Transcript - Interview: Lawrence Smith of WDRB Louisville Interviews Donald Trump - August 21, 2019 | Factba.se

Lawrence Smith

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

Mr. President, Louisville's mayor sent you a letter urging action on gun control. Senator McConnell also getting pressure in that regard, after the mass shootings. What are you prepared to support, in terms of gun control?

Donald Trump

00:00:11 - 00:00:27 (16 sec)

Well, we're doing background checks. We already have a lot of background checks. You know, we've done the FixNICS program and a lot of other things, but we're doing some loopholes and we're doing some changes, and I think it's going to be quite good. I think it'll be very popular with a lot of people. We always have to protect our Second Amendment.

Donald Trump

00:00:27 - 00:00:47 (20 sec)

Very importantly, we have to make sure that there's no slippery slope where they end up taking your protection away. We won't let that happen. And we're working very much with Mitch and everybody else on getting something done that's meaningful, but that really protects gun owners, because that's very important, because, you know, if you go along a certain path, you won't have any form of protection and you won't have your Second Amendment.

Donald Trump

00:00:47 - 00:01:04 (17 sec)

And with me, you're always going to have your Second Amendment. You have to remember -- and I think it's very important to say -- the gun doesn't pull the trigger. You know that. It's the person that pulls the trigger, and we have a tremendous mental health problem, and we're going to be working on that as well.

Lawrence Smith

00:01:04 - 00:01:13 (9 sec)

You're about to talk to a bunch of veterans. I talked to several yesterday, and their big concern is health care for veterans -- access and quality. What are you prepared to tell them about that?

Donald Trump

00:01:13 - 00:01:29 (16 sec)

Well, we've done a lot for the vets, especially with choice. You know, before I came, you didn't have Veterans Choice. Now you have Veterans Choice, which nobody in their wildest dream really thought -- they've been trying to get it for 44 years, and I got it for the veterans. So, the veterans are liking me a lot and I like them.

Donald Trump

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

So, now if they have to wait on a line -- you know, they were waiting three, four, five weeks to see a doctor. Now, if there's a wait, they go out, they see a doctor, we pay for the cost of it. And, it's the least important thing, but frankly, we save money, and we take care of our vets, and that's a good combination.

Lawrence Smith

00:01:44 - 00:01:49 (5 sec)

You're here, of course, also, to support Governor Matt Bevin. Does he need your support to win next fall?

Donald Trump

00:01:49 - 00:02:07 (18 sec)

Well, I don't know, but he's been a terrific governor. He's really done a good job. In fact, he's done such a good job that some people weren't happy. He had to straighten out the pensions or the state was going to have a lot of problems, and he really has worked very hard. He loves the state, as I do, and he asked me to come, and I'm coming for him, in his honor.

Lawrence Smith

00:02:07 - 00:02:08 (1 sec)

You'll return again in the future for a larger rally --

Donald Trump

00:02:08 - 00:02:31 (23 sec)

I think -- well, I'll be in Kentucky a lot, including for Mitch. You have a great gentleman in Mitch McConnell. I mean, he's done more for the court system -- you look at what's happening. We'll have 150 federal judges appointed, approved, all through the Senate. We'll have 150 within a couple of weeks, and we'll end up with 179 before we start going again, and nobody thought this was possible.

Donald Trump

00:02:31 - 00:02:37 (6 sec)

And of course, two great Supreme Court judges, and Mitch McConnell and I worked very hard.

Lawrence Smith

00:02:37 - 00:02:49 (12 sec)

You're very popular in Kentucky. You didn't win Louisville, though. What do you do to appeal to urban voters -- to get them to take a look at you and your policies and -- [Inaudible] some of the ways they view you, which you know?

Donald Trump

00:02:49 - 00:03:09 (20 sec)

Well, I used to bat with a Louisville Slugger. [Laughter] No bat like it. So, I used to use a Louisville Slugger, so maybe they know that and they -- they feel differently. I think that we're doing very well in Kentucky. I mean, I'm many, many points up and, you know, really at the top of the heap in that sense, and I love the people of Kentucky, and I think we're going to do very well.

Donald Trump

00:03:09 - 00:03:20 (12 sec)

I think, just generally speaking, that's why I'm here. I mean, Matt asked me to come and see if we could help him out, and he's in a very tight race, but I think it's a race he's going to win, because he's really been a great governor.

Lawrence Smith

00:03:20 - 00:03:23 (3 sec)

What do you say to appeal to African-Americans, who look at you skeptically, frankly?

Donald Trump

00:03:23 - 00:03:43 (20 sec)

Well, I think with the African-Americans, our poll numbers have been very good. We have the best job rating we've ever had,in terms of unemployment numbers. The unemployment for African-Americans are the lowest they've ever been in the history of our country, and if you look at jobs, we have 160 -- almost 160 million jobs for the country, the highest number we've ever had.

Donald Trump

00:03:43 - 00:04:00 (17 sec)

So -- also, criminal justice reform. I got that done. Nobody thought it could be done. I'm the one who got that done. You know, with all the talk you hear about other people, and other people that are going to do it, I'm the one that gone criminal justice reform done, and opportunity zones -- I got that done with Tim Scott -- very largely with Tim.

Donald Trump

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

Tim is a fantastic man, who is, as you know, a senator with South Carolina, and we worked on that very hard, and opportunity zones have been incredible, and African American folks just think it's incredible, what's happened. But, lowest unemployment number in history for African Americans.

Lawrence Smith

00:04:19 - 00:04:23 (5 sec)

Your final word -- message -- to the people of Louisville and Kentucky as you come to our state again.

Donald Trump

00:04:23 - 00:04:41 (18 sec)

Well, it's a state I love. It's a state I won -- very... by a lot. I mean, not by a little bit, but by many, many, many points, as you know, and far beyond the relationship just to Republicans and Kentucky. It's a special place. I have so many friends here and I, you know, I expect to do very well in Kentucky.

Donald Trump

00:04:41 - 00:04:42 (1 sec)

Lawrence Smith

00:04:42 - 00:04:43 (1 sec)

One last question.

Donald Trump

00:04:43 - 00:04:43 (1 sec)

Lawrence Smith

00:04:43 - 00:04:46 (2 sec)

We have an opioid problem here as you know.

Donald Trump

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

Lawrence Smith

00:04:46 - 00:04:51 (5 sec)

What are you prepared to do to help with that serious addiction problem that many Kentuckians are suffering?

Donald Trump

00:04:51 - 00:05:08 (17 sec)

Right. We're spending billions of dollars. I have billions of dollars approved. And, as you know, we're down about 17 percent from what it was a year and a half ago, with the opioid, and opioid is a serious problem. One of the things we're doing is trying to come up -- and we're pretty close, I think -- to a painkiller with -- that's not addictive.

Donald Trump

00:05:08 - 00:05:26 (18 sec)

This opioid stuff is just horrible. You go to the hospital, you have a broken arm, you end up being a drug addict, you're addicted so quickly. So, we're working on -- through various things that we do, including grants of money. And I -- it's really at my direction. I want to come up with a painkiller that's not addictive, and we're very close.

Lawrence Smith

00:05:26 - 00:05:27 (0 sec)

Mr. President, thank you.

Donald Trump

00:05:27 - 00:05:27 (1 sec)

Thank you very much.

Lawrence Smith

00:05:27 - 00:05:28 (1 sec)

Nice talking to you again.

Donald Trump

00:05:28 - 00:05:29 (0 sec)

Great interview.

Lawrence Smith

00:05:29 - 00:05:30 (1 sec)

Enjoy your stay here.

Donald Trump

00:05:30 - 00:05:30 (1 sec)

Thank you very much.