Transcript - CNN: Piers Morgan Interviews Donald Trump on Piers Morgan Live - October 30, 2011 | Factba.se

Piers Morgan

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

Tonight, it doesn't get anymore 1 percent than this. The most famous billionaire in America. Donald Trump at full throttle.

Donald Trump

00:00:07 - 00:00:16 (9 sec)

Now it's gotten so bad I'm not only talking about deficits. I'm saying, we're just not respected anymore. We're -- we're at a level that we probably have never been at.

Piers Morgan

00:00:16 - 00:00:19 (3 sec)

Tonight, what he really thinks about Occupy Wall Street.

Donald Trump

00:00:19 - 00:00:24 (5 sec)

I think some are very serious people. I think some are down there for dating purposes.

Piers Morgan

00:00:24 - 00:00:28 (4 sec)

The president's birth certificate. What does your gut tell you? Because you are a smart guy.

Donald Trump

00:00:28 - 00:00:41 (13 sec)

My gut tells me a couple of things. Number one, you know, it took a long time to produce the certificate and when it came out, as you know, you check out the Internet many people say it is not real. OK? That it's a forgery.

Piers Morgan

00:00:41 - 00:01:06 (25 sec)

And the Republican candidates. Donald Trump for the hour. This is Piers Morgan Tonight. Donald, thank you for inviting me into your -- well, this is almost the kind of lair of the 1 percent.

Donald Trump

00:01:06 - 00:01:07 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:01:07 - 00:01:11 (4 sec)

Or even the 1 percent of the 1 percent.

Donald Trump

00:01:11 - 00:01:15 (4 sec)

Thank you for being here. It's my honor. [Laughter]

Piers Morgan

00:01:15 - 00:01:25 (10 sec)

What do you think about this whole Occupy Wall Street thing? You What do you make of them? Do you think that they have justification for their anger?

Donald Trump

00:01:25 - 00:01:37 (12 sec)

Well, I think some are very serious people. I think some are down there for dating purposes, and I have said, you know, they're down looking for girls, looking for women, looking for men. They're looking for anything.

Donald Trump

00:01:37 - 00:01:47 (10 sec)

Some are very serious people and they should be serious because the economy is terrible. I personally think Wall Street isn't their target. I think their target is the White House and certainly Washington.

Donald Trump

00:01:47 - 00:02:16 (29 sec)

But they are some very serious people and it was interesting. Somebody called me before from CNN, actually, and they want me to do -- I have a big building right there, 40 Wall Street. It's actually the tallest building in downtown Manhattan, and unfortunately because it used to be the World Trade Center, but it's now the tallest building in downtown, and it was very interesting because they want me to do an interview with representatives from the group Occupy Wall Street.

Piers Morgan

00:02:16 - 00:02:17 (1 sec)

And how do you feel about that?

Donald Trump

00:02:17 - 00:02:21 (4 sec)

I sort of think it's cool. I mean there's something I like about it. Like I said, might do it.

Piers Morgan

00:02:21 - 00:02:26 (5 sec)

I had Michael -- I had Michael Moore on my show on Tuesday night in a live kind of town hall thing with an audience.

Donald Trump

00:02:26 - 00:02:27 (1 sec)

Right. I saw that show.

Piers Morgan

00:02:27 - 00:02:44 (17 sec)

Right. And he -- you know, he has a view, and when I asked him to come up with a pie chart of who's to blame for the financial crisis, I said, come on, the public, Wall Street, collectively, all financial institutions, the government. The White House. And he said, it's 100 percent Wall Street.

Donald Trump

00:02:44 - 00:02:48 (4 sec)

Well, I disagree with that. You know I sat next to Michael years ago. And I really like him.

Donald Trump

00:02:48 - 00:02:56 (8 sec)

I was with him, he's like a whole different guy. But then I watched him in the show, I said, whoa-whoa, is that the same guy? So we all do our thing in life. Right? But I disagree with that.

Donald Trump

00:02:56 - 00:03:22 (26 sec)

Look, a lot has to do with politics, a lot has to do with the president, a lot has to do with bad decisions that have been made. And we'll see what happens but it's a mess. And I'm not sure that -- you know, they've been there a long time and perhaps they shouldn't be allowed to stay that long. A lot of decisions have to be made because it's getting bigger and bigger, and businesses are very much being affected in downtown Manhattan around the Wall Street area. I mean they're really being affected.

Piers Morgan

00:03:22 - 00:03:39 (17 sec)

And in other cities now. I mean in Oakland there's been a lot of unrest in the last couple of days. How much do you blame the ordinary man and woman on an average American street? In other words, how much is personal responsibility got to come in to play when it comes to finances?

Donald Trump

00:03:39 - 00:03:49 (10 sec)

Well, you always say that but they were duped into doing mortgages. I used to give speeches of success. They'd ask me about success and they pay me a lot of money.

Donald Trump

00:03:49 - 00:04:01 (12 sec)

I give a lot of money to charity and I feel guilty when I don't take it. And I'd say -- four or five years ago I'd say don't go for these -- I used to call them exploding mortgages. Because that's what they were.

Donald Trump

00:04:01 - 00:04:31 (30 sec)

They were exploding mortgages. And I was right. I have so many letters of people thanking me because they didn't do it. They didn't do the exploding mortgage where they're going to give you 150 percent of what you're asking for. You're going to move in to the most beautiful house -- like a house you can't afford but like you've never seen before. And you don't have to pay interest the first year, don't worry about it. So you have to blame everybody but you have to blame government. You have to blame Wall Street. You have to blame the bankers in particular and I think today the bankers are a big problem because they're not loaning money. You know, they did get bailed out.

Piers Morgan

00:04:31 - 00:05:02 (31 sec)

Well, they are not -- not only they're not loaning money but my anger to the bankers is that they seemed to have learned nothing about how to behave in this crisis. In the sense that having been responsible, certainly partly responsible, for bringing the country to its financial knees, will they get bailed out by the taxpayer. The first thing many of them have done is stick the noses straight back in the bonus trough and give themselves millions of dollars again. They don't seem to get it. You work with these guys day in, day out. What do you think of that, in particular?

Donald Trump

00:05:02 - 00:05:16 (14 sec)

Well, some of the banks are asking for fees just to keep your money. I mean all of a sudden, you know, we're getting fees for keeping money so I don't like that. I don't like a lot of things that the bankers have done. I mean you know when you talk about the Occupy Wall Street protesters

Piers Morgan

00:05:16 - 00:05:18 (2 sec)

Which are the points that you --

Donald Trump

00:05:18 - 00:05:21 (3 sec)

I'm a very conservative guy, and I'm a Republican guy.

Piers Morgan

00:05:21 - 00:05:21 (0 sec)

What do you agree with?

Donald Trump

00:05:21 - 00:05:46 (25 sec)

Well, the biggest problem I have with what's happening with the system is the banks, unless you're like somebody like me -- if I want to borrow money, I can borrow all the money I want at the very -- at the rates that are the lowest rates I have ever seen. That's because I don't need it. But if you need money or if you want to buy a house in Phoenix, Arizona, you can't get it. You can't get any money. They'll give you a 25 percent loan. They'll give you a 30-percent loan, and they'll have you tied up like a sardine.

Piers Morgan

00:05:46 - 00:05:47 (1 sec)

But they have the money, right?

Donald Trump

00:05:47 - 00:05:49 (2 sec)

They have the money. They have cash and they're not using it.

Piers Morgan

00:05:49 - 00:06:03 (14 sec)

What is the way to unlock this? I mean you're one of the smartest business people I know. How do you get through this apparently immovable wall now where the banks have the money but don't want to lend it and the economy is just trapped in hell?

Donald Trump

00:06:03 - 00:06:13 (10 sec)

Part of the problem that the banks have, in all fairness, Piers -- now I'm not a huge fan of the banks because I see what's happening. I'll sell apartments to people and then they tell me I can't get financing, Mr. Trump.

Donald Trump

00:06:13 - 00:06:26 (13 sec)

I said, well, you've got to get your financing in, you know, it's like one of those things, well, pay me cash. But people can't pay cash, most people. I think there are a lot of different problems with the banks but one of the things is regulations.

Donald Trump

00:06:26 - 00:06:52 (26 sec)

The regulators are making it so tough on banks. I called a couple of banks for friends of mine that were trying to buy something. And they said Donald, the problem we have is the regulators are literally watching every line of every statement and if we loan this guy money to build a building or if we loan this one, you know, unless he putts up like 60 or 70 percent equity, which is ridiculous, that's not even a loan, he said we can't give him the money.

Donald Trump

00:06:52 - 00:07:00 (8 sec)

And they tell me the regulators are literally running the banks. The banks are afraid and really not even afraid. In some cases they can't make the deal.

Donald Trump

00:07:00 - 00:07:06 (6 sec)

So I don't know what the reason is. I think that's a big part of the reason but I can tell you this. The banks have money.

Donald Trump

00:07:06 - 00:07:10 (4 sec)

They're not loaning it and especially to people that want to buy houses.

Piers Morgan

00:07:10 - 00:07:15 (5 sec)

Is there more that Barack Obama can do as president to unlock this, to move the paralysis?

Donald Trump

00:07:15 - 00:07:27 (12 sec)

You have to let the banks do their thing. You have to tell the regulators, look, some of the deals will be bad but they have to do their thing. You know not everything is going to be a AAA person with a perfect rating and much more money.

Donald Trump

00:07:27 - 00:07:50 (23 sec)

You know, if you have a lot of money, they'll give you all the money you want. If you don't have that much money, they're not loaning, so I think if I were President Obama, I'd say, fellows, you've got to ease up a little bit because they're not loaning the money to people to buy houses. Now, I tell this to people, friends of mine and other people and young people, and this is a great time to buy a house but not from you or from me.

Donald Trump

00:07:50 - 00:08:01 (11 sec)

This is a great time to buy a house from a bank and you can get the money because they already own the house. They have no choice. They have to get rid of it because these houses are being vandalized. People don't even realize.

Donald Trump

00:08:01 - 00:08:22 (21 sec)

First of all, the group leaves and they hate the bank because they were forced out. So they vandalize the house. Then everybody else gets in to the picture. The banks desperate to sell houses. They're not desperate to loan money. But when they already have the house they'll give you a purchase money mortgage. They'll take back financing. This is a great time to buy houses but only from banks.

Piers Morgan

00:08:22 - 00:08:26 (4 sec)

Did you agree with the bailing out of the banks after Lehman Brothers collapsed?

Donald Trump

00:08:26 - 00:08:59 (33 sec)

Well, I'll tell you this. Look. I'm a very conservative person and I'm a Republican but I watched banks that were the strongest banks in the nation, and I'm friendly with many of the heads of those banks. And those people were scared. They thought it was over. And I'm talking about Goldman Sachs, I'm talking about the biggest banks. These people thought it was over. There was going to be a run on every institution. And you can have the strongest bank in the world but if there's a run on that bank it's not strong because the numbers, you know, it's just so very simple leverage.

Piers Morgan

00:08:59 - 00:09:02 (3 sec)

And what would have happened? If Armageddon happened --

Donald Trump

00:09:02 - 00:09:03 (1 sec)

Well, you don't know.

Piers Morgan

00:09:03 - 00:09:09 (6 sec)

' -- and you had a domino effect, how bad would it have been? Because the counter argument is, well, they deserve to have a run on them.

Donald Trump

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

Yes, you're right. You don't know how bad it would have been. And it may not have been as bad as I think.

Donald Trump

00:09:14 - 00:09:23 (9 sec)

But I think it would have been very, very bad. Now there are certain industries when you talk about banks, you're talking about the entire financial system. Could have collapsed.

Donald Trump

00:09:23 - 00:09:46 (23 sec)

When you talk about loaning money to, you know, make solar panels, where it makes no sense, or loaning money to make cars in Finland, or loaning money or not even loaning money, giving money to China, hundreds of millions of dollars a year to China, when they're, in fact, so rich and making -- they're making trillions. We're losing trillions. That's a whole different thing.

Donald Trump

00:09:46 - 00:10:04 (18 sec)

As far as the banks are concerned, you're talking about the financial system of this country, Piers. And I'll tell you what. I was there and I watched big, powerful bankers, arrogant guys, guys that were hot stuff, guys that thought they'd go into a restaurant, they were the kings.

Donald Trump

00:10:04 - 00:10:14 (10 sec)

And I watched them and they were like weak, poor, pathetic men. They really thought it was over. So -- and they're smart.

Donald Trump

00:10:14 - 00:10:22 (8 sec)

So when you say, did they do the right thing? And I know it's not popular in some circles, I think you probably had to do it.

Piers Morgan

00:10:22 - 00:10:37 (15 sec)

Well, the argument from someone at Goldman Sachs would be, look, we were in the situation we were in. It was important we didn't go under. Yes, we got bailed out but we paid it back. The taxpayer doesn't suffer. That's not an argument that resonates with the Occupy Wall Street. What do you say to that argument?

Donald Trump

00:10:37 - 00:10:52 (15 sec)

Well -- well, because they didn't really -- I mean, when you think of it, they got very cheap money and they paid it back. But they're not loaning it out now and don't forget, there was an argument that you save the banks but you take over the banks. In other words, yes, we'll give money to Goldman Sachs but we own it. And we'll keep the same --

Piers Morgan

00:10:52 - 00:10:54 (2 sec)

Should the government have done that?

Donald Trump

00:10:54 - 00:10:55 (1 sec)

Well, that was the other argument.

Piers Morgan

00:10:55 - 00:10:56 (1 sec)

Then they -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:10:56 - 00:10:56 (0 sec)

I argued this. I mean --

Piers Morgan

00:10:56 - 00:10:59 (3 sec)

They could be ordering them to release the money.

Donald Trump

00:10:59 - 00:11:07 (8 sec)

Well, no, I argued that. Frankly, you could have -- no. You sell it as soon as things get normal but shareholders came out rather well with the bailout.

Donald Trump

00:11:07 - 00:11:14 (7 sec)

Now usually when something bad happens the shareholders get wiped out. Not necessarily the bondholders but the shareholders get wiped out. So the shareholders.

Donald Trump

00:11:14 - 00:11:50 (36 sec)

So there was a question for a period of time, in fact, I know they were thinking about it that if we're going to give Bank of America, you know, billions and billions of dollars, or Citi or almost all of the banks, but if we're going to give them money, congratulations. We own the bank. We own the bank. One hundred percent. We're going to run the bank with the same people or different people but we're going to run the bank and when times get better we're going to make a lot of money and we're going to sell the bank at a tremendous profit. So they did a very, very tiny version of that. But the case could have been made that you do that.

Piers Morgan

00:11:50 - 00:12:02 (12 sec)

Let's take a little break. I want to come back and talk to you about the Republican debates, Republican candidates, the tax plans they're putting up there. What do you think of all of your friends in the GOP.

Donald Trump

00:12:02 - 00:12:03 (1 sec)

Hermain Cain

00:12:03 - 00:12:23 (20 sec)

Mr. Trump is the type of person that if he wants to endorse you, you don't have to ask him. And if he gets to that point, I happen to believe, and I would do the same thing, that he's waiting for the field to narrow down a little bit more before he decides whether or not he wants to put his endorsement on any particular candidate. We did not even get into that. [End Clip]

Piers Morgan

00:12:23 - 00:12:44 (21 sec)

Donald, let's talk about politics and in particular the GOP. You've become -- whether you wanted to or not -- the kind of godfather of the GOP. They're all running up here to see you, to get your blessing, to get your advice, to get your opinions. Why is that? Why have you become this talisman for them and what are you making of the Republican race at the moment?

Donald Trump

00:12:44 - 00:13:07 (23 sec)

Well, I think, first of all, they have some very good people running, and I've become friendly with some of them. But I don't think they want so much me. I think they want my ideas, what I represent, because I represent a large group of people, many millions of people, that feel that this country is certainly not what it used to be which is -- that's an understatement.

Donald Trump

00:13:07 - 00:13:20 (13 sec)

But because they look at what's going on with China, with OPEC, with India, with Mexico, with so many -- with everybody. The entire world is ripping off the United States. We don't make good deals anymore.

Donald Trump

00:13:20 - 00:13:30 (10 sec)

You know it used to be years ago we'd never make a bad deal. We were smarter, we were tougher, we were better. We had all the cards. And now we never make a good deal. I mean you look at the -- [Crosstalk]

Piers Morgan

00:13:30 - 00:13:40 (10 sec)

How much of this -- I'm going to come back to this a bit later, the whole -- the foreign aspect of this. But how much of this is done to America just being at the moment oddly inherently weak?

Donald Trump

00:13:40 - 00:13:45 (5 sec)

We're weak. We're pathetic. And it all stems from leadership. It's very simple.

Piers Morgan

00:13:45 - 00:13:48 (3 sec)

How many leaders? How far do you go back -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:13:48 - 00:14:00 (12 sec)

Well, I really think that -- look. I was never a big fan, you know very well. I'm extremely proud of you and the job you did, and thank you Celebrity Apprentice

Piers Morgan

00:14:00 - 00:14:05 (5 sec)

I remember you telling me once that you thought he put back America 50 years.

Donald Trump

00:14:05 - 00:14:23 (18 sec)

Well, he put it back a long way so I was never a fan but we've now taken it to a whole new level with Obama. Obama could have straightened it out. Now it's gotten so bad I'm not only talking about deficits. I'm saying we're just not respected anymore. We're at a level that we probably have never been at in terms of this country.

Piers Morgan

00:14:23 - 00:14:34 (11 sec)

Well, I say is that Americans feel strangely vulnerable at the moment. They're not used to this. When you've been the superpower for my entire lifetime, and now there are these emerging superpowers to compete with you and doing so successfully.

Donald Trump

00:14:34 - 00:14:55 (21 sec)

Well, and we created those superpowers. We created our competition. You know so-called free trade which turned out really to be very unfair trade. China is going to make $350 billion this year on us and they're laughing at us. They're building George Washington bridges but much bigger all over the place. We don't -- when was the last time you saw a major bridge being built in this country?

Piers Morgan

00:14:55 - 00:14:57 (2 sec)

Why has America stopped doing that kind of thing?

Donald Trump

00:14:57 - 00:15:00 (3 sec)

Well, the environmental approvals are impossible.

Piers Morgan

00:15:00 - 00:15:01 (1 sec)

Bureaucracy is crazy here, right?

Donald Trump

00:15:01 - 00:15:21 (20 sec)

The bureaucracy is unbelievable. I mean, if you want to build a bridge today, I have had many islands I was going to buy like near New York, near Manhattan. And I say, how long would it take to get a bridge built? And they say well, maybe 20 years, but I'm not sure we can ever get it. Twenty years. In China, they built a bridge. You know what it's called? Build a bridge. Next day they start working.

Piers Morgan

00:15:21 - 00:15:23 (2 sec)

Why can't the bureaucracy be eliminated?

Donald Trump

00:15:23 - 00:15:23 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:15:23 - 00:15:25 (2 sec)

Why can't somebody get a grip of that?

Donald Trump

00:15:25 - 00:15:46 (21 sec)

It can't be eliminated but it could certainly be made a lot quicker and a lot better and a lot more efficient. And we just don't do that. It's getting much worse. I mean the EPA is really, really tough. And I know the head of the EPA. She used to be in New Jersey and I really like her. Terrific. But you know what? It's gotten so bad. I have friends they want to do things, Piers. They can't even think about it.

Piers Morgan

00:15:46 - 00:15:53 (7 sec)

So which of all these Republican candidates at the moment do you think has it in him to get America out of this mess?

Donald Trump

00:15:53 - 00:16:01 (8 sec)

Well, I have to start off by saying I think any of them would be better than what we have now. We really have got a chief campaigner. You look at Obama.

Donald Trump

00:16:01 - 00:16:07 (6 sec)

And I don't know him. I never met him. And I think he's truly a nice guy.

Donald Trump

00:16:07 - 00:16:33 (26 sec)

I think he looks to me like a nice guy. But all he does is campaign. He should be sitting behind his desk making sure that China stops with the rips. That all of these other countries, that OPEC -- I mean, every time, every time I see on your show or any other show that the economy is getting better, I say, watch what happens with oil prices. The next day oil prices go up $3 a barrel, and all of a sudden the economy comes back. Oil is such a power. It's a bigger power than interest rates in a certain way.

Piers Morgan

00:16:33 - 00:16:55 (22 sec)

Clearly America will have a choice within a year now about which way to go with their president, and they're going to need the Republican Party, a candidate. The interesting thing about the race is that Mitt Romney has barely put a foot wrong but he's kind of flat lined around the 25 percent mark in all the polls. Can't seem to make the jump to being the outright frontrunner. And we're seeing lots of people --

Donald Trump

00:16:55 - 00:16:56 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:16:56 - 00:17:10 (14 sec)

We're seeing Rick Perry and Herman Cain and so on, coming along and seizing that kind of Tea Party vote. How big a problem is this for the Republicans, that the guy that most people think is probably the best option can't get the right kind of traction?

Donald Trump

00:17:10 - 00:17:32 (22 sec)

Well, look. I've gotten to know Mitt Romney very well and I'm very impressed by him. I think he's a terrific guy and I think he's a much different guy actually in person than what you watch on television, although I have to say even watching on television he was great in the debates. So I think he does come along. I think he's doing fine but you're right. You know, why isn't he at 60 percent instead of 23 percent?

Piers Morgan

00:17:32 - 00:17:33 (1 sec)

Why is it, do you think?

Donald Trump

00:17:33 - 00:17:35 (2 sec)

Nobody knows. Who, why.

Piers Morgan

00:17:35 - 00:17:36 (1 sec)

Is he just not sexy enough? Do you think --

Donald Trump

00:17:36 - 00:17:39 (3 sec)

Well, he's a very handsome guy. He's got the look. He's got --

Piers Morgan

00:17:39 - 00:17:39 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:17:39 - 00:17:40 (1 sec)

He's got the brains.

Piers Morgan

00:17:40 - 00:17:40 (0 sec)

Is he a bit dull?

Donald Trump

00:17:40 - 00:18:10 (30 sec)

I don't think so. I mean, I have to tell you, I've gotten to know him very well and I don't think so at all but for some reason it's not quite resonating yet, and the word yet is important. Ninety percent of the people, believe it or not. I saw this poll this morning on your station, on your channel, 90 percent of the people haven't even made up their mind yet in terms of the -- which is shocking to me. But they haven't really definitively made up their mind. No, I think he's going to do well and I think he'd do well if he ended up winning. I met with Herman Cain.

Piers Morgan

00:18:10 - 00:18:11 (1 sec)

What do you make of him?

Donald Trump

00:18:11 - 00:18:13 (2 sec)

I think he's a terrific guy.

Piers Morgan

00:18:13 - 00:18:18 (5 sec)

I mean very charismatic. But he -- he does seem to be weak on what he really thinks about stuff?

Donald Trump

00:18:18 - 00:18:38 (20 sec)

Yes, but you know? You also get people. OK? You get people. I get you for certain things. I get somebody else. I mean, one of the problems that we have with our leader currently is that if you look at our trade negotiators, I know the top 25 killers in -- let's say Wall Street. I mean, I don't like to use the term because you know Wall Street is a sort of a big --

Piers Morgan

00:18:38 - 00:18:39 (1 sec)

The financial business.

Donald Trump

00:18:39 - 00:18:48 (9 sec)

But I know the Wall Street, I know the killers of the world. They're better than -- we have the greatest business people in the world. Nobody close.

Donald Trump

00:18:48 - 00:18:52 (4 sec)

And I take one, I say, guess what. Congratulations, you handle China. Come over here.

Donald Trump

00:18:52 - 00:19:33 (41 sec)

You, handle Japan. I mean everybody talks about Japan. And we all feel a little bit sorry for Japan but for years they've been ripping us like -- you know, like crazy. And they sell our -- their cars I mean to a point where we just build their economy and the yen is very strong and they're doing fine. But when was the last time -- with all the Toyotas and all the cars that you see coming in, when was the last time do you think a Chevrolet was sold in Japan? OK? Now I don't know the answer to that. I can tell you not a lot of them are sold in Japan. So I'd say you, you're going to take over Japan. You're going to negotiate with Japan. You, this one. You. How about South Korea? Because we protect --

Piers Morgan

00:19:33 - 00:19:36 (3 sec)

Does Herman -- could Herman Cain do that?

Donald Trump

00:19:36 - 00:19:41 (5 sec)

I think so. I mean I think that you -- what you do is you've got to get people. You can get people better than yourself to do things.

Piers Morgan

00:19:41 - 00:19:45 (4 sec)

But is Herman Cain from -- the guy that you've spoken to, is he the kind of man --

Donald Trump

00:19:45 - 00:19:46 (1 sec)

Yes, I think he is.

Piers Morgan

00:19:46 - 00:19:50 (4 sec)

-- considering her business background, he's been successful. Is he the kind of guy that can turn things around?

Donald Trump

00:19:50 - 00:19:59 (9 sec)

You know what impressed me with Herman Cain? I really thought he was a great guy. He had a great leadership style. Sort of a wonderful personality.

Donald Trump

00:19:59 - 00:20:16 (17 sec)

And the thing that's most disappointing -- you know, when Obama got elected, I wasn't an Obama fan, but when he got election, I really thought he was going to be an amazing cheerleader for this country. I thought -- and I wanted him to be. If I said you go back and check your tapes from three years ago, I mean, you'd say, do a great job.

Donald Trump

00:20:16 - 00:20:24 (8 sec)

I hope you're going to be the greatest since Abraham Lincoln. Not a bad president, right? So I hope you're going to be the best we ever had. I really did.

Donald Trump

00:20:24 - 00:20:30 (6 sec)

Even though I'm a Republican, I mean I hope that. The truth is he's been a very negative force. Everything's negative.

Donald Trump

00:20:30 - 00:20:34 (4 sec)

He gets nothing done. He doesn't get these guys. You know when they played golf, I actually thought that was a good thing.

Donald Trump

00:20:34 - 00:20:54 (20 sec)

A lot of people say, oh. I thought that was a great thing because I thought him and Boehner and the group, they would have -- sort of, maybe, because a lot of good deals happen on golf courses. OK? And I thought that was a great thing. Unfortunately, they didn't have a second round. I mean it never worked out, and the level -- the level of hatred between the Democrats and the Republicans --

Piers Morgan

00:20:54 - 00:20:57 (3 sec)

It doesn't help anything, does it?

Donald Trump

00:20:57 - 00:21:01 (4 sec)

No. It doesn't help.

Piers Morgan

00:21:01 - 00:21:21 (20 sec)

Let's take another break. I'm going to come back and ask you about Karl Rove who attacked Rick Perry on Tuesday, I think it was, and said that basically anyone that still questions the birther issue with President Obama is in the nutty fringe element.

Donald Trump

00:21:21 - 00:21:21 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:21:21 - 00:21:24 (3 sec)

Which is I think where you come in, Donald .

Donald Trump

00:21:24 - 00:21:25 (1 sec)

I guess that sounds like me.

Piers Morgan

00:21:25 - 00:21:43 (18 sec)

Donald, Karl Rove blasted Rick Perry when he recently refloated this whole notion of the birther issue in terms of President Obama. Was he born here or not? Karl Rove said, If Rick Perry really wants to win he's got to stay clear of What do you think of that?

Donald Trump

00:21:43 - 00:22:01 (18 sec)

You know it's sort of interesting. When I first started talking about that, and again, I've always sort of felt it. I've had a -- I've had a feeling. But when I got involved and you know how well I did in terms of the polls.

Piers Morgan

00:22:01 - 00:22:02 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:22:02 - 00:22:20 (18 sec)

Even when I got out. I was leading in the polls. In fact I was watching your friends on NBC and I will tell you that -- actually let's see, it was Meet the Press And I will tell you that I always told people, you know, I'm a very smart guy.

Donald Trump

00:22:20 - 00:22:24 (4 sec)

I got good marks. I was all this. I went to the best college.

Donald Trump

00:22:24 - 00:22:59 (35 sec)

The Wharton School of Finance, which to me is like the greatest business school. And I'd always preface it because they made these birthers as they call them in a very derogatory term but they made the birthers sound like they didn't know what was happening. The fact is there are a lot of people that happened to agree with, like, as an example, why wasn't this birth certificate given when Hillary and when McCain and when everybody was asking? Ultimately, I'm very proud of what I did because I got him to give something. Now as to whether or not --

Piers Morgan

00:22:59 - 00:23:01 (2 sec)

Do you accept that what he produced is valid?

Donald Trump

00:23:01 - 00:23:02 (1 sec)

No, I don't necessarily.

Piers Morgan

00:23:02 - 00:23:05 (3 sec)

But you believe he probably was born in America?

Donald Trump

00:23:05 - 00:23:05 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:23:05 - 00:23:06 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:23:06 - 00:23:07 (1 sec)

I say he might have been.

Piers Morgan

00:23:07 - 00:23:11 (4 sec)

But what does your gut tell you? Because you are a smart guy.

Donald Trump

00:23:11 - 00:23:23 (12 sec)

My gut tells me a couple of things. Number one, you know, it took a long time to produce the certificate and when it came out as you know, you check out the Internet, many people say it is not real. OK? That it's a forgery. [Crosstalk]

Piers Morgan

00:23:23 - 00:23:23 (0 sec)

Well, I mean --

Donald Trump

00:23:23 - 00:23:24 (1 sec)

That's what they say. I don't know if it was.

Piers Morgan

00:23:24 - 00:23:26 (2 sec)

That's why the Internet is a lot of nonsense, isn't it?

Donald Trump

00:23:26 - 00:23:45 (19 sec)

You know what? OK, fine. But you know, they go over it and lots of different things and lots of different reasons. And the other thing is nobody has been able to see, you know, the day of his birth, they had twins born. They had -- the other one born. Nobody has been able to find any records that he was born in that hospital.

Piers Morgan

00:23:45 - 00:23:47 (2 sec)

Tell me this. Do you think politically for Rick Perry --

Donald Trump

00:23:47 - 00:23:49 (2 sec)

I think it's -- I think it's a positive for him.

Piers Morgan

00:23:49 - 00:23:50 (1 sec)

Is it a sensible thing for him to do?

Donald Trump

00:23:50 - 00:24:10 (20 sec)

Well, I think it's good for him in the Republican primary. I don't necessarily know if it's good in the general election. But I do think I disagree with Karl Rove -- I respect Karl Rove, but I disagree with him because I think that probably -- especially, you know, do you look what's happened to Rick? Now, Rick was another one. We had dinner. We got to know each other. A good guy.

Piers Morgan

00:24:10 - 00:24:11 (1 sec)

Yes, what do you make of him?

Donald Trump

00:24:11 - 00:24:12 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:24:12 - 00:24:13 (1 sec)

Because -- I mean in the debates he's pretty shocking, isn't he?

Donald Trump

00:24:13 - 00:24:20 (7 sec)

I don't know what happened because when you're with him he's great. I mean he was really -- I mean, we had a really good time.

Piers Morgan

00:24:20 - 00:24:21 (1 sec)

Is he -- is he articulate?

Donald Trump

00:24:21 - 00:24:22 (1 sec)

He is different.

Piers Morgan

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

Is he fun? Is he -- all those things he doesn't seem to be on --

Donald Trump

00:24:24 - 00:24:51 (27 sec)

He called me after the debates. I said, what happened to you? So why cant you act? They actually called me a few days ago and hr very forceful and very strong and very -- something on something he was asking me, and I said, why can't you act like that on the debates? You know? The camera goes on. Why can't you act like that? He said, it's just not my thing. Which is OK, I understand that. I know some people that are fantastic people but they can't do television. If they had to sit down with you for an interview, they'd be like -- it would be -- they wouldn't sleep for three months.

Piers Morgan

00:24:51 - 00:24:54 (3 sec)

Well, I'd love to interview Rick Perry. I think he's a very charismatic character.

Donald Trump

00:24:54 - 00:24:55 (1 sec)

Are you interviewing him?

Piers Morgan

00:24:55 - 00:24:56 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:24:56 - 00:24:57 (1 sec)

Why aren't you, though?

Piers Morgan

00:24:57 - 00:25:00 (3 sec)

Can you put in a good word?

Donald Trump

00:25:00 - 00:25:05 (5 sec)

Well, I mean, I would. I'm just curious as to why --

Piers Morgan

00:25:05 - 00:25:07 (2 sec)

He'll do what you tell him. [Laughter]

Donald Trump

00:25:07 - 00:25:37 (30 sec)

But -- you know, so I was a little bit surprised. But I actually think the birther for him is sort of a positive. Now I think he's pulling away because there's a group of people that think it's something he shouldn't discuss. I don't care. You know, personally, I don't care. I'm doing -- it's a -- I'm a businessman. What I say, I guess, a lot of people are listening to. In fact, many millions of people are listening to and that's why, you know, it's interesting when they come up to my office, they don't want my money. They want my endorsement. Every one of them. They want the endorsement. Because I represent millions of people. But I will tell you.

Piers Morgan

00:25:37 - 00:25:38 (1 sec)

You said to me --

Donald Trump

00:25:38 - 00:25:39 (1 sec)

The issue -- just to finish.

Piers Morgan

00:25:39 - 00:25:39 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:25:39 - 00:26:05 (26 sec)

I don't discuss birther. You brought it up. I don't bring -- I never bring it up. Because the real issue now is jobs, the economy, stopping the world from ripping us, getting back to greatness for this country which we're going in the wrong direction. But I think it's an issue that if somebody brings it up, it's certainly an issue that's worth talking about. I mean there are a lot of reasons to think that he wasn't born in this country. Absolutely. And I say that as an intelligent person.

Piers Morgan

00:26:05 - 00:26:13 (8 sec)

He would say he's put it to rest and the fact that Rick Perry is backtracking I guess suggest that he is sensing it's no longer as the motive -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:26:13 - 00:26:35 (22 sec)

Well, it's a very volatile issue. It's a very volatile issue. I mean, when somebody brings it up. I think probably Perry got a tremendous earful over the last few days because he did bring it up. He used my name which I don't think he should have done. You know he used my name. We had dinner. That's a private dinner. And Trump said that he is not sure, et cetera, et cetera about that whole situation, which probably he shouldn't have done but you know.

Piers Morgan

00:26:35 - 00:26:44 (9 sec)

You said to me a while ago that when all the speculation was raging whether you'd run or not, you said, you know, I'm just going to wait and see what happens here before you said you weren't going to.

Donald Trump

00:26:44 - 00:26:44 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:26:44 - 00:26:47 (3 sec)

Because you said if I sense there's not a person that could beat Obama.

Donald Trump

00:26:47 - 00:26:48 (1 sec)

That's true. I say it now.

Piers Morgan

00:26:48 - 00:27:06 (18 sec)

Well, I would say right now that it's still a very arguable point whether any of these candidates has got the kind of support in their own party, let alone the wider electorate, to probably beat Barack Obama. Isn't that exactly the kind of environment you were thinking about and is it possible, given where we are, that you might still run?

Donald Trump

00:27:06 - 00:27:32 (26 sec)

I'm looking. I'm looking very seriously. I would love to endorse somebody, I love what I'm doing, and I'd love to keep doing it. I'd love to endorse somebody that I think would, number one, win, number two, be really great, and a lot will depend on whether or not those two things happen and whether or not the economy continues to be bad, which I think it probably will because we have people that are incompetent running our government.

Piers Morgan

00:27:32 - 00:27:34 (2 sec)

The election, I think, will definitely [Inaudible] on the economy.

Donald Trump

00:27:34 - 00:27:34 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

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

And I could see you with your business background being a compelling choice for people. I'm surprised you are not very seriously considering it. Knowing you as a competitive man because you'd only run I think if you thought you could win.

Donald Trump

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

That's true. And I don't need to be -- [Crosstalk]

Piers Morgan

00:27:47 - 00:27:51 (4 sec)

And I think a strong Republican candidate now would have a very good chance.

Donald Trump

00:27:51 - 00:27:59 (8 sec)

I don't need to be Ross Perot. Nothing against Ross Perot but you know getting 19 percent of the vote, I don't think would be very tough at all. And the truth is, they hate both parties.

Donald Trump

00:27:59 - 00:28:16 (17 sec)

I mean you have an independent group of people that, frankly, don't like the Republicans and they don't like the Democrats. And I think that there would be an opportunity but I also think in my case, I'm a very conservative person. Although, you know, not as conservative perhaps as some but I'm pretty conservative.

Donald Trump

00:28:16 - 00:28:38 (22 sec)

I think I'd probably hurt the Republicans. And unless I thought I could absolutely win -- I don't care if I hurt the Republicans if I thought I could win because the main thing is you have to get Obama out of office. You have to end Obama-care. You have to get this country back on its footing again. And you know, if we don't do it, four more years like we're going through now, I don't know if the country can ever come back.

Piers Morgan

00:28:38 - 00:28:45 (7 sec)

Hold that thought. Let's come back after the break, talk more about the economy and about jobs in particular. And also, this big tax debate going on.

Donald Trump

00:28:45 - 00:28:46 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:28:46 - 00:29:04 (18 sec)

Donald, let's talk economy and taxation because one of the big debates raging now -- you've got Herman Cain with his 9-9-9 plan. You've got Rick Perry coming out with his 20-20-0 plan and so on. Everyone is trying to work out a way of getting through what everyone agrees is a ridiculously overcomplicated tax system.

Donald Trump

00:29:04 - 00:29:05 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:29:05 - 00:29:26 (21 sec)

Now here's the rub. Warren Buffett comes out and says, as has President Obama, look, we did a lot better when taxation was higher, actually. If you look at the '80s and '90s, it's an inarguable fact that high taxation on wealthy people in particular doesn't inhibit their investment. You're one of the wealthiest men in America. Is that true?

Donald Trump

00:29:26 - 00:29:37 (11 sec)

Well, I think it's a very bad time to be raising taxes. That I can tell you. Now, every once in a while I look at something like ExxonMobil making billions and billions of dollars a quarter.

Donald Trump

00:29:37 - 00:29:41 (4 sec)

Billions. So much money. More money than the United States makes.

Donald Trump

00:29:41 - 00:29:51 (10 sec)

And we're subsidizing them. Ridiculous. OK? Whether you like it, whether you don't like it, it doesn't make any sense.

Donald Trump

00:29:51 - 00:30:04 (13 sec)

And you know, the way I look at like the Exxons and the oil companies, they've been in cahoots with our enemy which is OPEC. They've been in cahoots. They're the ones that distribute the oil.

Donald Trump

00:30:04 - 00:30:22 (18 sec)

You know OPEC takes it out of the ground and these guys come along and distribute it. For us to be subsidizing Exxon and other companies like ExxonMobil is absolutely insane and ridiculous. Now, as far as the plans are concerned, before we can start raising taxes this country has to get going again.

Donald Trump

00:30:22 - 00:30:27 (5 sec)

I mean, I just see every -- you look at 9.1 but you know don't forget, that's a phony number. That's a number --

Piers Morgan

00:30:27 - 00:30:29 (2 sec)

There are a million more that's just given up.

Donald Trump

00:30:29 - 00:30:39 (10 sec)

Well, how about when you give up and then you're not considered unemployed? People that have looked for jobs for two years, and they give up. They can't do it. They're not going to get a job and they take that -- them off the unemployment number?

Piers Morgan

00:30:39 - 00:30:41 (2 sec)

You're a big employer. How many people do you employ, roughly? Do you know?

Donald Trump

00:30:41 - 00:30:43 (2 sec)

Thousands, tens of thousands of people.

Piers Morgan

00:30:43 - 00:30:57 (14 sec)

Right. Tens of thousands of people. How does America get people back to work? What is the best economic plan in terms of general thought process? I mean, you don't want to raise taxes. What is the simple way to stimulate growth and jobs?

Donald Trump

00:30:57 - 00:31:16 (19 sec)

Well, I have two primary ways. The first way by far is you must stop our jobs from leaving this country. We must start manufacturing our goods. Even if Barren Trump only has one or two little toy airplanes instead of 20. He only plays with two, and he only lets --

Piers Morgan

00:31:16 - 00:31:23 (7 sec)

But just take Apple on that. Because Apple -- by the time Steve Jobs died and he was a complete genius, everyone accepts that. One of the great business men and creator that this country ever produced, right?

Donald Trump

00:31:23 - 00:31:23 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:31:23 - 00:31:28 (5 sec)

Everyone agrees that. And yet by the end, more people were working for Apple in China than in America.

Donald Trump

00:31:28 - 00:31:29 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:31:29 - 00:31:33 (4 sec)

Which for an American iconic company seemed totally perverse to me.

Donald Trump

00:31:33 - 00:32:09 (36 sec)

I think Steve was never hit and that's because of death with the fact that so many people and so much of his product comes out of China. And it can come out -- I saw a factory two weeks ago. I won't go in to which and what. But so incredible. The technology was so -- right here. The technology is so -- we could be doing this stuff ourselves. They manipulate their currency. It's very hard for these companies -- for our companies to compete. But China manipulates like nobody has ever manipulated before in the history of this world and it makes it almost --

Piers Morgan

00:32:09 - 00:32:13 (4 sec)

Do you have any stuff, I guess, made for you and your companies in China?

Donald Trump

00:32:13 - 00:32:15 (2 sec)

I do have stuff made. And I'm not happy about it.

Piers Morgan

00:32:15 - 00:32:17 (2 sec)

How much? How much? A lot?

Donald Trump

00:32:17 - 00:32:18 (1 sec)

Well, a lot because when you build a building, I mean --

Piers Morgan

00:32:18 - 00:32:19 (1 sec)

So if I throw it back to you --

Donald Trump

00:32:19 - 00:32:20 (1 sec)

I'll give you an example.

Piers Morgan

00:32:20 - 00:32:29 (9 sec)

I think [Inaudible], because come on, Donald, look. You've got to do what you're saying now. You've got to put your money where your mouth is. You've got to pull your work out of China. Lead the way. What would you say?

Donald Trump

00:32:29 - 00:32:33 (4 sec)

Well, I'll tell you this. Number one, take a building. I get bids on buildings.

Donald Trump

00:32:33 - 00:32:40 (7 sec)

I get bid -- I build lots of buildings. And I get bids on curtain walls. Glass and aluminum and this.

Donald Trump

00:32:40 - 00:32:47 (7 sec)

Many of the bids come from China. Now are they lower? Yes. And the reason they're lower is because they manipulate their currencies.

Donald Trump

00:32:47 - 00:33:05 (18 sec)

They make it very hard for companies in this country to compete. So what I would do, because you're asking me a question, how would you turn it. The first thing I'd do is I would take the abusers like China, in all fairness South Korea what they're doing -- if you order a television, Piers, you can't do it unless you get it through South Korea or some other country.

Donald Trump

00:33:05 - 00:33:17 (12 sec)

Where are our television? They're not made here anymore. I would take certain countries that have abused us and I would tax them. In the case of China, the tax, believe it or not -- this is how bad it is -- should be 41 percent.

Donald Trump

00:33:17 - 00:33:22 (5 sec)

That's what the tax. But because I'm such a nice person I would only make it 25 percent.

Piers Morgan

00:33:22 - 00:33:24 (2 sec)

[Inaudible] reacting because you're always kicking them.

Donald Trump

00:33:24 - 00:33:44 (20 sec)

It's the most amazing thing. You know I just sold a house to a Chinese person. I just sold an apartment for $33 million to a Chinese company. I have the biggest bank in the world, a Chinese bank, one floor above where we are right now. One floor -- actually one floor below where we are right now. We are right now -- they might be listening to our conversation. [Laughter]

Piers Morgan

00:33:44 - 00:33:51 (7 sec)

The one thing that is going well for America still is Hollywood. Still making great movies and the business is good, and in fact they've made a great new movie, Tower Heist.

Donald Trump

00:33:51 - 00:33:51 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:33:51 - 00:33:53 (2 sec)

That's Eddie Murphy and others.

Donald Trump

00:33:53 - 00:33:55 (2 sec)

It is a great movie. God bless them. [Crosstalk]

Piers Morgan

00:33:55 - 00:33:56 (1 sec)

Which was actually filmed in this building.

Donald Trump

00:33:56 - 00:33:56 (0 sec)

That's exactly right.

Piers Morgan

00:33:56 - 00:34:01 (5 sec)

And it involves a despotic capitalist billionaire who gets his comeuppance.

Donald Trump

00:34:01 - 00:34:02 (1 sec)

That's true. Well, it wasn't me.

Piers Morgan

00:34:02 - 00:34:03 (1 sec)

Well, let's just --

Donald Trump

00:34:03 - 00:34:07 (4 sec)

It was a Wall Street guy.

Piers Morgan

00:34:07 - 00:34:11 (4 sec)

Let's come to find out who it was after the break, Donald .

Donald Trump

00:34:11 - 00:34:12 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:34:12 - 00:34:17 (5 sec)

Donald , the Trump International Tower, we are here, is -- brings back memories for me of Celebrity Apprentice.

Donald Trump

00:34:17 - 00:34:17 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:34:17 - 00:34:24 (7 sec)

Not all of them good, I have to say. Honestly they're like a tortured chamber at times.

Donald Trump

00:34:24 - 00:34:28 (4 sec)

Well, the end result was great. [Laughter] Right? Look at you.

Piers Morgan

00:34:28 - 00:34:33 (5 sec)

They made this movie Tower Heist Well, I'm doing the math -- it's your tower.

Donald Trump

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

Well, you know --

Piers Morgan

00:34:34 - 00:34:36 (2 sec)

Something you want to tell me?

Donald Trump

00:34:36 - 00:34:59 (23 sec)

It was very interesting because it was supposed to be about me, and then I looked at the script, I said, I don't want that about me. So I actually loaned them the building and actually they did some at Trump International and some at Trump Tower, and I love Eddie Murphy and I think he's terrific. I thought -- I think he really is great, too, because I saw the movie, I was at the premier last night.

Donald Trump

00:34:59 - 00:35:06 (7 sec)

I also -- Ben Stiller is great. The whole group is great. I mean they have Alan Alda and Brett Ratner is the producer.

Donald Trump

00:35:06 - 00:35:16 (10 sec)

And they did an amazing job. But I made sure it wasn't a real estate guy. It was a Wall Street guy. So, you know -- so it's one of those things. But I think the movie really was -- and the building showed beautifully.

Piers Morgan

00:35:16 - 00:35:22 (6 sec)

Your old friend Rosie O'Donnell has got a new talk show going on the Oprah Winfrey Network. Have you sent flowers?

Donald Trump

00:35:22 - 00:35:31 (9 sec)

No, I haven't, but I hope she does well. And I actually hope she does -- she's had a very long string of failures, and I hope she does well because of Oprah. I love Oprah.

Piers Morgan

00:35:31 - 00:35:33 (2 sec)

Now what do you think of Oprah?

Donald Trump

00:35:33 - 00:35:37 (4 sec)

I think Oprah is great. I love her. She is a friend of mine. I was --

Piers Morgan

00:35:37 - 00:35:37 (0 sec)

As a businesswoman.

Donald Trump

00:35:37 - 00:35:53 (16 sec)

I was on her show the last week and it was like great. She had my whole family on. It was like this beautiful thing. I think she is an incredible woman, a beautiful woman, and I want her to do well with her network so I hope Rosie does well. And frankly, I'd like to see Rosie do well anyway.

Piers Morgan

00:35:53 - 00:36:18 (25 sec)

When you look at your own story, you look at Oprah Winfrey's story, you look at all these people, Steve Jobs, for example. Could people like you develop these empires in the way that you did then now? Is the climate able to encourage creative entrepreneurial people to do this? Is that part of the problem?

Donald Trump

00:36:18 - 00:36:41 (23 sec)

I think we have a country that has tremendous untapped potential. You asked me before, what would you do? First, I'd stop the outside world from ripping us. The next thing I'd do is let us go in and go under this earth and harmlessly take out our energy, so we don't have to spend trillions of dollars to other countries where they're doing their roads and their airports and their bridges.

Piers Morgan

00:36:41 - 00:37:08 (27 sec)

Let us get a tremendous number of jobs right here. We become energy self-sufficient quickly. But we have to be able to get people permits. Now we want it safe, we want it clean. We've got to be able to use coal again. You know we ship coal over the China. They burn coal, we don't. I mean, we still do, but it's getting less and less and harder and harder. And we're the Saudi Arabia of coal. We ship coal to other countries. They use it for -- [Crosstalk] The American dream has taken a bit of a battering.

Donald Trump

00:37:08 - 00:37:09 (1 sec)

A big battering.

Piers Morgan

00:37:09 - 00:37:12 (3 sec)

You know the -- the idea you could come here and you could achieve great things --

Donald Trump

00:37:12 - 00:37:13 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:37:13 - 00:37:17 (4 sec)

' -- if you work hard has hit the skids a bit. what should the new American dream, the realistic one, be now?

Donald Trump

00:37:17 - 00:37:32 (15 sec)

Well, again, I think the country has unbelievable potential, almost greater than before, if we allow it to happen. But we have to get rid of these regulations that are just absolutely destroying us. They are destroying us.

Donald Trump

00:37:32 - 00:37:41 (9 sec)

Think of what I just said. We take coal and sell it to China, and they burn coal. Now there is clean coal and all of that.

Donald Trump

00:37:41 - 00:38:09 (28 sec)

The solar thing is not working out. I know all about solar. I know about wind, I know about solar. And you know what, they're all fine, but they're not -- I did a solar project. You know what the payback was? Thirty years. I get my money back in 30 years. Well, in 30 years, I mean the panels are going to be disintegrated in 15 years. So what does that mean? So it's tough stuff. But we have so much energy right under our earth, right under this country, that we can be totally self- sufficient quickly between natural gas --

Piers Morgan

00:38:09 - 00:38:16 (7 sec)

And I also heard that America is now one of the top exporters of corn to China. And it would seem to me with a population now of, what, seven billion?

Donald Trump

00:38:16 - 00:38:17 (1 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:38:17 - 00:38:32 (15 sec)

And tipped to rise to 12 billion in our lifetime, people have to eat. And America has some of the greatest agricultural land anywhere in the world. To me, some of these are no-brainers. Grow more food. Export that to these countries.

Donald Trump

00:38:32 - 00:38:38 (6 sec)

No brainers. And we're so good at it. But we have to be allowed to compete, we have to be allowed to do it, and we're not.

Donald Trump

00:38:38 - 00:38:40 (2 sec)

We're just not. We're stymied. Very interesting.

Donald Trump

00:38:40 - 00:39:11 (31 sec)

So I'm in China, they're building a big city. They're building a new city, you know, they build cities all the time, right? And they're filling in the ocean. Now it's the ocean. But what they do is, it's a little strip. It's like a mile by a mile, so I said, this is amazing, because I'd live here. I said, how long did it take you to get your permits? They look at me like, this guy can't believe he asked such a stupid question. They said, well, this was very quick, we -- like, immediate. They're going to build a city. They're going to employ thousands of people, they're going to house thousands.

Donald Trump

00:39:11 - 00:39:35 (24 sec)

I mean, it's crazy. In this country, if we ever wanted to take a little tiny speck, a little speck out of the ocean, out of the Hudson River, out of this, out of that, it's called the electric chair. You get the electric chair. It's crazy. So we have to go back to our roots or we'll never be great again. And it has to happen quickly. Because if it doesn't happen quickly, big problems.

Piers Morgan

00:39:35 - 00:39:40 (5 sec)

Take a final break and come back. Very quickly, we'll talked to you about your family. You've got grandchildren coming out all over the place, Donald .

Donald Trump

00:39:40 - 00:39:42 (2 sec)

I do have a lot of grandchildren.

Piers Morgan

00:39:42 - 00:39:50 (8 sec)

You don't look old enough. Donald, you've got grandchildren coming out of every one of your kids at the moment. Donald Jr. has had his third kid, Ivanka's had her first.

Donald Trump

00:39:50 - 00:39:50 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:39:50 - 00:39:55 (5 sec)

How are you enjoying this new -- this new outburst of young Trumps?

Donald Trump

00:39:55 - 00:39:58 (3 sec)

Well, I've never been a big fan of the name grandfather

Piers Morgan

00:39:58 - 00:40:02 (4 sec)

But you're aging well, Donald.

Donald Trump

00:40:02 - 00:40:08 (6 sec)

Well, I hope so. But we're having a lot of fun. The Celebrity Apprentice continues to be a big hit.

Piers Morgan

00:40:08 - 00:40:10 (2 sec)

The new inmates are I think in the Tower.

Donald Trump

00:40:10 - 00:40:15 (5 sec)

They're right here, right now. We're shooting it right now, I mean as we speak. We're literally shooting --

Piers Morgan

00:40:15 - 00:40:16 (1 sec)

Are they all fresh faced, excited?

Donald Trump

00:40:16 - 00:40:16 (0 sec)

They're really good. I'll tell you --

Piers Morgan

00:40:16 - 00:40:18 (2 sec)

Looking forward to it. Because I can give them a few little --

Donald Trump

00:40:18 - 00:40:19 (1 sec)

Well, you could give them --

Piers Morgan

00:40:19 - 00:40:21 (2 sec)

Days of reckoning, if you like.

Donald Trump

00:40:21 - 00:40:34 (13 sec)

You could give them the ultimate tips, but the fact is, -- because you played the game just as well as anybody and better than just about everybody, if you really think about it. And I'm very proud of what you've done. You win, you go on to this show, you go on to that show, and now -- and I love Larry [Video Cuts Off] King, but you're doing a fantastic job.

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Well, thank you.

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

And by the way, Larry told me that also which I thought was --

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

That's very gracious of him. I appreciate it. What does family mean to you?

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Well, I think ultimately it's all about family. I mean, you know, you can eat so much and you want to make money and you want to have fun, and I do it for fun more than anything else. And I really do have a good time and I love putting people to work, and I love taking care of people, whether it's their health care or whether it's their education for their children. But ultimately, what it's about is family. And if you have great family, great relationships, great marriages, or even friendships in some form, it's more important than all of the stuff we've been talking about.

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

You've got all the money you could ever wish for -- actually, you'd probably wish for more, I know you, being competitive. But you know you've achieved so much. When you wake up in the morning now, what really drives you? Is there a remaining great ambition you have?

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

I think the thing that drives me is I love what I'm doing. And I always tell people. Because I give many speeches on success. They ask me to speak on success. And in front of very, very large crowds. And I always talk about, you have to love it. If you don't love it, it's never going to work. Now you have to have other things, you have to have this, you have to have lots of different things have to be going on. But you have to love what you do. And if you don't love it, Piers, if you didn't love what you were doing, you would not do it well.

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

I couldn't agree more. I tell my three sons, find a job you love and it's not a job.

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

It's something else. It's a pleasure. You wake -- you might have a bad day, but it's still great.

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Well, it's not work. They say -- I have friends, they go to work. I don't go to work. To me work is when there's no work and I'm, like, sitting around, I can't find anything to do, I'm supposed to be on vacation, which I don't take too often. The nice part about my business, I have so many great clubs all over the world, that I can go there and I can consider it like a vacation. But the truth is, I guess it's work. But I don't consider it work.

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

How would you like to be remembered?

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Well, I think somebody that did a really good job aesthetically, I've gotten tremendous reviews on buildings and courses and clubs and all of the things I build, it's very important to me, the aesthetic, but also somebody that's put lots of people to work and created lots of happy families. They really like being with me. And I'm very happy about that.

Piers Morgan

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)

Donald, thank you very much.

Donald Trump

00:40:34 - 00:40:34 (0 sec)