Transcript - MSNBC: Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski Interview Donald Trump - June 18, 2015 | Factba.se

Mika Brzezinski

00:00:00 - 00:00:20 (20 sec)

Well, after years of speculation and flirtations, Donald Trump formally entered the race for the White House this week. And we sat down with the wealthiest presidential candidate to get his ideas on the economy, jobs, and also something else. What was that?

Joe Scarborough

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

Well, his surprising answer to who the best president of the last 25 years was. But first, we wanted to know, why jump in now? Take a look. [Begin Video]

Mika Brzezinski

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

Joe Scarborough

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

You're doing it.

Mika Brzezinski

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

You are doing it.

Joe Scarborough

00:00:32 - 00:00:37 (5 sec)

Why did you decide to do it this year when you passed all the other years?

Donald Trump

00:00:37 - 00:00:58 (21 sec)

Well, I looked at it but not very seriously. Mitt Romney let a lot of people down last time. He was supposed to do better and he like disappeared. He choked. Something happened to him at the end last time. The country is in trouble. We have a big fat bubble coming up. You watch. We have artificially induced low interest rates, we have a stock market which has benefited me, but we are in a bubble like you have never seen before.

Joe Scarborough

00:00:58 - 00:00:59 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:00:59 - 00:01:10 (11 sec)

Probably we have 20 percent unemployment, not 5.6 percent. So I just think the country is doing terribly. We're ripped off by everybody, every country, including China, big league. Including Mexico.

Joe Scarborough

00:01:10 - 00:01:15 (5 sec)

So describe the bubble. You're talking about this bubble. What bubble?

Donald Trump

00:01:15 - 00:01:44 (29 sec)

We are in an economic financial bubble, in my opinion. It's got to be fixed fast. We owe $18 trillion, I would say going to the $20 trillion mark pretty quickly. You know, you look at what's going on. So we'll see what happens here, but I predict some bad things. Without proper leadership, I predict you're going to see some very, very bad things happening economically. You probably have a 20 percent unemployment rate. You have interest rates -- I borrow money, like I'm buying the Old Post Office. You pay, like nothing. They give you free money. Now, that's bad; that's not good.

Joe Scarborough

00:01:44 - 00:01:45 (1 sec)

And we've always heard -

Donald Trump

00:01:45 - 00:02:00 (15 sec)

You know who gets hurt? The people that saved their money, Joe. They saved their money. They did it the way you're supposed to. For 30 years, they saved their money. Always -- now they go to the bank, they're getting a getting a quarter of 1 percent on their savings. Those are the people, the middle class - the middle in this country has been wiped out.

Mika Brzezinski

00:02:00 - 00:02:10 (10 sec)

That's what I want to ask you. So what policies would you put in place? What changes would you make to try to lift up the middle class in ways that has not been accomplished before? Specifically.

Donald Trump

00:02:10 - 00:02:29 (19 sec)

The biggest thing we have to do is new trade agreements. China is killing us, Mexico is killing us, Japan is killing us. Everybody is beating us. We have incompetent people negotiating trade. We are losing money at every single step. We don't make good deals anymore.

Joe Scarborough

00:02:29 - 00:02:30 (1 sec)

Give us an example.

Donald Trump

00:02:30 - 00:02:45 (15 sec)

And that's why, Joe, I go out to speak, and I think Mark will tell you, although he's only about 70 percent there. But I think he will say I get the biggest crowds, I get the biggest ovations. I'm getting very good poll numbers and nobody until yesterday thought I was running. I mean, we're doing - it's funny. It's funny.

Joe Scarborough

00:02:45 - 00:02:57 (12 sec)

Well, actually, that's what we said yesterday. But give us an example of how, because a lot of people believe that, right now, especially while we're negotiating the latest trade deal, that the United States is always out-negotiated on trade deals. Give me a good specific example of that.

Donald Trump

00:02:57 - 00:03:16 (19 sec)

Well, because China and all of these people, Mexico is the new China, by the way, Mexico is unbelievable, what they're doing with cars and with industry. They are taking our business like we're a bunch of babies. We don't have our best and our brightest negotiating for us. We have a bunch of losers, we have a bunch of political hacks.

Donald Trump

00:03:16 - 00:03:24 (8 sec)

We have diplomats. And China puts the people -- hey, look. I know the smartest guys on Wall Street. I know our best negotiators.

Donald Trump

00:03:24 - 00:03:34 (10 sec)

I know the overrated guys, the underrated guys, the guys that nobody ever heard of that are killers, that are great. We gotta use those people. We're using people --

Joe Scarborough

00:03:34 - 00:03:37 (3 sec)

So who would be a guy?

Donald Trump

00:03:37 - 00:03:40 (3 sec)

I'll give you an example.

Joe Scarborough

00:03:40 - 00:03:43 (3 sec)

Who's your Secretary of Treasury?

Donald Trump

00:03:43 - 00:03:51 (8 sec)

Joe, let me give you an example. Caroline Kennedy, I have seen 60 Minutes". She goes in

Joe Scarborough

00:03:51 - 00:03:52 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:03:52 - 00:03:56 (4 sec)

We don't have people that know what's going on.

Joe Scarborough

00:03:56 - 00:04:06 (10 sec)

So, again, specifically, who -- give us a name on Wall Street that you might consider as a Secretary of Treasury, that'll be a tough negotiator.

Donald Trump

00:04:06 - 00:04:17 (11 sec)

I'll tell you what, I'd like guys like Jack Welch. I like guys like Henry Kravis. I'd love to bring my friend Carl Icahn. I mean, we have people that are great. We have people that are better than any of their negotiators.

Joe Scarborough

00:04:17 - 00:04:17 (0 sec)

That are tough.

Donald Trump

00:04:17 - 00:04:24 (7 sec)

We don't use them, Joe. We use people that are soft and weak and frankly stupid and incompetent.

Mika Brzezinski

00:04:24 - 00:04:28 (4 sec)

What's your position on the issue of whether or not to raise the minimum wage?

Donald Trump

00:04:28 - 00:04:35 (7 sec)

I would say leave the minimum wage. That's not the problem, Mika, whether somebody is getting an extra -- [Crosstalk]

Mika Brzezinski

00:04:35 - 00:04:38 (3 sec)

But people can't live on what they're being paid.

Donald Trump

00:04:38 - 00:04:59 (21 sec)

Mika, the problem is we have to get jobs in the country. The jobs are being taken by Mexico and by China. The jobs are being taken by India. You call up American Express and you talk to somebody on the phone, they have an accent. You say where are you from? We're talking to them in India. And I say, we can't do that ourselves? We have to bring back jobs.

Mika Brzezinski

00:04:59 - 00:05:14 (15 sec)

But don't you think wages are a part of that issue? And OK, obviously, you don't agree with raising the minimum wage, but do you agree that stagnating wages are a huge part of the jobs crisis in this country? And if so, what would you do to fix that?

Donald Trump

00:05:14 - 00:05:49 (35 sec)

Gross domestic product for the first quarter went below zero. That's unheard of. It's unheard of. I mean, where do you see it going below zero? In China, it goes up 8 percent, 9 percent. India, you look at these countries. Look at what's happening in Japan now. By the way, Japan is back, big league. They just devalued the yen. People are buying Komatsu tractors instead of Caterpillar tractors. I'm telling you, we're in trouble. We have a president who is incompetent, doesn't know what he's doing. And this country is going to go down. We have got a lot of problems in this country.

Mike Barnicle

00:05:49 - 00:05:53 (4 sec)

Two things, Donald. One, you're smart enough to know that words are --

Donald Trump

00:05:53 - 00:05:55 (2 sec)

What do you mean, smart enough? What does that mean?

Mike Barnicle

00:05:55 - 00:05:57 (2 sec)

You're smart enough to know that words are weapons.

Mika Brzezinski

00:05:57 - 00:05:58 (1 sec)

He went to Wharton.

Donald Trump

00:05:58 - 00:06:04 (6 sec)

Well, I went to the Wharton school of Finance. I have to sort of say that. Because you know, like somebody says, You're smart enough. But go ahead.

Mike Barnicle

00:06:04 - 00:06:10 (6 sec)

Words are weapons. So you have to have some form of collegiality if you're President of the United States.

Donald Trump

00:06:10 - 00:06:11 (1 sec)

I get along with everybody.

Mike Barnicle

00:06:11 - 00:06:12 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:06:12 - 00:06:20 (8 sec)

I get along with the Chinese. By the way, people think I don't like China. I love China. I sold an apartment for $55 million to a Chinese gentleman.

Donald Trump

00:06:20 - 00:06:40 (20 sec)

The largest bank in the world from China, by far the largest bank -- Citibank is like, I asked them, Citibank is like a small subsidiary, they told me. OK? The largest bank in the world is a tenant of mine in Trump Tower. I have buildings - I bought - I own the Bank of America building, big, big deal. I own the Bank of America building in San Francisco.

Donald Trump

00:06:40 - 00:06:51 (11 sec)

I deal with China. I have a great relationship with China. Businessweek" magazine has an article So don't tell me about china. I know China.

Donald Trump

00:06:51 - 00:06:56 (5 sec)

China cannot believe they're getting away with what they're getting away with.

Mike Barnicle

00:06:56 - 00:07:01 (5 sec)

What would you do about the tax code in the United States?

Donald Trump

00:07:01 - 00:07:09 (8 sec)

We got to simplify it. At a minimum, simplify it. Too complicated. I spend millions of dollars a year for lawyers and for accountants to do my taxes.

Donald Trump

00:07:09 - 00:07:20 (11 sec)

I mean, they do a great job. And somebody said, do you pay a lot? I said I pay as little as possible. I mean, I frankly -- I was sort of getting a kick out of watching poor Romney last time. He choked so badly.

Donald Trump

00:07:20 - 00:07:28 (8 sec)

Joe, he choked. That should have been won. That should have been so easy. But he said, oh, well, I pay 16, but it could be 18.

Donald Trump

00:07:28 - 00:07:40 (12 sec)

Let me tell you -- everybody wants to pay as little as possible. Including Warren Buffett, by the way, despite what he says. And so they said what's your tax rate? I don't know, I pay as little as possible. Because I'm an honest guy.

Donald Trump

00:07:40 - 00:07:51 (11 sec)

I say it like it is. You have to simplify the tax code, at a minimum. Now you could go to the fair tax, the flat tax; there's a lot of things you could go to. But at a minimum, you have to simplify the tax code.

Mark Halperin

00:07:51 - 00:07:54 (3 sec)

We've had four presidents since President Reagan. Which one was the best and why?

Donald Trump

00:07:54 - 00:08:04 (10 sec)

Well, you know, if you're asking me about the different presidents - I, first of all, I'm a Reagan fan. You know, I was a very good friend of Reagan. I was a young guy, he was a much older guy, but I was a very good friend.

Mark Halperin

00:08:04 - 00:08:05 (1 sec)

But I'm talking about the four presidents after.

Donald Trump

00:08:05 - 00:08:07 (2 sec)

I know. I've had relationships with -- I can tell you who is our worst president.

Mark Halperin

00:08:07 - 00:08:10 (3 sec)

Well, I know what you're going to say for that, but of the four, who is the best?

Donald Trump

00:08:10 - 00:08:11 (1 sec)

Who am I going to say?

Mark Halperin

00:08:11 - 00:08:16 (5 sec)

I'm going to guess you would say Bush. People would think you'd say Obama, but I'm going to guess you'd say Bush 43.

Donald Trump

00:08:16 - 00:08:28 (12 sec)

I'm not a fan of Bush, OK, and a lot of people are surprised. But he got us into Iraq. And if you look, Mark, in Reuters in '04, that's 11 years ago, Reuters, I said don't go into Iraq. You're going to destabilize the Middle East and the worst elements are going to take over the oil. And that's what happened.

Mark Halperin

00:08:28 - 00:08:30 (2 sec)

ALL right, so of the four, who is the best?

Donald Trump

00:08:30 - 00:08:30 (0 sec)

Joe Scarborough

00:08:30 - 00:08:34 (4 sec)

Bush 41, Clinton, Bush 43, or Obama, and why?

Donald Trump

00:08:34 - 00:08:37 (3 sec)

I would really say Clinton, probably. I would have to say Clinton.

Mark Halperin

00:08:37 - 00:08:38 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:08:38 - 00:08:52 (14 sec)

There was a little spirit. Frankly, he would have been, had he not met Monica, had he not met Paula, had he not met various and sundry semi-beautiful women, he would have had a much better deal going. Do you agree with that, Joe? He would have had a much better - no, no seriously. He was destroyed by that.

Donald Trump

00:08:52 - 00:09:02 (10 sec)

He was really hurt really badly by it. But he's a tough one. You know, it's amazing the way -- look at the e-mail situation. Anybody else that would have been -- she would have been brought down.

Donald Trump

00:09:02 - 00:09:15 (13 sec)

I mean, I know how strong you are on that subject. But anybody else, can you imagine if a Republican deleted all of their e-mails after getting a subpoena? They would be in jail right now. With her, it's like, they don't -- I don't even hear them talking about it anymore. So I have to hand it to Clinton.

Donald Trump

00:09:15 - 00:09:18 (3 sec)

Her, to a lesser extent, but now maybe more. [End Video]

Mika Brzezinski

00:09:18 - 00:09:24 (6 sec)

Ahead, Trump's rare personal insights into raising his family. What he had to say about Marco Rubio's hair --

Joe Scarborough

00:09:24 - 00:09:25 (1 sec)

Mika Brzezinski

00:09:25 - 00:09:25 (0 sec)

'-- too. Marco Rubio's hair?

Joe Scarborough

00:09:25 - 00:09:29 (4 sec)

Yeah, well, that's all straight ahead. You're watching Morning Joe. [Break]

Mika Brzezinski

00:09:29 - 00:09:40 (11 sec)

Back now, Morning Joe's definitive interview with Donald Trump. How did the Donald raise such a remarkable family? We asked the presidential candidate to reflect on his three simple rules for raising children. They're good ones. But first, he shared his rough assessments of his Republican opponents. [Begin Video]

Joe Scarborough

00:09:40 - 00:09:45 (5 sec)

Before you get to Hillary, you got to go through the Republican field. Is Jeb Bush conservative enough to be president?

Donald Trump

00:09:45 - 00:09:59 (14 sec)

I hear you talking about Jeb Bush, and except I know you're a very honest guy, I would have said you're on his pay roll. I say what the hell is he talking about? He couldn't answer a simple question on Iraq? Is Iraq good or bad, the war?

Joe Scarborough

00:09:59 - 00:10:00 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

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

We spend $2 trillion, thousands of lives lost, wounded warriors all over the place, who I love and who I help, and we have nothing. Yesterday, Iraq went to Iran, their meeting. They're going to merge. And exactly what I said in the Reuters article.

Donald Trump

00:10:12 - 00:10:21 (9 sec)

And you ask that question, it took four days to say an answer. So I just think you're so wrong on him. I think he's a -- I think that Bush is a nice man. I call him -- he's a man that doesn't want to be doing what he's doing.

Donald Trump

00:10:21 - 00:10:32 (11 sec)

I call him the reluctant warrior, and warrior is probably not a good word. But I think Bush is an unhappy person. I don't think he has any energy, and I don't see how he can win. In addition to that, he's in favor of Common Core and he's weak on immigration.

Joe Scarborough

00:10:32 - 00:10:34 (2 sec)

What about Marco Rubio?

Donald Trump

00:10:34 - 00:10:35 (1 sec)

I think he's highly overrated.

Joe Scarborough

00:10:35 - 00:10:37 (2 sec)

What's your take on -- [Crosstalk]

Donald Trump

00:10:37 - 00:10:56 (19 sec)

He lost me when he grabbed the water in the middle of his deal, like when he was responding to Obama's speech. He grabs the water. And it wasn't in a glass or even a cup. See? It wasn't -- it was a bottle of water with a label on it. And I said, what happened? I think he is highly overrated, and by the way, I have much better hair than he does. OK?

Joe Scarborough

00:10:56 - 00:10:58 (2 sec)

You have better hair than Rubio.

Donald Trump

00:10:58 - 00:10:58 (0 sec)

And you know it's my hair.

Mika Brzezinski

00:10:58 - 00:11:00 (2 sec)

Well, I do because I tugged on it once. He let me.

Donald Trump

00:11:00 - 00:11:01 (1 sec)

She tugged on it crazy.

Mika Brzezinski

00:11:01 - 00:11:01 (0 sec)

Joe Scarborough

00:11:01 - 00:11:03 (2 sec)

Is there -- oh. Right there.

Donald Trump

00:11:03 - 00:11:04 (1 sec)

Hairspray, but it is mine.

Joe Scarborough

00:11:04 - 00:11:05 (1 sec)

We're going to go to Mark for the next question.

Mika Brzezinski

00:11:05 - 00:11:10 (5 sec)

All right, off the rails. OK, then I have a question. Go ahead.

Mark Halperin

00:11:10 - 00:11:18 (8 sec)

Yesterday was a pretty big -- your announcement day was a pretty big day. What was it like for you and your family to be declared a candidate? You spent a lot of time with them.

Donald Trump

00:11:18 - 00:11:25 (7 sec)

Well, it was exciting. And I've gotten tremendous reviews on the speech for the most part. I've had a couple of people -- I'm not a fan of Krauthammer. I'm not a fan of George Will.

Donald Trump

00:11:25 - 00:11:28 (3 sec)

I think he's a total dope, frankly. I know him. I think he's a total dope. You know, he's still angry.

Donald Trump

00:11:28 - 00:11:39 (11 sec)

He made a speech at Mar-a-Lago, and at the time, I wasn't interested. It was a terrible speech, George Will, and I didn't show up. I didn't want to go. I'm the one who got him there; I didn't want to go.

Donald Trump

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

Because I found him to be a boring person. And that was like 12 years ago and I probably should have gone, because he interviews -- but he's, you know, he's a zippos. I'm not a fan of those guys. Generally speaking, I've gotten fantastic reviews.

Mark Halperin

00:11:50 - 00:11:59 (9 sec)

I'm trying to humanize you here. I'm here about your time with your family. What was it like? On a big day, you announce for president. Did anyone cry?

Donald Trump

00:11:59 - 00:12:07 (8 sec)

Nobody cried. Look, it wasn't -- [Laughter] There wasn't a dry eye in the house. No, nobody cried.

Mark Halperin

00:12:07 - 00:12:08 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:12:08 - 00:12:10 (2 sec)

Mark Halperin

00:12:10 - 00:12:11 (1 sec)

Was there hugging?

Donald Trump

00:12:11 - 00:12:15 (4 sec)

My wife was happy. There was hugging, there almost kissing.

Mark Halperin

00:12:15 - 00:12:15 (0 sec)

Almost kissing.

Mika Brzezinski

00:12:15 - 00:12:15 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:12:15 - 00:12:39 (24 sec)

Let me tell you, that's not what people -- like somebody said, Donald, you do really well on this stuff. You do -- you know, I'm doing, and I think you will say, considering nobody, like nobody, thought I was running, I think I'm doing quite well. Right? They're all saying, oh, gee, he's taking the place of some senator who's a stiff. You know, all the people, right? I built $9 billion worth of net worth. I own some of the greatest properties in the entire world, mortgage free for the most part, very low debt. I do a show on NBC, The Apprentice

Mika Brzezinski

00:12:39 - 00:12:41 (2 sec)

That's what I wanted to --

Donald Trump

00:12:41 - 00:12:50 (9 sec)

I do a book, I do a book called The Art Of The Deal." It's probably the No. 1 best selling business book of all sometime. I go to the Wharton School of Finance

Joe Scarborough

00:12:50 - 00:12:51 (1 sec)

So why do you think is?

Mika Brzezinski

00:12:51 - 00:12:54 (3 sec)

What do you think is behind that?

Joe Scarborough

00:12:54 - 00:12:54 (0 sec)

What's behind it?

Donald Trump

00:12:54 - 00:12:58 (4 sec)

Well, I don't want to say it because that would sound conceited. But there are --

Joe Scarborough

00:12:58 - 00:12:58 (0 sec)

Please, go ahead.

Donald Trump

00:12:58 - 00:13:01 (3 sec)

No, no, I don't want to do it. Why would I do that?

Mika Brzezinski

00:13:01 - 00:13:01 (0 sec)

Donald Trump

00:13:01 - 00:13:27 (26 sec)

I don't want to be that way. But I will say this: My family is behind me 100 percent. But the reason I sort of want to laugh at the question a little bit, and I think it's a very nice question and I have a great family, I have a great wife. And you know my wife, and she's great and she's beautiful and my kids are beautiful, and Ivanka did an unbelievable job. They had 37 live feeds. They had cameras -- you have to say, that place was mobbed yesterday. You know it. There more cameras than to any other presidential announcement by a factor of three or four.

Joe Scarborough

00:13:27 - 00:13:29 (2 sec)

Mark Halperin, is that true?

Mark Halperin

00:13:29 - 00:13:30 (1 sec)

Not by a factor or three of four.

Donald Trump

00:13:30 - 00:13:30 (0 sec)

Mark Halperin

00:13:30 - 00:13:31 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:13:31 - 00:13:32 (1 sec)

Was anybody -- OK.

Mark Halperin

00:13:32 - 00:13:36 (4 sec)

There were as many cameras at the Bush announcement on Monday. There were.

Donald Trump

00:13:36 - 00:13:37 (1 sec)

We had many more.

Mark Halperin

00:13:37 - 00:13:39 (2 sec)

No. You didn't have many more.

Donald Trump

00:13:39 - 00:13:40 (1 sec)

No, I'll tell you --

Mark Halperin

00:13:40 - 00:13:44 (4 sec)

How do you know how many cameras were at the Bush announcement?

Donald Trump

00:13:44 - 00:13:50 (6 sec)

Because the people who do it told me. They said we had many more. But here's the point. The point is very simple.

Donald Trump

00:13:50 - 00:14:03 (13 sec)

This -- somebody said to me yesterday, Mr. Trump, do you think you have the personality? You're not a nice person. Do you think you have the personality to win? I said, actually, I am a nice person. I have great relationships, I have great friendships, I have great everything.

Donald Trump

00:14:03 - 00:14:15 (12 sec)

I am. But I'll tell you what, it doesn't matter, because this is going to be an election, in my opinion, that's based on competence. Because people are tired of being patsies for China, for Mexico, et cetera.

Joe Scarborough

00:14:15 - 00:14:17 (2 sec)

All right, so Mark, you tried to humanize him. Now I'm going to try.

Donald Trump

00:14:17 - 00:14:17 (0 sec)

Mark Halperin

00:14:17 - 00:14:18 (1 sec)

Joe Scarborough

00:14:18 - 00:14:23 (5 sec)

It didn't work. So this is what -- so for people who don't like you from a distance, and there are many --

Mika Brzezinski

00:14:23 - 00:14:24 (1 sec)

And you don't know what that feels like. [Crosstalk]

Joe Scarborough

00:14:24 - 00:14:25 (1 sec)

Donald Trump

00:14:25 - 00:14:27 (2 sec)

Joe, and many people who do.

Joe Scarborough

00:14:27 - 00:14:29 (2 sec)

But let me finish. It's building up to something here.

Donald Trump

00:14:29 - 00:14:30 (1 sec)

It sounds good.

Joe Scarborough

00:14:30 - 00:14:42 (12 sec)

Then they meet your children. And they do a 180. And they will all say, all across New York, I know you have heard it too. They say, you know what? He gets on TV and he's like a blowhard and he's like all this and all that, and then you meet his children, who are humble and kind and sweet.

Mark Halperin

00:14:42 - 00:14:43 (1 sec)

And accomplished.

Joe Scarborough

00:14:43 - 00:15:01 (18 sec)

And giving, and accomplished, and they're working with their dad hard around the clock. And then they go, all right, I don't know what he's got, but he's got something because he's a hell of a father. Talk about that. Talk about, I mean, that must be, at the end of the day, you talk about a lot of different things. [Inaudible]. But at the end of the day, your two greatest accomplishments -- with the help of their mother, as you always say -- are your children.

Donald Trump

00:15:01 - 00:15:17 (16 sec)

Right, I have smart children, good children. I'll give you an example. Yesterday, Ivanka got up, and in front of a tremendous throng of reporters and cameras and killers, some good, some bad, mostly good, really good response. I said, would you do me a favor? Would you introduce me, a couple weeks ago.

Donald Trump

00:15:17 - 00:15:30 (13 sec)

She said, Daddy, I would love to do it. Now, Ivanka went to Wharton; she was a phenomenal student. She was a very successful model and then she just gave it up cold turkey. She went to the Wharton School of Finance; she was a phenomenal student and does great.

Donald Trump

00:15:30 - 00:15:39 (9 sec)

And she's a great kid. She got up in front of that throng yesterday, which was crazy, and she delivered the most beautiful five-minute little talk on her father. It was great to watch it. It was really great.

Donald Trump

00:15:39 - 00:15:48 (9 sec)

And I said, there aren't many young women her age that could even think about doing that. I was very proud of her because that was not easy to get up and do it. And she did it flawlessly. There was no stuttering, there was no mistakes.

Donald Trump

00:15:48 - 00:15:54 (6 sec)

Other than the good things she said about me, of course. She said great things about me. But she's terrific. I have terrific children and they're doing very well in the business.

Donald Trump

00:15:54 - 00:15:57 (3 sec)

And I'm lucky. I mean, I'm very lucky. I was tough with them.

Joe Scarborough

00:15:57 - 00:16:11 (14 sec)

I was going to ask you, how did you keep them balanced? Because, unfortunately, we have seen these documentaries of kids of billionaires and they end up on drugs and they end up in rehab and they end up, a lot of them, dead. And they end up lost and wandering around for the rest of their lives. What did you do?

Donald Trump

00:16:11 - 00:16:23 (12 sec)

I always tell me children -- I drive them crazy -- no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. Before they could speak. Like when they're 2. I take Ivanka, Don, Eric, now Barron, I have Barron, he's doing really nicely.

Donald Trump

00:16:23 - 00:16:29 (6 sec)

He's a good boy. He's tall and he just turned 9. He's 5'5. Can you believe it? He just turned 9.

Donald Trump

00:16:29 - 00:16:44 (15 sec)

I hope he's not 7 feet. I mean And I tell them, no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes. I usually say no tattoos, too. But if you look at society, I think we have given up on that, right? But I say no drugs, no alcohol, no cigarettes.

Donald Trump

00:16:44 - 00:17:03 (19 sec)

And I remember Ivanka, she said, Dad, you're driving me crazy. And she didn't even know what drugs and alcohol was. And from a time there, right, because I have seen, Joe, friends of mine that are very successful people and they have kids that are very smart kids. They go to Harvard, they go to Wharton, they go to Stanford, they get on drugs, they get on alcohol, they're wiped out.

Mark Halperin

00:17:03 - 00:17:04 (1 sec)

No alcohol ever, not a glass of wine?

Donald Trump

00:17:04 - 00:17:15 (11 sec)

I've never -- you know, I own the largest winery on the East Coast, in Virginia. The Kluge Estate, I bought it. Bought it out of bankruptcy, good deal. I make good deals. They were in for $178 million, I bought for $60 [Inaudible]. [Crosstalk]

Joe Scarborough

00:17:15 - 00:17:16 (1 sec)

All right, so anyway. Back to your point.

Donald Trump

00:17:16 - 00:17:22 (6 sec)

But the point is, I just think -- first of all, you know, you're born smart, you're born not smart, whether we like it or not.

Joe Scarborough

00:17:22 - 00:17:24 (2 sec)

Finish that story. So what were you going to say about alcohol?

Donald Trump

00:17:24 - 00:17:33 (9 sec)

So I've seen people that have very smart children. When they go bad on drugs or alcohol, and I add cigarettes in there. But when they go bad, these kids are wiped out. Doesn't matter how smart.

Donald Trump

00:17:33 - 00:17:54 (21 sec)

The world is so competitive that you can't lose that extra percentage. And I've seen children that were really, really brilliant kids, top students, top scores in tests, top -- they get into drugs, they get in -- So I really think that the drugs, you've got to stop them. It's one of the things I do, because a lot of people do say how did you do so well with your children? How's that possible that you'd do so well with your children? And I do get a lot of credit from my children. They're very good children.

Donald Trump

00:17:54 - 00:18:02 (8 sec)

You know, now if I could find some wood, I'd start knocking on wood, because who knows. But they're great children. But I've really been --

Joe Scarborough

00:18:02 - 00:18:04 (2 sec)

By the way, he sounds like your dad there. Who knows?

Mika Brzezinski

00:18:04 - 00:18:04 (0 sec)

Joe Scarborough

00:18:04 - 00:18:13 (9 sec)

Every time you get all about, every time say something good about your kids, you knock on wood. And then I cross myself even though I'm a Baptist.

Donald Trump

00:18:13 - 00:18:16 (3 sec)

That's right, because you don't know. Then you get a phone call, and you say oops.

Joe Scarborough

00:18:16 - 00:18:23 (7 sec)

Yes, exactly. You never know. [Crosstalk] And, by the way, we all get that phone call. [End Video]

Mika Brzezinski

00:18:23 - 00:18:37 (14 sec)

Up next, the conclusion of our interview with Donald Trump, where he tells us whether or not he can do The Apprentice" from the Oval Office. Keep it right here on Morning Joe. [Break] Welcome back now to the conclusion of our wide ranging interview with Donald Trump where he told us --

Joe Scarborough

00:18:37 - 00:18:40 (3 sec)

This is like epic. It's kind of like North and South"

Mika Brzezinski

00:18:40 - 00:18:42 (2 sec)

It's kind of fascinating in his own way --

Joe Scarborough

00:18:42 - 00:18:43 (1 sec)

It is remarkable.

Mika Brzezinski

00:18:43 - 00:18:51 (8 sec)

'-- where he told us what kind of vacations he would take as president, and to answer the burning question, what's going to happen to The Apprentice". [Begin Video]

Mike Barnicle

00:18:51 - 00:19:03 (12 sec)

Donald, let me ask you, following you, listening to you, can be exhausting, because you do it from one topic to another, and you know, at high speed. Do you ever stop and just reflect on things? And what do you reflect on if you do stop and slow down upstairs?

Donald Trump

00:19:03 - 00:19:07 (4 sec)

Well, Mike, you know, I love what I do. And you can see that. But I love what I do. I'm having fun doing it.

Donald Trump

00:19:07 - 00:19:13 (6 sec)

Now I'm doing this. I mean, I gave up a lot to do this. I'm not -- you know these politicians, they run, they lose, they win. They just run.

Donald Trump

00:19:13 - 00:19:20 (7 sec)

That's what they do. I give up a lot. I give up hundreds of millions of dollars of deals. I give up a major television show.

Donald Trump

00:19:20 - 00:19:31 (11 sec)

It's not like a normal thing. You've got to love what you do. I like it so much, I don't really need a lot of down time. But when I have down time -- and when I have down time, I have the greatest resorts in the world.

Donald Trump

00:19:31 - 00:19:44 (13 sec)

So I'll go to Turnberry in Scotland, I'll go to Doral in Miami. I only go to my places because they're better. But I do have down time. Joe knows I have down time, Mika knows I have.

Mika Brzezinski

00:19:44 - 00:19:47 (3 sec)

So The Apprentice is not going to happen?

Donald Trump

00:19:47 - 00:20:00 (13 sec)

So The Apprentice" has been renewed. NBC loves Donald Trump Then I said, well, what about Ivanka? I think she would be great. But they said, no, no. They renewed The Apprentice.

Donald Trump

00:20:00 - 00:20:08 (8 sec)

Mark Burnett said you're the only guy I have ever seen that didn't take a big renewal. They want to do a big renewal. I'm not doing it because I'm doing this. We'll see what happens, Mika.

Donald Trump

00:20:08 - 00:20:20 (12 sec)

I mean, if I -- I want to do well. But I'm not a masochist. You know, I have always heard that a very successful person cannot run for a political office. I've always heard that.

Donald Trump

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

Maybe it's going to be true. I'm going to find out.

Mika Brzezinski

00:20:23 - 00:20:28 (5 sec)

Strategic advice for you for you: Do not call people losers. Say they have lack of command on the issues. Something like that, OK?

Donald Trump

00:20:28 - 00:20:29 (1 sec)

That takes too long. [Laughter]

Mark Halperin

00:20:29 - 00:20:32 (3 sec)

Could you do The Apprentice" as president?

Donald Trump

00:20:32 - 00:20:34 (2 sec)

Well, you can't. You see, the problem is --

Mark Halperin

00:20:34 - 00:20:36 (2 sec)

You can't as a candidate, but --

Donald Trump

00:20:36 - 00:20:39 (3 sec)

You're not allowed to do it because of the equal time rule.

Mark Halperin

00:20:39 - 00:20:43 (4 sec)

Yeah, but what about as president?

Joe Scarborough

00:20:43 - 00:20:45 (2 sec)

You could as president.

Mark Halperin

00:20:45 - 00:20:54 (9 sec)

I don't know. I wouldn't, honestly, as president, this country -- I wouldn't be thinking about Apprentice.

Mika Brzezinski

00:20:54 - 00:20:58 (4 sec)

All right, Donald Trump, it's good to have you in.

Donald Trump

00:20:58 - 00:21:00 (2 sec)

Good to have you. Thank you.

Mika Brzezinski

00:21:00 - 00:21:10 (10 sec)

Very good to see you again. Thank you very much. Congratulations on officially jumping in this time. This is it. We'll be right back with much more of Morning Joe. [End Video]