Transcript - CNN: Wolf Blitzer Interviews Donald Trump on The Situation Room - December 8, 2011 | Factba.se

Wolf Blitzer

00:00:00 - 00:00:30 (30 sec)

And to our viewers here in The Situation Room, happening now, Donald Trump dangles his endorsement in front of the Republican field while telling me he might still run for the presidency himself. This hour, Trump on the candidates who impress him, the candidates who said no to him and whether he's part of a GOP whack pack. Plus, an ugly fight between frontrunners. Mitt Romney's camp launching a blistering attack to try to slow down Newt Gingrich's bandwagon.

Wolf Blitzer

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

And a stunning reversal of fortune for a former political and financial power house. Jon Corzine tells his ex-colleagues in Congress he's clueless about the whereabouts of hundreds of millions of dollars of missing money. We want to welcome our viewers around the United States and the world.

Wolf Blitzer

00:00:48 - 00:01:01 (13 sec)

Breaking news, political headlines, and Jeanne Moos all straight ahead. I'm Wolf Blitzer. You're in The Situation Room.

Wolf Blitzer

00:01:01 - 00:01:24 (23 sec)

For better or worse Donald Trump is positioning himself as a king maker in the Republican presidential race and as a possible independent candidate. Trump's political influence is under renewed scrutiny as he prepares to moderate a Republican debate in Iowa that's getting a poor response from most of the candidates. Just today Rick Perry announced he will not, repeat, not participate.

Wolf Blitzer

00:01:24 - 00:01:36 (12 sec)

For all those reasons, I went to Donald Trump's office here in New York to talk about him, to talk about the campaign, the issues, and, of course, a lot more. Donald Trump , thanks very much for joining us.

Donald Trump

00:01:36 - 00:01:38 (2 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:01:38 - 00:01:40 (2 sec)

Nice building you've got here.

Donald Trump

00:01:40 - 00:01:47 (7 sec)

It's pretty good. We've had some fun in this building, you and I, over the years.

Wolf Blitzer

00:01:47 - 00:01:53 (6 sec)

We're going to talk about the book, Time to get Tough

Donald Trump

00:01:53 - 00:01:58 (5 sec)

I think you'll have others coming in. And don't forget, this is really a News Max debate. It's not a Trump debate.

Donald Trump

00:01:58 - 00:02:13 (15 sec)

But I think you're going to have others coming in and coming in strongly. And we'll see what happens. But people are afraid that I'm going to run as an independent candidate and some of the people who are supposed to be in the debate have expressed that.

Donald Trump

00:02:13 - 00:02:25 (12 sec)

And I don't want to give up that option because it certainly is an option if the Republicans pick the wrong candidate or if the economy and everything continues to be bad and we have the wrong candidate. That would with be the worst of all. I'd love to see the economy get better.

Donald Trump

00:02:25 - 00:02:37 (12 sec)

I don't think it will get better under this administration. So we'll have to see what happens. But we do have Newt and we have Santorum, who in all fairness shows a certain degree of courage.

Donald Trump

00:02:37 - 00:02:43 (6 sec)

And Newt has been amazing. He's been a rocket ship. What's happened to him in the last few weeks is really unprecedented.

Donald Trump

00:02:43 - 00:02:51 (8 sec)

And I have great respect for the fact he was so willing and so able, he's a very able guy, to get in there and do the debate.

Wolf Blitzer

00:02:51 - 00:03:01 (10 sec)

Because Reince Preibus, I don't know if you've seen what he's said. He's the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He said he's got a problem with you moderating a Republican debate.

Donald Trump

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

He said it very respectfully.

Wolf Blitzer

00:03:03 - 00:03:18 (15 sec)

Because if you're still holding out the option, because you apparently are, that if you don't like the Republican nominee, you'll run for president. He said it would be malpractice as the chairman of the Republican Party not to complain, not to raise that problem.

Donald Trump

00:03:18 - 00:03:52 (34 sec)

I don't think so because I intend to endorse somebody. And if I endorse somebody and that somebody happens to win, obviously I'm not going to be running against somebody that I endorse, so I don't think it would be. But if they pick the wrong candidate, they have a few candidates, and I'm not going to get into it as to who they are, but they have a few who absolutely would be the wrong candidate, then I want my options open.

Wolf Blitzer

00:03:52 - 00:04:06 (14 sec)

Steve Schmidt, who managed John McCain's campaign four years ago, he says this about you. He says For three-and-a-half years

Donald Trump

00:04:06 - 00:04:24 (18 sec)

I can only say this. Steve Schmidt is a lightweight. He is a guy who did a horrible job running John McCain's campaign. John McCain lost. He did a horrible job running it. I watch him on your show and I don't know how he gets on your show, and I'm sure the ratings are very bad as he speaks.

Wolf Blitzer

00:04:24 - 00:04:30 (6 sec)

He's an MSNBC contributor. He's been on my show in the past, but not now.

Donald Trump

00:04:30 - 00:04:32 (2 sec)

He's a lightweight, total lightweight.

Wolf Blitzer

00:04:32 - 00:04:34 (2 sec)

He's a smart guy.

Donald Trump

00:04:34 - 00:04:51 (17 sec)

I don't know if he's a smart guy. All I can tell you is this -- when I left because of equal time provisions, I do a big show called The Apprentice. Frankly When I left, I was number one on the polls. On Meet the Press

Wolf Blitzer

00:04:51 - 00:04:58 (7 sec)

Which raises this question from a Twitter viewer. Please ask @RealDonaldTrump

Donald Trump

00:04:58 - 00:05:12 (14 sec)

Absolutely true, and I can run. I have to option if I want to run because after May 15th or so, I'm a free agent. But I have a contract.

Donald Trump

00:05:12 - 00:05:35 (23 sec)

I have a signed contract with a very big network known as NBC. I have a show that's one of the top shows on television and just about I think the number one show in the 10:00 hour, and it's not so easy to break contracts. I have a contract with NBC.

Donald Trump

00:05:35 - 00:06:16 (41 sec)

Now, you have a rule or a law that if you have a show, you have equal time. You have to give everybody else equal time. I don't think NBC's going to give every candidate two hours on primetime television, so I have no choice. Now, when the show is off, the season ends around the middle of May, then I can do what I want to do. But by that time hopefully, a great Republican is chosen. I will be endorsing somebody, and that Republican will go on to beat Obama, which is imperative because Obama is doing a terrible job as the president of the United States.

Wolf Blitzer

00:06:16 - 00:06:30 (14 sec)

Just to wrap this up, you're still leaving open -- Reince Priebus, the chairman of the RNC, says he's concerned even slightly you're leaving open that possibility after May of running as a third party candidate if you don't like the Republican nominee.

Donald Trump

00:06:30 - 00:06:58 (28 sec)

First of all, I like and respect the chairman. In fact, they had their most successful fundraiser at my club in Virginia/Washington right outside of Washington, the Trump National. They had a tremendous fundraiser and they raised a lot of money. I think it was one of the best they've ever had. So I like and respect him a lot. I will tell you, I'm going to be endorsing somebody. I think will go on to get the nomination and maybe will go on to win. That would be very good. I love what I'm doing, Wolf. You know that as well as anybody.

Wolf Blitzer

00:06:58 - 00:07:01 (3 sec)

You were disappointed Romney said no to you.

Donald Trump

00:07:01 - 00:07:15 (14 sec)

I was surprised he said, because, as you know, he wants my endorsement very, very badly. I've spoken to him since. He was very nice, he called me. But I was surprised. Frankly, if I was losing in the polls, I wouldn't be saying no to anybody.

Wolf Blitzer

00:07:15 - 00:07:19 (4 sec)

I was surprised when I interviewed Rick Perry yesterday and he's still on the fence. He hasn't made up his mind.

Donald Trump

00:07:19 - 00:07:46 (27 sec)

I was a little bit surprised with him, too, but I was particularly surprised with Mitt Romney because he wants my endorsement very badly, as you know. We speak. I like him a lot. I think he's a terrific guy. But I was really surprised that he didn't want to do the debate. And I'll tell you, I was very impressed with Newt, who's leading in the polls, immediately said I want to do that debate. That sounds great.

Wolf Blitzer

00:07:46 - 00:07:48 (2 sec)

He loves to debate.

Donald Trump

00:07:48 - 00:07:58 (10 sec)

He loves to debate, and he's good at it. And Romney's good at it. What do they have to lose when they're in fourth place and third place and even second place, what do they have to lose?

Wolf Blitzer

00:07:58 - 00:08:10 (12 sec)

What surprised me maybe even more, not that Ron Paul and Jon Huntsman said no to you, but that they took those swipes at you and said what they said about you. Was that surprising to you?

Donald Trump

00:08:10 - 00:08:14 (4 sec)

You know, honestly, they're not going to win.

Wolf Blitzer

00:08:14 - 00:08:18 (4 sec)

Ron Paul has a big following.

Donald Trump

00:08:18 - 00:08:51 (33 sec)

But he's not going to win. He's a wacky candidate and he's not going to win. It's a joke. And you know it and I know it. That's why he complains he doesn't get coverage. You cover people who are going to win. As far as Huntsman is concerned, I really don't know him. I never met him. He called once. He wanted to come up and see me. I didn't do it. But he seems like a nice guy. And the thing I like about him, he's a big supporter of the Wharton School of Finance.

Fredricka Whitfield

00:08:51 - 00:08:52 (1 sec)

His kids went there.

Donald Trump

00:08:52 - 00:09:09 (17 sec)

Right, and I went there. And it's the best business school in the country, in the world. And he is a big supporter of the Wharton School. Now, Huntsman really seems like a nice guy to me, but I just don't know him. I just don't know him. Yes, they took it a little bit personally, but it's OK.

Wolf Blitzer

00:09:09 - 00:09:15 (6 sec)

Here's a question from Twitter. Is a business man better prepared to be president rather than a politician?

Donald Trump

00:09:15 - 00:09:19 (4 sec)

It depends on which businessman and which politician. [Crosstalk]

Wolf Blitzer

00:09:19 - 00:09:24 (5 sec)

Romney is a businessman, Gingrich is a politician. Which one is better to be president?

Donald Trump

00:09:24 - 00:09:36 (12 sec)

First of all, I think Romney is a politician and a businessman, and I think in a certain way, so is Newt. Newt has donor very, very well in business after he left Congress. He's done very, very well.

Donald Trump

00:09:36 - 00:09:46 (10 sec)

Some would say, oh, he made a lot of money. Isn't that terrible? I think that's a great thing. I think that's a positive thing because we need somebody that can lead this money so we can become a rich nations again.

Donald Trump

00:09:46 - 00:10:09 (23 sec)

We're a very poor nation. We don't have money for Social Security and Medicare and Medicaid and all the things we have to have money for, because, you know why, China and OPEC and South Korea and India and virtually every country in the world, Colombia in South America, took $4 billion last year right out of our pockets like we're children. Everybody does.

Wolf Blitzer

00:10:09 - 00:10:20 (11 sec)

So, you could support, and correct me if I'm wrong, either Romney or Gingrich?

Donald Trump

00:10:20 - 00:10:23 (3 sec)

I don't want to say that yet, but I'll be announcing --

Wolf Blitzer

00:10:23 - 00:10:25 (2 sec)

They're the front-runners.

Donald Trump

00:10:25 - 00:10:28 (3 sec)

That doesn't matter.

Wolf Blitzer

00:10:28 - 00:10:32 (4 sec)

If one of those two got the nomination, would that be good enough?

Donald Trump

00:10:32 - 00:11:05 (33 sec)

Let me tell you this -- I really have become impressed with Newt. I've been impressed with Romney. I'm disappointed that he didn't seem to, I don't want to use the word courage I'm going to pick the one that's best for straightening out this country because somebody has to straighten this country out fast. We are going to hell in a hand basket.

Wolf Blitzer

00:11:05 - 00:11:09 (4 sec)

Did you look at Romney's record in running Bingham Capital for 25 years?

Donald Trump

00:11:09 - 00:11:09 (0 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:11:09 - 00:11:14 (5 sec)

What did you think of that, because the criticism was the outsourcing, the killing of jobs.

Donald Trump

00:11:14 - 00:11:32 (18 sec)

But you have to understand he's being put in a position where he has to compete with other people that are doing the same thing. I looked at his record and his record is fine. He did well. His record is fine. He's competing with other people that are doing the same thing. That was his world at that time. [End Clip]

Wolf Blitzer

00:11:32 - 00:12:10 (38 sec)

Stand by for more of my interview with Donald Trump. He says he'd deal with Iran's president Ahmadinejad and his nuclear defiance by doing something that the Obama White House won't do. Also, lawmakers get an apology but few answers from a former colleague about hundreds of millions of dollars that are missing. Donald Trump has very strong views on virtually every issue out there, though they're not always what you may think. Here's another taste of vintage Trump during our interview here in New York. You may disagree with most of these Republican candidates on the whole issue of gay rights. Is that right?

Donald Trump

00:12:10 - 00:12:14 (4 sec)

Well, I don't know about that. Why would I be disagreeing with them?

Wolf Blitzer

00:12:14 - 00:12:16 (2 sec)

Would you support gay people's right to get married?

Donald Trump

00:12:16 - 00:12:17 (1 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:12:17 - 00:12:19 (2 sec)

Do you support gays serving openly in the military?

Donald Trump

00:12:19 - 00:12:37 (18 sec)

Well, you know, that's an issue I don't want to talk about now because I don't want to get involved unless I'm actually a candidate. But I've made myself pretty clear when I was thinking about running. This wasn't a Ross Perot who said I'm running and then I'm not running and then I'm running.

Donald Trump

00:12:37 - 00:12:43 (6 sec)

I never ran. And this is the first time I've ever looked at it very seriously. People have said I've looked at it over the last 12 years.

Donald Trump

00:12:43 - 00:13:04 (21 sec)

I haven't. I've studied it for minutes, because people would say, we would love to have Trump run, but I haven't. This is the first time I've ever really seriously considered it, and the primary reason is because the country is in such trouble. Not because I want to do it, but because the country is in such trouble. I don't support gay marriage, and the rest of it I'd rather not talk about. For instance, the military thing, that's over with now. It's over with.

Wolf Blitzer

00:13:04 - 00:13:05 (1 sec)

You wouldn't try to change it.

Donald Trump

00:13:05 - 00:13:25 (20 sec)

It's over with now. It's been done. Whether you agree with it or don't agree with it, maybe something's going to happen that's going to be very bad, and they'll have to change it at some point, who knows. But right now, it's over with and I don't really want to discuss it because it's only really a discussion point if you're a candidate.

Wolf Blitzer

00:13:25 - 00:13:35 (10 sec)

Let's talk about some national security issues. You write about them in your book, Time To Get Tough. You tweeted this not that long ago. You do your own tweeting or just somebody do that?

Donald Trump

00:13:35 - 00:13:37 (2 sec)

Sometimes, but basically, I have other people.

Wolf Blitzer

00:13:37 - 00:13:44 (7 sec)

You tweeted that -- you expressed fear that President Obama would start a war with Iran in order to get re-elected?

Donald Trump

00:13:44 - 00:13:53 (9 sec)

Oh, I think he would. Look, nobody's even talking to Iran. Now, maybe they're the evil empire, maybe they're the bad people, and maybe they're not, you know, got to talk.

Donald Trump

00:13:53 - 00:14:06 (13 sec)

Nobody talks. This guy comes over to this country, goes to Columbia University where the idiot that runs Columbia University invites him to make a speech. He then ridicules him before he goes up and makes a speech.

Donald Trump

00:14:06 - 00:14:28 (22 sec)

Ridicules, I've never seen anything like it. He gets invited to make a speech in Columbia, and the fool that runs Columbia University, he's a fool, gets up, made the most insulting introduction I've ever heard. Now, I'm not a fan of him. But, you know, when you invite somebody to make a speech and then ridicule him and the man actually said the worst introduction -- it's a worst thing I've ever seen. Now, he leaves this country hating us. I'm not saying --

Wolf Blitzer

00:14:28 - 00:14:30 (2 sec)

He hates the United States before that.

Donald Trump

00:14:30 - 00:15:03 (33 sec)

Yes. Well, maybe for good reason, maybe for things like that. Now, I'm a person that's probably more militaristic than anybody, OK? I'm very heavy. I'm a hawk times five, all right? But I'm also somebody that believes in negotiation rather than, you know, killing millions of people. And Obama has no way of communicating. He can't even get his own Democrats, Democratic Party to do what he wants to do. He can't get the Republicans and the Democrats together. How is he going to make a deal with Iran?

Wolf Blitzer

00:15:03 - 00:15:04 (1 sec)

Could you talk to Ahmadinejad?

Donald Trump

00:15:04 - 00:15:40 (36 sec)

Absolutely, I'll talk to him. I don't say it's going to go anywhere, might not, but I'm going to say, man, you're in trouble. You got a lot of missiles pointed your way. I can't believe you're not talking. I can't believe that you're not talking. You better straighten up. And I'll tell you what, I would be willing to bet a deal could be made, but when you have a man who's our president that can't even get the Republicans to do things that everybody wants, I mean, you look at some of this legislation, both sides want it, and he can't get it passed. [End Clip]

Wolf Blitzer

00:15:40 - 00:15:58 (18 sec)

All right. Part three of my interview with Donald Trump coming up. Can he give me an answer to this question? Give me one positive thing about President Obama. He's thinking and thinking and thinking. We'll tell you what he eventually has to say.

Wolf Blitzer

00:15:58 - 00:16:17 (19 sec)

Also, Iran airs what it says is proof it now has a downed U.S. drone, but is this video a fake? There's new information just coming out of the Pentagon. And the latest on the shooting deaths at Virginia Tech University. Lisa Sylvester is monitoring that and some of the other top stories in The Situation Room right now. What do you have, Lisa?

Lisa Sylvester

00:16:17 - 00:16:35 (18 sec)

HI, Wolf. Well, Virginia Tech says there's no longer an active threat on campus. This, after two people were killed including a police officer. Virginia Tech says a weapon was discovered near the second person described as an unknown male. The school has lifted the lockdown that lasted over four hours.

Lisa Sylvester

00:16:35 - 00:16:57 (22 sec)

The deadly day started when a Virginia Tech police officer was shot and killed at a routine traffic stop. Police say the suspected shooter was not the driver being stopped. The shooter allegedly walked up to the officer's vehicle and opened fire. Back in 2007, 33 people were killed when a Virginia Tech student went on a shooting rampage.

Lisa Sylvester

00:16:57 - 00:17:19 (22 sec)

Iranian television is airing images of what it says as a U.S. drone that crashed in Iran last week. There is disagreement, though, in the Pentagon right now as to whether the drone in the video is real. U.S. officials say the drone was tasked to fly over Western Afghanistan looking for insurgents, but there was no directive to fly into or spy on Iran from Afghan air space.

Lisa Sylvester

00:17:19 - 00:17:37 (18 sec)

And the Senate has blocked President Obama's pick to run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. The Senate voted along party lines against confirming former Ohio attorney general, Richard Cordray. President Obama says he might sidestep Congress with a recess appointment.

Lisa Sylvester

00:17:37 - 00:17:46 (9 sec)

Republicans say they want more oversight of the consumer bureau, and it has become a symbol of the administration's efforts to reign in Wall Street -- Wolf.

Wolf Blitzer

00:17:46 - 00:18:05 (19 sec)

Lisa, thank you. I asked Donald Trump a question about President Obama, a question that seemed to stump him. Stand by for the question and Trump's answer. That's coming up. And some allies of Mitt Romney are taking off the gloves, telling voters that Newt Gingrich can't be trusted.

Wolf Blitzer

00:18:05 - 00:18:21 (16 sec)

Donald Trump is rarely at a loss for words, but he seemed stumped by one of my questions today. Let's get some more of our interview. Give me one positive thing about President Obama.

Donald Trump

00:18:21 - 00:18:30 (9 sec)

It's very hard. That's a very hard -- that's the only really tough question you've asked me this morning. That's a very hard thing to say.

Donald Trump

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

I'll tell you what I thought, and I really felt strongly about this. When he won the election, which you know, was very hard in all fairness for John McCain to win because Karl Rove did such a rotten job with Bush. So, it was a very hard thing for anybody to win that election.

Donald Trump

00:18:48 - 00:19:12 (24 sec)

So when he won, I said at a minimum, he's going to be a great cheerleader for this country, and he's turned out to be a negative force. He's creating class warfare. He's creating all sorts of things including so-called Occupy Movement. But when he won, I really thought at a minimum that he was going to be a great cheerleader for the country, and he's not even a good cheerleader. There's very little I can say --

Wolf Blitzer

00:19:12 - 00:19:14 (2 sec)

He killed Bin Laden.

Donald Trump

00:19:14 - 00:19:17 (3 sec)

He didn't kill Bin Laden. He gets so much credit for that. Ok, excuse me.

Wolf Blitzer

00:19:17 - 00:19:18 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:19:18 - 00:19:18 (0 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:19:18 - 00:19:21 (3 sec)

He had the guts to make that decision.

Donald Trump

00:19:21 - 00:19:50 (29 sec)

Excuse me. Guts. You're sitting in the White House. They come to you, and here's the question. We can take him out. We have him. You're the president. We can take him out with a missile or we can go get him. Now, the third thing is leave him alone, and only a very stupid person would say that. So, we can take him out with the missile or we can get -- either way. Either way, it's OK. All right? Either way, it's OK. So, he said, all right, let's go get him. Why does he get so much credit? You know, they give him credit for that. He shouldn't get so much credit. He happened to be sitting --

Wolf Blitzer

00:19:50 - 00:19:53 (3 sec)

It wasn't a slam dunk.

Donald Trump

00:19:53 - 00:19:54 (1 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:19:54 - 00:19:56 (2 sec)

You remember Jimmy Carter --

Donald Trump

00:19:56 - 00:20:03 (7 sec)

Jimmy Carter was incompetent. Look, very nicely, we can take him out with a missile or we can pick him up. He's sitting in the White House.

Donald Trump

00:20:03 - 00:20:12 (9 sec)

These military guys were there long before he was there. They found him. Now, the bad news is, Pakistan should have told us this years before because they knew exactly where he was.

Donald Trump

00:20:12 - 00:20:37 (25 sec)

He's sitting right next to one of their major military bases. So, I mean, for them not to have told us is very insulting, but I don't know why Obama gets credit for the whole Bin Laden thing. He's sitting there. He's got three choices. Leave him alone which nobody would do, take him out with a missile, or take him out with the military. So, he said take him out with the military. OK. Congratulations.

Wolf Blitzer

00:20:37 - 00:20:42 (5 sec)

If wouldn't found him, it would have been a disaster.

Donald Trump

00:20:42 - 00:20:48 (6 sec)

One, you should get the -- yes, it would have been a disaster. It could have failed, but he's not the one that --

Wolf Blitzer

00:20:48 - 00:20:50 (2 sec)

Some of those navy SEALs would have been killed.

Donald Trump

00:20:50 - 00:20:53 (3 sec)

They were great. They were great. They're great guys.

Wolf Blitzer

00:20:53 - 00:20:54 (1 sec)

It was a dangerous mission.

Donald Trump

00:20:54 - 00:21:08 (14 sec)

They're great guys, but anybody in that position sitting happened to be president, if you walk in, say we have Bin Laden, we can either get him this way or that way. Honestly, either solution's OK. I almost think the other would have been better, except this way there's a little more proof.

Donald Trump

00:21:08 - 00:21:27 (19 sec)

A lot of people disagree with what happened after the fact and the way he was treated so solemnly. I mean, they treated him so solemnly after the fact -- cleansed the body, washed -- I mean, give me a break. Anybody sitting in that office, Wolf, would have -- I keep hearing about, oh, Bin Laden.

Donald Trump

00:21:27 - 00:21:38 (11 sec)

The military did an incredible job, and they called him and they said, we have him. And he said, go get him. What's he going to say, don't get him? And he gets all this credit? It's a lot of crap.

Wolf Blitzer

00:21:38 - 00:21:41 (3 sec)

One final question. I interviewed Steve Forbes. You know Steve Forbes.

Donald Trump

00:21:41 - 00:21:42 (1 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:21:42 - 00:21:43 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:21:43 - 00:21:43 (0 sec)

Wolf Blitzer

00:21:43 - 00:21:50 (7 sec)

This week. He says you're worth $2.9 billion. You say you're worth $7 billion.

Donald Trump

00:21:50 - 00:22:20 (30 sec)

Well, look, Steve is a good guy. [Crosstalk] They don't have access to my numbers. And what I did is this -- I was going to file a financial disclosure form because I was getting ready to run, but then I had the equal time provisions and NBC was desperate to keep me. OK? Like desperate to keep me, and you can understand, because they get ratings, just like your show right now will get ratings. If you get ratings, you have me on. If I don't get ratings -- I can be the greatest guy in the world. If you don't get good ratings, you don't want to interview Trump. Is that a correct statement?

Wolf Blitzer

00:22:20 - 00:22:21 (1 sec)

I interview a lot of people --

Donald Trump

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

Wolf Blitzer

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

I like interviewing you because you're not afraid to say --

Donald Trump

00:22:24 - 00:22:56 (32 sec)

I'm not afraid. So, I said, you know what? I'm going to do a financial disclosure. They're like 78 or 98 pages. It's a huge form, but they have summary sheets. And I said to myself, you know, I'm doing a book, and I decided that I was going to -- at least for the time being, I was going to pass on this thing because of the equal time provision. And I said to myself, why don't I just take the summary sheets and put them in the book? So, it showed over $7 billion. It showed a tremendous amount of cash. I have friends that are more impressed, frankly, with the cash.

Wolf Blitzer

00:22:56 - 00:22:58 (2 sec)

Three hundred million dollars.

Donald Trump

00:22:58 - 00:23:07 (9 sec)

Yes, close to $300 million in cash. That's cash. That's not like buildings and brick and mortar and all sorts of crap. That's, I mean, cash.

Wolf Blitzer

00:23:07 - 00:23:08 (1 sec)

So, you invest in treasuries?

Donald Trump

00:23:08 - 00:23:11 (3 sec)

I put them in banks that are good. You've got to watch for good banks today.

Wolf Blitzer

00:23:11 - 00:23:12 (1 sec)

You're not getting much interest.

Donald Trump

00:23:12 - 00:23:22 (10 sec)

I don't even put them in treasuries. I put them in banks. You get very little interest. You get, like, nothing. You get less than a percent, but at least it's there. But only strong banks, if there is such a thing. You have to be careful.

Wolf Blitzer

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

You'll let me know.

Donald Trump

00:23:23 - 00:23:42 (19 sec)

That could hurt me very badly, if these banks start cratering. But the fact is, so I had the thing. It came out to over $7 billion, very little debt. You've seen it. Very little debt, tremendous cash, which is, by the way, the position our country should be in. But in all fairness to Forbes, they don't have my numbers. They don't have my -- this is the first time I've done this.

Donald Trump

00:23:42 - 00:24:18 (36 sec)

I actually printed the statements and I put them in. So, instead of giving them to the government, I gave them to the public and I gave them to the book. Now, I may have a chance to do a financial disclosure. But I said to myself, why do I want to do this? I'm proud, the fact is, of having built a great company. I built a great company in a relatively short period of time with billions of dollars of net worth, with hundreds of millions of dollars of cash, with very little debt, with -- by the way, like, this asset, would you say this is about as good as it gets? I have many of these in terms of the quality assets. What I own is real, real quality.

Donald Trump

00:24:18 - 00:25:00 (42 sec)

I've always been into the world of quality. This country needs quality. We're laughed at by the world. I deal with the world. I deal with the Chinese, I deal with Turkey. We just made a big deal with Turkey. I deal with a lot of the people of the world. They cannot believe -- they tell me, they're friends of mine. They say, we don't believe what we're getting away with, with the United States. They tell me that. I don't know if they know I'm going to be on your show saying that, but they can't believe how stupid -- and I use the word stupid -- how stupid our leaders are. They can't believe it So maybe some day they won't and we'll be a rich nation again.

Wolf Blitzer

00:25:00 - 00:25:07 (7 sec)

The book is entitled, Time to Get Tough: Making America Number One Again Put the J. in there, too.

Donald Trump

00:25:07 - 00:25:08 (1 sec)

I might as well. A little formal.

Wolf Blitzer

00:25:08 - 00:25:09 (1 sec)

Thanks very much.

Donald Trump

00:25:09 - 00:25:13 (4 sec)

Thank you very much, Wolf. [End Clip]