Transcript - Interview: Harris Faulker Interviews Donald Trump in Dallas for Fox News - June 11, 2020 | Factba.se

Note

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

[Transcript courtesy of Fox News Channel's Outnumbered Overtime. Transcript has been checked for accuracy. Any edits in the video are as provided and are noted.]

Harris Faulkner

00:00:00 - 00:00:19 (19 sec)

You know, Mr. President, with all that's happened in the last couple of weeks, I feel like we are at one of those historical moments where future generations will look back and they'll decide who we were. Are you the president to unite all of us? Given everything that's happening right now?

Donald Trump

00:00:19 - 00:00:38 (20 sec)

Well, I certainly think so. And I certainly hope so. And the relationships we have are incredible. The spirit of this country, and especially considering what happened. I mean, we had out of nowhere a plague come in from China. It just came in. And it came to all over the world. It went all over the world.

Donald Trump

00:00:38 - 00:00:57 (18 sec)

You look at one hundred and eighty six countries and they were devastated. And we were certainly hit very hard. Some were hit harder than us, relatively, but we were hit very, very hard. And now we're making a comeback. And then on top of it, we had the riots, which were unnecessary to the extent they were.

Donald Trump

00:00:57 - 00:01:16 (20 sec)

If the governors and mayors would have taken stronger action, I think the riots would have been you could call a as you could call them, riots. So different nights, different things. In Minneapolis, they weren't numerous nights. And then I said, you got to get the guard and they got the guard in there. And it all stopped.

Donald Trump

00:01:16 - 00:01:34 (18 sec)

They could have done that earlier. Now you look at what's going on and, look at a couple of places that are still in such great shape. But then you look at Seattle. Then what's that all about? How do they allow that to happen? It's just a bad philosophy. So I think it's incredible where we are and what we've done, considering where we came from.

Donald Trump

00:01:34 - 00:01:52 (17 sec)

We were riding high, we were the greatest economy in history, we have the greatest employment numbers in history, including black, African-American. If you look at the African-American numbers were incredible, the best they've ever been—Spanish, if you look at Hispanic and Asian numbers, women numbers, everybody.

Donald Trump

00:01:52 - 00:02:08 (17 sec)

And then we get hit with this plague, this horrible plague. And it was devastating for many ways, including the lives that were lost that can never be regained. Economics, we're going to gain economically. We're going to be great next year. We will have a fantastic I think we're gonna have a fantastic third quarter.

Donald Trump

00:02:08 - 00:02:11 (3 sec)

But you can never replace the lives.

Harris Faulkner

00:02:11 - 00:02:40 (29 sec)

I want to talk with you about where we are just in terms of the black community. People of color. You know, I hear you use the word rioter. And I understand, we covered it on Fox News. I covered much of that at night as it was bursting a couple of Saturday nights ago. The looting. And it was heartbreaking to see businesses, small businesses, which we know employ north of 66 percent of their.

Harris Faulkner

00:02:40 - 00:03:04 (24 sec)

It was at the same time you had peaceful protests. And they were hurting. And I know from your team, you watched that eight minutes and forty six second day of George Floyd. And Mr. President, your response to that is different than a person of color. And I'm a mom. When he called out mom on that tape, it's a heart punch.

Harris Faulkner

00:03:04 - 00:03:19 (14 sec)

So I'm curious from you, what do you think the protesters—not the looters and the rioters—we were intelligent enough to know the difference in our culture, right? What do you think they (protesters) want? What do you think they need right now from you?

Donald Trump

00:03:19 - 00:03:41 (22 sec)

Protesters for different reasons. You're protesting also because, you know, they just didn't know. I've watch. I watched very closely. Why are you here? They really weren't able to say, but they were there for a reason, perhaps. But a lot of them really were there because they following the crowd. A lot of them there were there because what we witnessed was a terrible thing.

Donald Trump

00:03:41 - 00:04:01 (20 sec)

What we saw was a terrible thing. And we've seen it over the years. We haven't you know, this was one horrible example, but you've seen other terrible examples. You know that better than anybody would would know it. And I know it. I've seen it, too. I've seen it before I was president. I've seen it. I think it's a shame.

Donald Trump

00:04:01 - 00:04:25 (24 sec)

I think it's a disgrace. And it's got to stop at the same time. You also know that we have incredible people in law enforcement that we have to cherish them and take care of them. And we can't let something like this, we have a bad apple go out and, you know, destroy the image of a whole of millions of people that take really good care of us. And then you have a movement where they say, let's not have a police department.

Donald Trump

00:04:25 - 00:04:27 (2 sec)

And you say, where are these people coming from?

Harris Faulkner

00:04:27 - 00:04:43 (16 sec)

So do you think you're perhaps closer than the nation might have ever been right now, with police reform? You've got both sides talking. You've got the third most powerful person in the House, James Clyburn, saying no to de-funding police. We need reform. What are you in favor of?

Donald Trump

00:04:43 - 00:04:49 (6 sec)

That's a big step when he says no, because everyone understands that. And I don't know, is that just a phrase to break things up?

Harris Faulkner

00:04:49 - 00:04:57 (8 sec)

No, because he was talking about some of the things that would be in a bipartisan bill. I mean, I can't put words in his mouth. I can only tell you what he said.

Donald Trump

00:04:57 - 00:05:12 (15 sec)

I'm not talking. About him. I'm saying when they talk about police, when they actually talk about beyond de-funding, they actually go all out because defunding to a lot of people means break up the police forces and either that or don't give them any money. So essentially breaking it up.

Harris Faulkner

00:05:12 - 00:05:14 (3 sec)

So what do you want to see? What is police reform to you?

Donald Trump

00:05:14 - 00:05:20 (6 sec)

I want to see really compassionate but strong law enforcement, police force. But law enforcement.

Harris Faulkner

00:05:20 - 00:05:22 (2 sec)

Say no to chokeholds?

Donald Trump

00:05:22 - 00:05:43 (21 sec)

Yeah. I don't like chokeholds. I will say this, as somebody that, you know, you grow up and you wrestle and you fight and you were you see what happens sometimes if you're alone and you're fighting somebody who's tough and you get somebody in a chokehold. What you going to do, say, oh, and it's a real bad person and you know that.

Donald Trump

00:05:43 - 00:05:58 (16 sec)

And they do exist. I mean, we have some real bad people. You saw that during the last couple of weeks. You saw some very good people protesting. You saw some bad people also. And you get somebody in a chokehold. And what you going to do now? Let go and say, oh, let's start all over again. I'm not allowed to have you in a chokehold.

Donald Trump

00:05:58 - 00:06:28 (29 sec)

It's a tough situation. Now, if you have two people in case we're talking about—four people and two of them, I guess, just pretty much started. So it's a very, very, very tricky situation. So the chokehold thing is good because to talk about, because off the cuff, it would sound like absolutely. But if you're thinking about it, then you realize maybe there is a bad fight and the officer gets somebody in a position that’s a very tough position.

Harris Faulkner

00:06:28 - 00:06:31 (4 sec)

So you're saying it's a sliding scale depending on what the circumstances are?

Donald Trump

00:06:31 - 00:06:32 (1 sec)

I think you have to probably say

Harris Faulkner

00:06:32 - 00:06:36 (4 sec)

Do you want to be in that conversation? Are you in that conversation?

Donald Trump

00:06:36 - 00:06:53 (17 sec)

I really am. And I think the concept of chokehold sounds so innocent, so perfect. And then you realize if it's a one on one. Now if it's two on one, that's a little bit of a different story, depending on the toughness and strength. You know, we're talking about toughness and strength. We are talking there's a physical thing here also.

Donald Trump

00:06:53 - 00:06:57 (4 sec)

But if a police officer is in a bad scuffle and he's got somebody

Harris Faulkner

00:06:57 - 00:07:00 (3 sec)

Well, if t's a one-on-one fight for the life. That’s what you’re saying.

Donald Trump

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

And that does happen. And that does happen. So you have to be careful with that being said. It would be, I think, a very good thing that generally speaking, it be should be ended.

Harris Faulkner

00:07:11 - 00:07:14 (3 sec)

Do you want that to be a top down federal or should it be at the local level?

Donald Trump

00:07:14 - 00:07:15 (1 sec)

Well, it could be at the local level.

Harris Faulkner

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

That's local question right now. Congress goes back and forth too.

Donald Trump

00:07:19 - 00:07:27 (8 sec)

It could be local level. And in some cases it will be local level. But I think we can certainly make recommendations and they can be very strong recommendations.

Harris Faulkner

00:07:27 - 00:07:50 (24 sec)

You look at me and I'm Harris on TV, but I'm a black woman. I'm a mom, and you know. You’ve talked about it, but we haven't seen you come out and be that consoler in this instance. And the tweets. “When the looting starts, the shooting starts.” Why those words?

Donald Trump

00:07:50 - 00:07:54 (4 sec)

So that's an expression I've heard over the years.

Harris Faulkner

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

Do you know where it comes from?

Donald Trump

00:07:56 - 00:07:59 (2 sec)

I think Philadelphia, the mayor of Philadelphia.

Harris Faulkner

00:07:59 - 00:08:22 (23 sec)

No, It comes from 1967. I was about 18 months old at the time. Everybody shooting Wicky because it probably got it wrong. But it was from the chief of police in Miami. He was cracking down and he meant what he said. And he said, I don't even care if it makes it look like brutality. I'm going to crack down—when the looting starts, the shooting stars.

Harris Faulkner

00:08:22 - 00:08:24 (2 sec)

That frightened a lot of people when you Tweeted that.

Donald Trump

00:08:24 - 00:08:45 (21 sec)

It also comes from a very tough mayor who I might have been police commissioner at the time, but I think mayor of Philadelphia named Frank Rizzo and he had an expression like that. But I've heard it many times. I think it's been used many times. It means two things very different things. One is if there's looting, there's probably going to be shooting.

Donald Trump

00:08:45 - 00:08:53 (8 sec)

And that's not as a threat. That's really just a fact, because that's what happens. And the other is, if there's looting, there's going to be shooting. There's a very, very different meanings.

Harris Faulkner

00:08:53 - 00:08:54 (1 sec)

Oh, interesting.

Donald Trump

00:08:54 - 00:08:56 (2 sec)

No, there's very different meanings.

Harris Faulkner

00:08:56 - 00:08:59 (3 sec)

Do you think most people see it that way?

Donald Trump

00:08:59 - 00:09:16 (17 sec)

I think they see it both ways. I mean, I've had it viewed both ways. I think it's meant both ways, not by the same person. But when the looting starts, it oftentimes means there's going to be shooting, there's going to be death, there's going to be killing. And it's a bad thing. And it's also used as a threat.

Donald Trump

00:09:16 - 00:09:24 (8 sec)

It's used both ways. But if you think about it, look at what happened, how people were devastated with the looting. Look at what happened.

Harris Faulkner

00:09:24 - 00:09:30 (6 sec)

Your rally in Oklahoma is set for June 19th. Was that on purpose?

Donald Trump

00:09:30 - 00:09:32 (3 sec)

No, but I know exactly what you're going to say.

Harris Faulkner

00:09:32 - 00:09:35 (3 sec)

Well, I'm just asking. I've not got anything to say.

Donald Trump

00:09:35 - 00:09:39 (3 sec)

Think about it as a celebration. Morale is celebration.

Donald Trump

00:09:39 - 00:09:50 (11 sec)

We're going to Oklahoma. And if you think about it relative to your question, think about it as a celebration. Don't think about it as an inconvenience. Think about this as a celebration, not as this will be.

Harris Faulkner

00:09:50 - 00:09:55 (5 sec)

No, no, no. It's on the day of African-American emancipation. It’s the independence day.

Donald Trump

00:09:55 - 00:10:11 (16 sec)

That the fact that I'm having a rally on that day, you can really think about that very positively as a celebration. Because a rally to me is a celebration. [Edit] It's going to be really a celebration and it's an interesting date. It wasn't done for that reason, but it's an interesting day. But it's a celebration.

Note

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[Break in Interview]

Harris Faulkner

00:10:11 - 00:10:17 (6 sec)

Talk to me about police reform. You call yourself the law and order president. What does that mean?

Donald Trump

00:10:17 - 00:10:48 (31 sec)

Well, we are going to do lots of - I think good things, but we also have to keep our police and our law enforcement strong. But they have to do it right. They have to be trained in a proper manner. They have to do it right. Again, the sad thing is that they are very professional. But when you see an event like that with the more than eight minutes of horror, it's really 8 minutes of horror - it's a disgrace and then people start saying, well, are all police like that?

Donald Trump

00:10:48 - 00:10:57 (9 sec)

They don't know. Maybe they don't think about it that much. It doesn't make any difference. The fact is they start saying, well, police are like that. Police aren't like that.

Note

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[Break in Interview]

Harris Faulkner

00:10:57 - 00:11:01 (4 sec)

Can the law and order president also be the consoler in chief?

Donald Trump

00:11:01 - 00:11:15 (14 sec)

Yes, I think so. I think the law and order president can keep a situation like Seattle from ever happening. It should never happen. What happened in Seattle, what happened in Minneapolis should never happened.

Harris Faulkner

00:11:15 - 00:11:19 (5 sec)

You had some harsh words to say about Seattle's mayor. Why?

Donald Trump

00:11:19 - 00:11:33 (14 sec)

Because I saw her break down, I saw her leave, I saw her have absolutely no control. I saw her make a lot of bad decisions including, don't do anything that is going to affect anybody.

Donald Trump

00:11:33 - 00:11:48 (15 sec)

Toughness sometimes is the most compassionate, because people are getting badly hurt. Look at what happened in Minneapolis where they left the precinct. The city which is a great place, I've been there many times. It’s a great place.

Harris Faulkner

00:11:48 - 00:11:50 (2 sec)

Can we talk about the black police officer who was killed?

Donald Trump

00:11:50 - 00:12:12 (22 sec)

By being compassionate, by being compassionate, she thought she was being compassionate or in the case of Minneapolis the young gentlemen, the mayor thought he was being compassionate. I mean what was that all about? And look at the damage and the travesty and the small businesses and the death. Look at what happened.

Donald Trump

00:12:12 - 00:12:19 (7 sec)

So by being soft and weak you end up not being compassionate. It ends up being a very dangerous situation.

Note

00:12:19 - 00:12:19 (0 sec)

[Break in Interview]

Harris Faulkner

00:12:19 - 00:12:29 (10 sec)

I want to talk with you about revitalization in black communities, the focus of the opportunity zone that you put into place. I think it was late 2017.

Donald Trump

00:12:29 - 00:12:30 (1 sec)

Tim Scott – great senator.

Harris Faulkner

00:12:30 - 00:12:51 (21 sec)

Senator Tim Scott. How does all of that fit into talking with the protesters? And people right now wanting for the black community—and not just blacks, but communities of color, people who are disadvantaged in general, I mean, the economy is the great unifier, right?

Donald Trump

00:12:51 - 00:13:03 (12 sec)

I think I’ve done more for the black community than any other president. And let's take a pass on Abraham Lincoln, because he did good. Although it's always questionable, you know, in other words, the end result.

Harris Faulkner

00:13:03 - 00:13:06 (2 sec)

Well, we are free, Mr. President. He did pretty well.

Donald Trump

00:13:06 - 00:13:10 (4 sec)

We are free. Well, you understand what I mean? You know, I got to take a pass on a Honest Abe, as we call it.

Harris Faulkner

00:13:10 - 00:13:11 (1 sec)

But you say you say you've done more than anybody.

Donald Trump

00:13:11 - 00:13:32 (20 sec)

Well, look. Criminal justice reform. Nobody else could. I've done it. I did it. I didn't get a lot of notoriety. And the fact the people I did it for then go on television and thank everybody but me and they needed me to get it done. And I got it done. And I got five or six Republicans Senators who had no interest in getting it done.

Donald Trump

00:13:32 - 00:14:00 (29 sec)

And they were great. And we got it done. We did that. The historically black colleges and universities were not funded. They weren't funded. I got them funded on a long term basis and took care of. I became friendly every year for three years. You know the story. They were the heads, the deans, the heads, the presidents, the universities and colleges would come up. I got to know them—44 or so people would come up to the Oval Office.

Donald Trump

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

First year was normal. I said, all right, let's do second year. I said, why are you back again? Don't they? Third year? I said, why are you here? They said, because for many years we've had to come back here every single year. One of them, great people who said, we have to beg for money. I said, you shouldn't be begging.

Donald Trump

00:14:17 - 00:14:34 (17 sec)

You should be back at your colleges or universities and you should be teaching and doing the job. I got them long term money more than they had, much more than they had. And I got it permanent. They don't have to come back into Washington, D.C. I said the only bad part is I won't see you again maybe. It was true.

Donald Trump

00:14:34 - 00:14:43 (9 sec)

So I like 44 guys. They were great people. But I took care of that. Opportunity zones. I did that. Prison reform.

Harris Faulkner

00:14:43 - 00:14:49 (6 sec)

Were those hit in some of the rioting and the looting, those cities, those opportunity zones?

Donald Trump

00:14:49 - 00:15:09 (21 sec)

Harris honestly, the opportunity zones where vast amounts of money are going into areas that never got money. They're investing. The people that put the money had tax advantages. They get certain advantages otherwise they’re not going to put up the money and it affects tremendously the employment in areas that were absolutely dead or dying.

Harris Faulkner

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

So they should bounce back faster either from the pandemic or from this latest round of destruction.

Donald Trump

00:15:15 - 00:15:33 (17 sec)

They were bouncing back really well and then we got the plague but we'll get this straightened out with what this is now we can never gain back the lives that were lost but outside of that we're going to be in very strong shape. We have tremendous stimulus. We have a lot of things happening.

Harris Faulkner

00:15:33 - 00:15:40 (7 sec)

I want to toggle right then to former commander in Louisville, I believe. Dorn. David Dorn.

Donald Trump

00:15:40 - 00:15:42 (2 sec)

Yes. I called his wife last night.

Harris Faulkner

00:15:42 - 00:16:06 (24 sec)

You talked with Anne Marie? You know, it didn't get a lot of coverage. We talked about on both my shows on Fox, but his murder was streamed live on Facebook. African-American cop. These have been a really tough couple of weeks. And you have lost people of color on both sides of what I guess would be termed as a fight, although I think we're all in this together and we've got to get to a better place.

Donald Trump

00:16:06 - 00:16:29 (23 sec)

With Chief Dorn, so I spoke to his wife. She was devastated. Sounds just like a great woman. But did you see all the people that went that funeral? It was incredible. So the people get it. But whatever it is, you'll have to explain this one to me. It wasn't covered. This was an African-American top guy many years on the force.

Harris Faulkner

00:16:29 - 00:16:32 (3 sec)

Killed by looters, streamed live by Facebook.

Donald Trump

00:16:32 - 00:16:33 (2 sec)

And he wasn't being aggressive.

Harris Faulkner

00:16:33 - 00:16:36 (3 sec)

He was just he was defending his friend’s pawn shop.

Donald Trump

00:16:36 - 00:16:47 (11 sec)

He was it very professional guy and he was killed. And why didn't that get any airtime? And yet the people got it. Because when you looked at what, I don't know if you got to see that.

Harris Faulkner

00:16:47 - 00:16:51 (3 sec)

Oh yea, the visitation on Monday and then the funeral the next? Absolutely.

Donald Trump

00:16:51 - 00:16:52 (1 sec)

The line was around the block.

Harris Faulkner

00:16:52 - 00:16:54 (2 sec)

Sixty one hundred people.

Donald Trump

00:16:54 - 00:16:56 (3 sec)

But no he was a great gentleman.

Donald Trump

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

I just say this. If there were more toughness, you wouldn't have the kind of devastation that you had in Minneapolis and in Seattle. I mean, let's see what's going on. So I will tell you, if they don't straighten that situation out, we're going to straighten it out.

Harris Faulkner

00:17:10 - 00:17:22 (11 sec)

And what do you mean by like what? I don't know if you caught it, but Governor Cuomo was so upset with Mayor de Blasio of New York, he said, I'm going to displace him. I don't really know how that would work. But I mean, is that what you mean in Seattle?

Donald Trump

00:17:22 - 00:17:30 (9 sec)

What I mean is very simple. We're not going to let Seattle be occupied by anarchists. And I'm not calling them protestors.

Harris Faulkner

00:17:30 - 00:17:31 (1 sec)

Have you talked to the mayor?

Donald Trump

00:17:31 - 00:17:58 (26 sec)

No, I but I got to see a performance that I've never seen. I mean, you think he was a weak person in Minneapolis? The woman I don't know. Has she ever done this before? Oh, it’s pathetic. No, no. We're not going to let this happen in Seattle. If we have to go in, we're going to go in. The governor’s either going to do it. Let the governor do it. He's got great National Guard troops so he can do it. But one way or the other, it's going to get done.

Donald Trump

00:17:58 - 00:18:07 (9 sec)

These people are not going to occupy a major portion of a great city. They're not going to do it. And they can solve that problem very easily.

Note

00:18:07 - 00:18:07 (0 sec)

[Break in Interview]

Harris Faulkner

00:18:07 - 00:18:24 (17 sec)

General Milley, Joint Chiefs of Staff, I don't know how much you knew that he was going to say today before he spoke. But he says he regrets having been there. He apologized, having been there on the Lafayette Square with the picture, the infamous picture, as you walked to the church and held the Bible.

Donald Trump

00:18:24 - 00:18:30 (6 sec)

I think it was a beautiful picture. And I'll tell you, I think Christians think it was a beautiful picture.

Harris Faulkner

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

But why do you think you're hearing from General Milley, from Secretary of Defense Esper, and not why you think you are? But do you think it's significant?

Donald Trump

00:18:40 - 00:18:59 (19 sec)

No, no, it's no. I mean, if that's the way they feel. I think that's fine. I have good relationships with the military. I've rebuilt our military. I spent two and a half trillion dollars. Nobody else did. When we took it over from President Obama and Biden, the military was a joke. The military was depleted.

Harris Faulkner

00:18:59 - 00:19:04 (5 sec)

I have one last question. It has to do with Joe Biden. Did you hear what he said today?

Donald Trump

00:19:04 - 00:19:07 (4 sec)

Harris Faulkner

00:19:07 - 00:19:18 (11 sec)

He said that he believes you will steal the election and if you don't win he thinks that military will escort you from the White House.

Donald Trump

00:19:18 - 00:19:45 (27 sec)

Look, Joe is just not all there. Everybody knows it. And it's sad when you look at it and you see it, you see it for yourself. He's created his own sanctuary city in the basement of wherever he is. And he doesn't come out. And certainly if I don't win, I don't win. I mean, you know, go on and do other things I think would be a very sad thing for our country.