grade thing, that's again not on issue. That's about sort of making Barack Obama illegitimate. It has nothing to do with the pains of the American people right now. It is a smear campaign.

John King

00:15:35 - 00:15:41 (6 sec)

Were you joking about that? [Inaudible] were you joking about that or do you seriously think he should -- his college transcripts are a relevant issue?

Jack Kimball

00:15:41 - 00:15:43 (2 sec)

No, that was tongue in cheek --

John King

00:15:43 - 00:16:05 (22 sec)

All right, tongue in cheek -- let's try to put that one away because I know Cornell has a point. Let's talk about Mr. Trump. He's here today. He spent some time privately with you. He sounds by every account, everyone who meets with him privately, and certainly in the public interviews, like this time he's serious. He has flirted with this before. So people are a tad skeptical. He likes generating publicity for his television program and for his businesses. You had a private meeting with him today. Is he running for president?

Jack Kimball

00:16:05 - 00:16:16 (11 sec)

I can't answer that yet. I will tell you just his appearance here today I think is ominous. I do. And I think that he wouldn't have bothered to come here if he wasn't taking the next most serious step, you know, toward that decision.

John King

00:16:16 - 00:16:46 (30 sec)

Are you confident he's a Republican? I want to just go back -- if you go back in time in 1999, he talked about himself as a potential Reform Party candidate for president. He said the Democrats were too liberal and the Republicans were too crazy right. That's his words -- too crazy right. He supported abortion rights back then. He talked about a one time 14.25 percent millionaire tax. Civil rights for gay couples. Universal health care. Is this a born-again Donald Trump ? Do you believe he's a conservative Republican in the mold that New Hampshire Republicans would embrace?

Jack Kimball

00:16:46 - 00:17:02 (16 sec)

Yes, I think -- I think what you're going to see and today you saw -- the folks showed up and he was pretty well received, but all of the candidates are going have to get out there and tell their platforms. And the voters of this state -- and -- I love this state. That's -- we do the vetting I think for this country.

Jack Kimball

00:17:02 - 00:17:18 (16 sec)

And they're going to ask the tough questions and the answers that they're going to receive are going to prompt them to vote for one of these candidates. And Mr. Trump is really no different than any of the other broad group of candidates that we've got vying for this position.

John King

00:17:18 - 00:17:22 (4 sec)

Cornell, I know you're a Democrat, but you study the numbers. Be as fair as you can be here, my friend. He has gone up --

Cornell Belcher

00:17:22 - 00:17:23 (1 sec)

I'm always fair.

John King

00:17:23 - 00:17:37 (14 sec)

-- in the polls among perspective Republican candidates, he has gone up in the polls. Is it -- do you think it's just a birther issue or are Republicans looking around and maybe not so satisfied or maybe looking for fresh faces or is it just that he's a celebrity?

Cornell Belcher

00:17:37 - 00:17:57 (20 sec)

Two things, I think the chairman is actually doing a real good job being the Republican chairman but he knows in the back of his mind those issues that you just laid out there, Mitt Romney and those other Republicans are going to kill him dead on those issues because they're going to run advertising that's going to be really harmful for him in that Republican primary. The other thing about this I think -- I think Trump is actually -- the Republicans are to blame for Trump.

Cornell Belcher

00:17:57 - 00:18:13 (16 sec)

They wait too long to get in -- their top candidates waited too long to get in. They left this doorway open for Trump to get in. But also what I think is exciting about Trump is he's changed. He's not your typical politician. Americans said time and time again they want change. Donald Trump is to a certain extent right now a change agent.

Cornell Belcher

00:18:13 - 00:18:22 (9 sec)

As bizarre as it is he's a change agent because he doesn't look like the rest of those guys. He doesn't have their political background. He's someone who's not been part of the political process.

John King

00:18:22 - 00:18:35 (13 sec)

Jess, do other Republicans view him as a likely and as a serious contender? He certainly could write himself a big check.

Janet Yellin

00:18:35 - 00:18:50 (15 sec)

If they do, I haven't met that person. I mean there's a lot of eye rolling that goes on. A lot of, you know, Republican -- establishment Republicans think he's not good for the party and an early season distraction that will probably go away before we see people go into the caucuses in Iowa.

John King

00:18:50 - 00:18:54 (4 sec)

Who's your front-runner in New Hampshire at the moment?

Jack Kimball

00:18:54 - 00:18:57 (3 sec)

I would say right now Mitt Romney would probably be considered the front-runner --

John King

00:18:57 - 00:19:23 (26 sec)

What makes this state interesting and sometimes fascinating, we saw this play out in 2008 when you had contested primaries on both sides, there are more Independents, undeclared voters you call them here in New Hampshire than there are Democrats or Republicans and they can vote in either primary. If President Obama does not have a challenge, do you suspect that most of those independents will vote in the Republican primary and a lot of them, sir, would be Democrats maybe playing mischief, Democratic-leaning independents saying, hey, no race on my side, let's go have some fun.

Jack Kimball

00:19:23 - 00:19:46 (23 sec)

John, it's one of the strange issues we have in this state. People can actually do that to manipulate the vote. We don't like to see that, but it's hard to tell. It's very hard to tell what they're going to do. But you're absolutely right. You know 30 percent -- the makeup in this state, 30 percent Republican, 30 percent Democrat and around 40 percent in the middle, so it's an incredible dynamic and that middle, that's the sway vote and that's going to be the determining factor in this state.

John King

00:19:46 - 00:19:52 (6 sec)

Fascinating to watch. We'll spend a lot more time with Chairman Kimball in the months ahead. Thank you, sir, for your time tonight. Jess, Cornell, thanks as well.

Jack Kimball

00:19:52 - 00:19:52 (0 sec)

John King

00:19:52 - 00:20:07 (15 sec)

Up next, more of my interview with Donald Trump and why he doesn't buy Made in America. Live pictures there. We're in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, the Eastern Seaboard of New Hampshire, a beautiful town, beautiful town in a wonderful state and a great place to come and cover American politics.

John King

00:20:07 - 00:20:14 (7 sec)

Donald Trump here today. He thinks about -- he's thinking about running for the Republican nomination for president. As you watch those pictures, maybe you believe him, maybe you don't.

John King

00:20:14 - 00:20:36 (22 sec)

But Donald Trump says he's happy tonight that the president has released his birth certificate because it means talk on the campaign trail will turn to other issues. China's role in the economy is one of Trump's favorite themes. In our conversation, we discussed that and whether he's really serious this time about running. You just mentioned that China is raping us, taking our jobs.

Donald Trump

00:20:36 - 00:21:07 (31 sec)

I said that China is taking advantage and abusing us like other than OPEC, no country has ever done in the history of the United States. We are being abused by China. They're manipulating their currencies. They are taking all and -- I don't mean like a little bit. They are taking tremendous numbers of our jobs. They're making our products. We are rebuilding China. Now, if it's one-on-one and free trade as opposed to fair trade, because it should be fair trade, but if it's one-on-one, that's one thing but what China --

John King

00:21:07 - 00:21:09 (2 sec)

Do you know your wife sells a jewelry line on QVC?

Donald Trump

00:21:09 - 00:21:11 (2 sec)

That's true. And you know what else -- can I give you --

John King

00:21:11 - 00:21:12 (1 sec)

Do you know every piece of jewelry -- every piece of jewelry is made in China?

Donald Trump

00:21:12 - 00:21:27 (15 sec)

Can I tell you what else? I build my buildings, unfortunately, because companies can't compete because they manipulate their currency. So China makes jewelry and they make curtain walls and they make lots of other things and it shouldn't be that way, John. We should be making it.

John King

00:21:27 - 00:21:28 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:21:28 - 00:21:29 (1 sec)

Excuse me -- [Crosstalk]

John King

00:21:29 - 00:21:31 (2 sec)

People will ask, is this guy a hypocrite?

Donald Trump

00:21:31 - 00:21:32 (1 sec)

John King

00:21:32 - 00:21:36 (4 sec)

He's out there beating up on the Chinese and his wife is making money selling products made in China.

Donald Trump

00:21:36 - 00:22:15 (39 sec)

Because of the fact that China manipulates their currency. And they really manipulate it big league. And our people aren't smart enough to know what's going on. When I order curtain walls for a big beautiful building, when I order other things, you know what happened with the sheetrock, because the good news is we make better products than they make in China. But when I order -- can I talk? When I order various elements for building a big building, many of them come from China. Many other industries, the same thing. These -- it comes from China. You know why? Because they manipulate the hell out of their currency.

John King

00:22:15 - 00:22:15 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:22:15 - 00:22:16 (1 sec)

And unless we're going to -- [Crosstalk]

John King

00:22:16 - 00:22:27 (11 sec)

-- start a company here in the United States -- you could start a company here in the United States and go on QVC or go -- when Trump sells a building, say it's going to cost you a little bit more because I decided to make it in America. When you're out there beating them up --

Donald Trump

00:22:27 - 00:22:56 (29 sec)

There's a 40 percent manipulation, and it doesn't allow companies in this country to compete. And when you start throwing a tax on Chinese goods, you will see tremendous companies be built in this country. Now, you may never get to it, because once you do that, John, as soon as that happens, I'll tell you what's going -- as soon as China thinks the messenger is real, not a guy like Obama, but the messenger is real, they're going to stop manipulating their currency.

John King

00:22:56 - 00:23:07 (11 sec)

But I'm not so sure we shouldn't do it anyway. We need jobs in Alabama. We need jobs in New Hampshire, where I am right now.

John King

00:23:07 - 00:23:12 (5 sec)

They need jobs badly. We need jobs in this country. And China's making our product.

John King

00:23:12 - 00:23:49 (37 sec)

We are rebuilding China. So when my wife does jewelry, you can't do it. They don't even make it in this country. Everything is made in China. When I order curtain walls, when I order other things -- I order thousands of television sets for a building, thousands. I said, Let's buy it from the United States. I want America. I want United States. There's no place that makes them. We don't have television companies in this country. I mean So, I end up getting LGs made in South Korea, thousands of them. Now, why -- excuse me, why aren't we -- why aren't we making them in this country? Why?

John King

00:23:49 - 00:24:06 (17 sec)

So, between China and other countries, but China's the biggest abuser of all, and they are an abuser because they manipulate the hell of their currencies which makes it almost impossible, almost impossible, for our companies to compete. So, you see no hypocrisy there? You see no hypocrisy there?

Donald Trump

00:24:06 - 00:24:36 (30 sec)

Zero. No, zero. I buy stuff -- the first thing I do, hey, look, you're supposed to be this great reporter, even though your ratings are no good -- let me just tell you something, let me just tell you something -- I want to buy here so badly. I want to buy in this country so badly that your head would spin, OK? So badly. The problem is, half of these products that I want to buy, they don't even make them in this country. And if they do make them, they cost four times more because China manipulates their currency. Now, the good news is, we make a better product than they make.

John King

00:24:36 - 00:24:40 (4 sec)

If you run, do you guarantee you will run as a Republican or might you run as an independent?

Donald Trump

00:24:40 - 00:24:42 (2 sec)

I would run as a Republican.

John King

00:24:42 - 00:24:43 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:24:43 - 00:24:51 (8 sec)

No, I'm running as a Republican. I mean, I'm looking to run as a Republican. I'm doing very well. As you probably know but won't say, I'm leading in almost every poll --

John King

00:24:51 - 00:24:56 (5 sec)

You've come way up, you're doing quite well --

Donald Trump

00:24:56 - 00:25:00 (4 sec)

I'm doing very well. [Crosstalk]

John King

00:25:00 - 00:25:03 (3 sec)

' -- without a doubt.

Donald Trump

00:25:03 - 00:25:28 (25 sec)

And I think now I've gotten Obama to do something that for some reason he didn't want to do, which is expose his birth certificate, I think probably, that will have a huge positive impact. But I will say this, pollsters have also said, as you sort of indicated before, that a lot of people have voted for you in the polls. But a lot of people want to vote for you, but they really think you're just having a good time, I'm having fun. They said P.T. Barnum and all of this nonsense --

John King

00:25:28 - 00:25:30 (2 sec)

I'm not so sure of that myself --

Donald Trump

00:25:30 - 00:25:52 (22 sec)

Or I'm trying to build up my ratings of The Apprentice. And you're on television I don't need to build up the ratings in The Apprentice. And it's too trivial to even think about it. Now, I will tell you that I will make a decision sometime prior to June. And I love this country. I want this country to be great again. I want this country to be rich again. With Obama as president, it can no longer be great and it can no longer be rich.

John King

00:25:52 - 00:26:00 (8 sec)

So, then how, as you try to make the case, you're in this great state today. It has a prestigious historic first presidential primary.

Donald Trump

00:26:00 - 00:26:02 (2 sec)

It's a great state.

John King

00:26:02 - 00:26:25 (23 sec)

Independents can vote in that primary. They take it very seriously. Some of them looking at your record, see a guy who in 1999 talked about being in the Reform Party, said the Republicans were too crazy right. Your words on Meet the Press -- too crazy right A conservative activist here, Jennifer Horn, writes today, she was a nominee for Congress in 2008: Even the most experienced political operative gets whiplash trying to follow --

Donald Trump

00:26:25 - 00:26:34 (9 sec)

Well, let me ask you this, why am I doing so well in the polls in New Hampshire? I mean, I'm doing great in the polls in New Hampshire. I'm leading the national polls. And I'm doing great in New Hampshire. And you know why -- you know why --

John King

00:26:34 - 00:26:37 (3 sec)

Rudy led the national polls for a while.

Donald Trump

00:26:37 - 00:26:44 (7 sec)

I don't care about Rudy. Rudy is a great a friend of mine. He's a great guy. But he didn't run a good campaign and he'll be the first to admit it.

John King

00:26:44 - 00:26:55 (11 sec)

And he didn't even come to New Hampshire, really, and he didn't come to Iowa, and he obviously should have. So, you can't compare that, all right? But you don't see -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:26:55 - 00:26:56 (1 sec)

But Rudy is a good friend-

John King

00:26:56 - 00:26:58 (2 sec)

' -- that credibility and consistency- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:26:58 - 00:27:34 (36 sec)

Let me just tell you something -- I'm doing great in the polls. You know why? Because people in New Hampshire, as well as people in the country, don't want to be ripped off by every nation that does business with us. Even Colombia, in Latin America, Colombia, it was just announced, they made $4 billion on us last year. And now, we're looking to sign a new trade agreement that's going to let them do even better. We're run by people that are incompetent. Our leader is incompetent. And people want to see a change. And that's why I'm doing better in the polls. And I have to catch a plane, I'm sorry.

John King

00:27:34 - 00:27:47 (13 sec)

If they want that change -- one last question -- if they want that change, they want to look, they want the credibility of a new commander-in-chief. Let me ask you about something you said here this morning. You said that when you look at the Libyan opposition, that we should be careful, that you see Iran and al Qaeda.

Donald Trump

00:27:47 - 00:27:47 (0 sec)

John King

00:27:47 - 00:27:50 (3 sec)

Not a bunch of good guys trying to kick out Gadhafi.

Donald Trump

00:27:50 - 00:27:50 (0 sec)

John King

00:27:50 - 00:28:03 (13 sec)

The United States intelligence agencies, the British intelligence agency, say there's a sliver of al Qaeda, but for most part, it's just people rising up against Gadhafi. Does Donald Trump have a better intelligence network than the United States government?

Donald Trump

00:28:03 - 00:28:12 (9 sec)

Are they the same intelligence agencies that said about the World Trade Center, that, you know, Saddam Hussein knocked down the World Trade Center? I guess, are they the same people?

John King

00:28:12 - 00:28:16 (4 sec)

But somebody might ask, where do you get that information? Do you get it from the same people who told you this is missing?

Donald Trump

00:28:16 - 00:28:33 (17 sec)

You know where I get it from? I get it from reading newspapers. And I didn't say it is. I said I am reading and I am hearing that Iran is very strongly backing the so-called rebels. Wonderful word. Sounds like Gone with the Wind And wouldn't that be something if we go in and we do a big number and we get rid of Gadhafi, which is fine as far as I'm concerned, and now somebody takes over who's worse? Now, here's another question -- China gets a lot of its oil from Libya, right? You know that, right?

John King

00:28:33 - 00:28:33 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:28:33 - 00:28:56 (23 sec)

We get none. Why isn't China involved? Why isn't China involved, John? We don't get oil from Libya. We're involved. We spent over $1 billion already, because the Arab League, which is Saudi Arabia and others of the richest nations in the world, the Arab League wants us to go and take out Gadhafi because they don't like him. We don't like him. Go do it. Why didn't we say to them, all right, we'll do it, $5 billion, we want $5 billion? You know what they would have said? Absolutely, you have a deal. They wouldn't -- that's peanuts for them. That's peanuts.

Donald Trump

00:28:56 - 00:29:11 (15 sec)

We're into the war for $1 billion, at least. And we're not even winning. I mean, so far Gadhafi is in power still. And people are on the streets cheering him on. So, we're into the war for over $1 billion. The Arab League said go in and take him out. Obama gets up, he says, oh, it's great, it's great. The Arab League wants us. They're with us. They're with us. The Arab League is with us. He's all excited. The Arab League is with us.

Donald Trump

00:29:11 - 00:29:24 (13 sec)

Why doesn't he just sit back nice and calm and say, you want him out, we don't like him either, I don't like him, but you want him out, we want $5 billion? We want you to pay for the cost. And by the way, after he's out, we want a big percentage of oil. Because the only way I go into Libya is if we get some of the oil. Thank you very much.

John King

00:29:24 - 00:29:26 (2 sec)

We have a Republican debate here in June. Can we count you in?

Donald Trump

00:29:26 - 00:29:30 (4 sec)

Pretty soon, yes, I guess. I mean, only after I announce. And you can certainly count me in.

John King

00:29:30 - 00:29:30 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:29:30 - 00:29:32 (2 sec)

I look forward to that. Thank you very much, John.

John King

00:29:32 - 00:29:32 (0 sec)

See you then. Thank you.

Donald Trump

00:29:32 - 00:29:33 (1 sec)

Have a good time. [End Clip]