Transcript - Interview: Michelli Martin of KTVE NBC 10 Monroe Interviews Donald Trump - November 14, 2019 | Factba.se

Michelli Martin

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

First of all, welcome to our state.

Donald Trump

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

Thank you very much. Great state.

Michelli Martin

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

Donald Trump

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

It is a great state.

Michelli Martin

00:00:05 - 00:00:10 (5 sec)

All right, you understand Eddie Rispone have had a lot of success in South Louisiana --

Donald Trump

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

Michelli Martin

00:00:10 - 00:00:12 (2 sec)

-- with voters turning out for him.

Donald Trump

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

Michelli Martin

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

Here at the top of the state, a lot of people backing Governor John Bel Edwards and also Congressman Ralph Abraham. How do you get those the backers of Dr. Abraham to fall in line behind Rispone, especially given the contentious primary race?

Donald Trump

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

Well, it was a tough race. It was a very close race, and Ralph is a very good friend of mine. In fact, he flew down with me, and Ralph Abraham is a special man. He's strongly behind Eddie, and I'm going to introduce Ralph tonight -- a little surprise, but I'm gonna introduce Ralph tonight. But he wants Eddie Rispone to win, and I want him to win, and your insurance is way too high, your taxes are way too high.

Donald Trump

00:00:46 - 00:01:01 (14 sec)

Your crime rate, your murder rate is number one in the whole country. I mean, believe it or not, who would even think that? And economic development, as is good, as it is, it could be much better. So, Eddie Rispone is a winner, and John Bel Edwards has not been a good Governor.

Michelli Martin

00:01:01 - 00:01:17 (16 sec)

Speaking of economic development, we're looking at 2015, when John Bel Edwards took office, he inherited a $2 billion deficit. Now, we're looking at a moderate surplus. How would that look underneath Republican leadership at the state level? How does that improve upon that surplus?

Donald Trump

00:01:17 - 00:01:38 (22 sec)

Well, I mean, honestly, over the last two years, a lot of the states have developed tremendous surpluses, and, you know, they're developing very much, and you're rated almost at the bottom of the pack for economic development, and we have to change that. I just opened up the big LNG plant. You know that -- a big, a $10 billion plant, and despite all of that, and we're approving other ones, and other things on the federal basis.

Donald Trump

00:01:38 - 00:01:53 (14 sec)

But if you had Eddie Rispone as governor, Republican, you just do much better, much, much, better. But remember this: your car insurance, you know, everyone talks about different things, but over here in Louisiana, car insurance is a disaster, and we'll get the car insurance way down.

Michelli Martin

00:01:53 - 00:02:13 (20 sec)

Going back to John Bel Edwards. He's always said that he supported the office of the President, especially since taking office, and, I mean, he's described himself as pro-life pro-Second Amendment, pro-military. In your last rally in Monroe, Louisiana, you refer to him as a radical liberal. Can you tell Abraham supporters and voters out there why he is a radical liberal?

Donald Trump

00:02:13 - 00:02:43 (30 sec)

Sure, I'll tell you exactly, because he never votes with us. You know, they have a lot of people, especially in a state that I won by a lot -- I won Louisiana by a lot, and when you hear people talking, they sound like Republicans, but they're not, because they never vote with us. So they may like me, or at least say they like me, which they probably don't. But you never see them vote with us, you know, whether it's the Second amendment, which is under siege, as you know, and other things, they're not going to vote for us. I have many, many cases where we have Democrats that pretend they're Republicans.

Donald Trump

00:02:43 - 00:02:49 (6 sec)

The problem is -- and they talk good, but they never vote with us, and we need the votes, more important than the talk.

Michelli Martin

00:02:49 - 00:03:06 (17 sec)

Going to the news of the day, a sad day in California. Santa Clarita. A gunman going into a school. At least three people are dead. We see this headline a lot in schools and retail establishments. How do you look at the American people and let them know that you can send your kids to school, and know that they're going to be safe.

Michelli Martin

00:03:06 - 00:03:09 (3 sec)

You can go shopping, and know you're going to be safe. What can you say to them?

Donald Trump

00:03:09 - 00:03:28 (19 sec)

It's a tremendous problem, and it's elsewhere too, but it's a tremendous problem, and it is a very big mental health problem. We always have to protect our Second amendment. You understand that. But, if you look at what's going on with the Democrats, they don't think --they're not doing anything. They're not doing the USMCA, which is the big trade deal between Mexico, Canada, and the United States.

Donald Trump

00:03:28 - 00:03:45 (17 sec)

They're not doing anything. All they do is the impeachment nonsense, and everyone knows it's nonsense, and it's even polling like it's nonsense, and they got blown away yesterday, and that's all they think about. It's so bad for our country. So, when we talk about having meetings on gun violence, or anything else, they're not there.

Donald Trump

00:03:45 - 00:03:53 (8 sec)

They -- they are doing nothing. It was a big story in The Wall Street Journal today, about Nancy Pelosi. She's getting nothing done as speaker.

Michelli Martin

00:03:53 - 00:03:56 (3 sec)

All right. We're going to end this on the lightest note possible.

Donald Trump

00:03:56 - 00:03:57 (0 sec)

Michelli Martin

00:03:57 - 00:03:59 (2 sec)

All right. I'm going to act like I know a lot about football.

Donald Trump

00:03:59 - 00:04:01 (2 sec)

This is going to be the toughest one.

Michelli Martin

00:04:01 - 00:04:04 (3 sec)

It is going to be the toughest one. Okay, so this past weekend, you went to the LSU-'Bama game.

Donald Trump

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

Michelli Martin

00:04:04 - 00:04:10 (5 sec)

It's a historic rivalry -- rivalry. What was your takeaway? What was the best thing about that?

Donald Trump

00:04:10 - 00:04:24 (14 sec)

Well, I thought it was a great game. It was -- looked like a blowout, and then LSU, sort of, started to lose it a little bit, and then they got back, you know, in the end, when it counted, they came back. I think you have a great quarterback, and I think you have a great team, and you're rated number one right now.

Donald Trump

00:04:24 - 00:04:42 (18 sec)

So, maybe, I was lucky for Louisiana. But you're rated number one of the country right now. Alabama's a great team, always a great team. But LSU took the game, and -- and your quarterback is fantastic, and some other players are fantastic. But, he seems to be a real standout. He'll be, I think he's gonna be tremendous in the NFL.

Michelli Martin

00:04:42 - 00:04:44 (1 sec)

Thank you so much for your time.

Donald Trump

00:04:44 - 00:04:44 (0 sec)

Thank you very much.

Michelli Martin

00:04:44 - 00:04:45 (1 sec)

It's a pleasure to meet you.

Donald Trump

00:04:45 - 00:04:45 (1 sec)

Great to meet you. Great job.

Michelli Martin

00:04:45 - 00:04:46 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:04:46 - 00:04:46 (0 sec)