1 00:00:00,0 --> 00:00:07,539 HOUSE THIS MORNING. SAVANNAH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT'S 7 AFTER THE HOUR. 2 00:00:07,540 --> 00:00:07,942 MEREDITH? THE NEW NBC WALL STREET NEWS POLL SHOWS A SURPRISING SURGE 3 00:00:07,944 --> 00:00:12,849 FOR ONE REPUBLICAN CANNED DATED, AND IT IS A NAME YOU WILL RECOGNIZE. 4 00:00:12,851 --> 00:00:20,414 DONALD TRUMP IS IN A TIE FOR SECOND ALONG WITH MIKE HUCKABEE AND MITT ROMNEY. 5 00:00:20,416 --> 00:00:26,792 MITT ROMNEY LEADS. ON MONDAY WE SAT DOWN WITH HIM FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW, AND 6 00:00:26,794 --> 00:00:31,654 I BEGAN BY ASKING TRUMP ABOUT HIS POTENTIAL RUN. THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. 7 00:00:31,656 --> 00:00:36,275 I ALWAYS TAKE THINGS SERIOUSLY, BUT I'VE NEVER TAKEN IT SERIOUSLY LIKE THIS. 8 00:00:36,277 --> 00:00:41,583 THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS TIME IN MY LIFE. I HATE WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE 9 00:00:41,585 --> 00:00:44,974 COUNTRY. I WISH I DIDN'T HAVE TO DO IT. I WISH THIS COUNTRY WAS RUNNING 10 00:00:44,976 --> 00:00:50,771 SO GREAT, AND I WISH OBAMA WAS THE GREATEST PRESIDENT SINCE ABRAHAM LINCOLN, AND I WISH THIS 11 00:00:50,773 --> 00:00:54,980 WAS THE GREATEST PLACE IN THE WORLD. WHAT WE'RE DOING IS 12 00:00:54,982 --> 00:00:58,800 UNBELIEVABLE. IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON WHERE OUR JOBS ARE DISAPPEARING 13 00:00:58,802 --> 00:01:04,862 TO FOREIGN COUNTRIES, WHERE THE OIL -- YOU'RE GOING TO BE PAYING 7 OR $8 A GALLON FOR YOUR OIL 14 00:01:04,864 --> 00:01:06,856 VERY SOON. DO YOU BLAME ALL OF THIS ON BARACK OBAMA? 15 00:01:06,858 --> 00:01:11,24 I BLAME ALL OF IT. IT'S BEEN A TERRIBLE PRESIDENCY. LOOK AT LIBYA. 16 00:01:11,26 --> 00:01:18,529 WE GO IN, WE DON'TME WANT TO REMOVE GADHAFI, BUT WE WANT TO FIGHT, WE WANT TO DO THIS. 17 00:01:18,531 --> 00:01:19,625 NOW NOBODY KNOWS WHAT'S HAPPENING. GADHAFI IS GOING TO BEAT THE 18 00:01:19,627 --> 00:01:23,143 UNITED STATES? WOULD YOU SAY, LET'S GET AGGRESSIVE. 19 00:01:23,145 --> 00:01:26,275 LET'S PUT BOOTS ON THE GROUND IF WE HAVE TO. I'M ONLY INTERESTED IN LIBYA 20 00:01:26,277 --> 00:01:30,152 IF WE KEEP THE OIL. IF WE DON'T KEEP THE OIL, I'M NOT INTERESTED. 21 00:01:30,154 --> 00:01:34,825 THEY MAKE THE REBELS SOME ROMANTIC NOVEL. I HEAR THE REBELS ARE AL-QAEDA. 22 00:01:34,827 --> 00:01:40,323 I HEAR THEY'RE IRAN-BACKED AND IRAN INFLUENCED. WHERE ARE THEY GETTING THOSE 23 00:01:40,325 --> 00:01:44,110 WEAPONS? FROM IRAN? GADHAFI WENT AROUND SAYING HE 24 00:01:44,112 --> 00:01:48,76 WON THE WAR AGAINST THIS COUNTRY. I'M ONLY INTERESTED IN LIBYA IF 25 00:01:48,78 --> 00:01:55,702 WE GET THE OIL. SO EVERYBODY WORNDS WHAT TNDE OBAMA DOCTRINE IS. 26 00:01:55,704 --> 00:01:57,570 HE DOESN'T HAVE A DOCTRINE. WHAT WOULD YOUR DOCTRINE BE? WITH RESPECT TO WHAT? 27 00:01:57,572 --> 00:02:02,560 FOREIGN AFFAIRS. FOREIGN AFFAIRS IS WE TAKE CARE OF OURSELVES FIRST. 28 00:02:02,562 --> 00:02:03,736 WE DON'T BUILD SCHOOLS IN AFGHANISTAN. WE GO TO AFGHANISTAN, WE BUILD A 29 00:02:03,738 --> 00:02:09,9 ROAD, WE BUILD A SCHOOL. TWO DAYS LATER, THEY BLOW UP THE ROAD, THEY BLOW UP THE SCHOOL, 30 00:02:09,11 --> 00:02:12,513 WE START BUILDING THE ROAD AND THE SCHOOL AGAIN. IN THE MEANTIME, WE CAN'T BUILD 31 00:02:12,514 --> 00:02:17,884 SCHOOLS IN ALABAMA, IN NEW ORLEANS, IN TEXAS, IN NEW YORK -- IN MY PLACE WE'RE ALWAYS 32 00:02:17,886 --> 00:02:21,755 FIGHTING TO GET SCHOOL MONEY -- WE'RE SPENDING TRILLIONS AND TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS. 33 00:02:21,757 --> 00:02:27,860 MY THING AND MY DOCTRINE WOULD BE BUILD, BUILD, BUILD. SOME POSITIVE NEWS FOR YOU, 34 00:02:27,862 --> 00:02:36,235 THIS NEW POLL -- NBC NEWS WALL STREET JOURNAL POLL SHOWS YOU SURGING TO SECOND PLACE FOR 35 00:02:36,237 --> 00:02:39,606 POTENTIAL CANDIDATES FOR 2012. WHY DO YOU THINK YOU'RE CONNECTING WITH VOTERS? 36 00:02:39,608 --> 00:02:45,546 I THINK I CONNECT WITH PEOPLE BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO BE SMART, I HAPPEN TO HAVE A LOT OF COMMON 37 00:02:45,548 --> 00:02:52,686 SENSE, I HAPPEN TO KNOW WHAT I'M DOING, I BUILT A GREAT COMPANY, AND BY THE WAY, IF I RUN, I LOOK 38 00:02:52,688 --> 00:02:57,457 SO FORWARD TO FILING A DECLARATI DECLARATION, BECAUSE IT'S A 39 00:02:57,458 --> 00:03:00,160 GREAT COMPANY. I BUILT A GREAT COMPANY. AND I'LL MAKE THAT DECISION 40 00:03:00,162 --> 00:03:02,895 SOMETIME PRIOR TO JUNE. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? 41 00:03:02,897 --> 00:03:14,141 WELL, I HATE TO SAY IT, I HAVE THE NUMBER ONE SHOW IN NBC. "THE APPRENTICE" IS DOING GREAT, 42 00:03:14,143 --> 00:03:17,843 "THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE." WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH IT? 43 00:03:17,845 --> 00:03:22,783 IT SOUNDS SO TRIVIAL, AND I HATE TO BRING IT UP, BUT YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO HAVE A SHOW ON 44 00:03:22,785 --> 00:03:28,955 AND BE A DECLARED CANDIDATE. IT'S A GREAT SHOW, AND IT'S GOT PHENOMENAL RATINGS, AND UNTIL 45 00:03:28,957 --> 00:03:33,93 THAT SHOW IS OVER, I CAN'T DECLARE, BECAUSE OTHERWISE NBC WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE SHOW OFF 46 00:03:33,95 --> 00:03:37,697 THE AIR, AND I THINK THAT WOULD BE VERY UNFAIR TO NBC. RECENTLY, YOU SPENT A LOT OF 47 00:03:37,699 --> 00:03:46,106 TIME TALKING ABOUT PRESIDENT OBAMA'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE OR LACK THEREOF. 48 00:03:46,108 --> 00:03:53,885 YOU DON'T SEEM CONVINCED THAT HE HAS ONE. NO, I'M NOT CONVINCED HE HAS 49 00:03:53,887 --> 00:04:00,659 ONE. I'VE HAD SMART PEOPLE SAY, DONALD, STAY ON THE CHINA ISSUE, 50 00:04:00,661 --> 00:04:03,156 STAY ON THE OTHER ISSUES, GET OFF THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE ISSUE. WHY DON'T YOU? 51 00:04:03,158 --> 00:04:07,627 BECAUSE THREE WEEKS AGO WHEN I STARTED, I THOUGHT HE WAS PROBABLY BORN IN THIS COUNTRY, 52 00:04:07,629 --> 00:04:27,432 AND NOW I HAVE A MUCH BIGGER DOUBT THAN I HAD BEFORE. HIS GRANDMOTHER IN KENYA SAID HE 53 00:04:27,434 --> 00:04:31,134 WAS BORN IN KENYA, AND SHE WAS THERE AND WITNESSED THE BIRTH, OKAY? 54 00:04:31,136 --> 00:04:34,9 HE DOESN'T HAVE A BIRTH AS THE RESULT OR HE HASN'T SHOWN IT. HE HAS WHAT'S CALLED A 55 00:04:34,11 --> 00:04:35,898 CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH. THAT IS SOMETHING THAT'S EASY TO GET. 56 00:04:35,900 --> 00:04:38,925 WHEN YOU WANT A BIRTH CERTIFICATE, IT VERY HARD TO GET. 57 00:04:38,928 --> 00:04:42,634 BUT IN THE STATE OF HAWAII, THEY SAID THEY HAVE SEEN THIS DOCUMENT, IT'S EVIDENT HE WAS 58 00:04:42,636 --> 00:04:43,619 BORN IN THE UNITED STATES, THAT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM. A BIRTH CERTIFICATE IS NOT 59 00:04:43,621 --> 00:04:48,464 EVEN CLOSE. A CERTIFICATE OF LIVE BIRTH IS NOT EVEN SIGNED BY ANYBODY. 60 00:04:48,466 --> 00:04:56,951 I READ IT VERY CAREFULLY. IT DOESN'T HAVE A SERIAL NUMBER, IT DOESN'T HAVE A SIGNATURE. 61 00:04:56,953 --> 00:05:03,586 YOU BELIEVE HE'S LYING? DO YOU BELIEVE HE'S LYING, DONALD? 62 00:05:03,588 --> 00:05:08,535 JUST ANSWER. MEREDITH, HE SPENT $2 MILLION IN LEGAL FEES TRYING TO GET AWAY 63 00:05:08,537 --> 00:05:10,315 FROM THIS ISSUE, AND IF HE WEREN'T LYING, WHY WOULDN'T HE JUST SOLVE IT? 64 00:05:10,317 --> 00:05:16,304 I WISH HE WOULD, BECAUSE IF HE DOESN' DOESN'T, IT'S ONE OF THE 65 00:05:16,306 --> 00:05:17,412 GREATEST SCAMS IN HISTORY, PERIOD. YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO BE 66 00:05:17,414 --> 00:05:20,656 PRESIDENT IF YOU'RE NOT BORN IN THIS COUNTRY. THREE WEEKS AGO, I THOUGHT HE 67 00:05:20,658 --> 00:05:25,569 WAS BORN IN THIS COUNTRY. I HAVE SOME REAL DOUBTS. I HAVE PEOPLE STUDYING IT, AND 68 00:05:25,571 --> 00:05:29,482 THEY CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE FINDING. YOU HAVE PEOPLE SEARCHING IN 69 00:05:29,484 --> 00:05:34,358 HAWAII? ABSOLUTELY, AND THI CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY'RE FINDING. 70 00:05:34,360 --> 00:05:36,148 I WOULD LIKE HIM TO SHOW HIS BIRTH CERTIFICATE. TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I HOPE HE 71 00:05:36,151 --> 00:05:40,687 CAN. IF HE CAN'T, AND HE WASN'T BORN IN THIS COUNTRY -- WHICH IS A 72 00:05:40,689 --> 00:05:43,989 REAL POSSIBILITY. I'M SAYING IT'S A REAL POSSIBILITY, MUCH GREATER THAN I 73 00:05:43,992 --> 00:05:49,96 THOUGHT TWO OR THREE WEEKS AGO, THEN HE HAS PULLED ONE OF THE GREATEST CONS IN THE HISTORY OF 74 00:05:49,98 --> 00:05:56,942 POLITICS. AND BEYOND POLITICS. DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A 75 00:05:56,945 --> 00:06:07,331 TEA PARTIER? I THINK SO. I'M VERY PROUD OF SOME OF THE 76 00:06:07,333 --> 00:06:13,229 IDEAS THEY PUT FORTH, AND THE BIG IDEA IS THEY WANT TO STOP THIS RIDICULOUS ABSOLUTELY 77 00:06:13,231 --> 00:06:14,350 KILLER SPENDING GOING ON. WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY, THE WAY WE'RE SPENDING MONEY 78 00:06:14,352 --> 00:06:17,678 LIKE DRUNKEN SAILORS, WE ARE ABSOLUTELY JUST -- ULTIMATELY BEER GOING TO DESTROY OUR OWN 79 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:19,291 FREEDOM. BUT THEY WANT TO STOP IT EVEN AT THE COST OF SHUTTING DOWN THE 80 00:06:19,294 --> 00:06:21,428 GOVERNMENT. THAT'S A POSSIBILITY. ARE YOU IN FAVOR OF THAT? 81 00:06:21,430 --> 00:06:25,799 EXCUSE ME, IT'S NOT REALLY SHUTTING DOWN THE GOVERNMENT, IT'S CUTTING COSTS. 82 00:06:25,801 --> 00:06:33,273 THE KIND OF MONEY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT IS PEANUTS. AND I THINK THE TEA PARTY HAS 83 00:06:33,275 --> 00:06:38,511 DONE AN AMAZING SERVICE TO THIS COUNTRY BECAUSE PEOPLE NOW, EVEN VERY LIBERAL DEMOCRATS, ARE 84 00:06:38,514 --> 00:06:43,450 STARTING TO THINK FOR THE FIRST TIME, WELL, MAYBE WE CAN'T JUST KEEP GIVING EVERYTHING AWAY. 85 00:06:43,452 --> 00:06:47,821 SO I THINK THEY PERFORMED A GREAT SERVICE. SO IF THERE WAS A PARTIAL 86 00:06:47,823 --> 00:06:49,989 SHUTDOWN OF THE GOVERNMENT COME FRIDAY, THAT WOULD BE OKAY WITH YOU? 87 00:06:49,992 --> 00:06:53,359 I HEAR THE DEMOCRATS ARE GOING TO BE BLAMED AND THE REPUBLICANS ARE GOING TO BE 88 00:06:53,361 --> 00:06:55,695 BLAMED. I ACTUALLY THINK THE PRESIDENT WOULD BE BLAMED. 89 00:06:55,697 --> 00:07:01,501 IF THERE IS A SHUTDOWN, AND IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A HORRIBLE SHUTDOWN, BECAUSE AS YOU KNOW, 90 00:07:01,503 --> 00:07:07,273 THINGS WILL KEEP GOING. A PARTIAL SHUTDOWN, FINE. IF THERE IS A SHUTDOWN, I 91 00:07:07,276 --> 00:07:10,10 THINK IT WOULD BE A TREMENDOUSLY NEGATIVE MARK ON THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES. 92 00:07:10,12 --> 00:07:16,649 HE'S THE ONE THAT HAS TO GET PEOPLE TOGETHER. I'VE DONE HUNDREDS OF DEALS AND 93 00:07:16,652 --> 00:07:21,621 TRANSACTIONS. HE'S NEVER DONE DEALS BEFORE. HOW DO YOU EXPECT A MAN WHO IS 94 00:07:21,623 --> 00:07:26,660 NOT A DEAL MAN, NEVER DID A DEAL -- OTHER THAN BECOMING PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 95 00:07:26,662 --> 00:07:34,667 STATES -- HOW IS HE GOING TO CORRAL ALL THESE PEOPLE? HOW WOULD YOU DO IT? 96 00:07:34,670 --> 00:07:39,406 I WOULD GET ALL THE PEOPLE TOGETHER AND -- THEY ALREADY HAVE ALL THE 97 00:07:39,408 --> 00:07:42,675 PEOPLE TOGETHER. BUT THEY DON'T HAVE A LEADER. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED 98 00:07:42,678 --> 00:07:49,82 STATES NEEDS TO GET THIS DONE. AND I THINK HE PROBABLY WILL. I DON'T SAY HE, BUT I THINK HE 99 00:07:49,84 --> 00:07:53,252 AND THE GROUP PROBABLY WILL GET IT DONE, BUT IT'S PRETTY SAD BECAUSE THE WHOLE WORLD IS 100 00:07:53,255 --> 00:07:57,356 LOOKING AT US AND LAUGHING AT US. YOU'VE CRITICIZED OBAMA QUITE 101 00:07:57,359 --> 00:08:02,729 A BIT IN THIS INTERVIEW AND IN THE PAST. WHAT DO YOU THINK HE HAS DONE 102 00:08:02,731 --> 00:08:09,468 WELL? GET ELECTED. I THINK 103 00:08:09,471 --> 00:08:14,441 I THINK OBAMA CARE IS A TOTAL DISASTER. I THINK THE THING THAT HE DID 104 00:08:14,443 --> 00:08:17,843 BEST, BEST OF ALL IS GET ELECTED. HE GOT ELECTED. 105 00:08:17,846 --> 00:08:24,216 HE RAN AN UNBELIEVABLE CAMPAIGN. I WANT HIM TO DO WELL. IF I HAD MY CHOICE OF HAVING 106 00:08:24,218 --> 00:08:30,656 OBAMA DO GREAT AS A PRESIDENT AND DO A REALLY GREAT JOB FOR THIS COUNTRY AND NOT RUNNING AS 107 00:08:30,658 --> 00:08:34,828 OPPOSED TO RUNNING, I'D PREFER THAT HE DID A GREAT JOB. I LOVE THIS COUNTRY. 108 00:08:34,830 --> 00:08:41,268 BUT THIS COUNTRY IS GOING TO HELL. I WOULD RUN A GREAT, GREAT 109 00:08:41,270 --> 00:08:43,369 COUNTRY. THIS COUNTRY WILL BE GREAT AGAIN. 110 00:08:43,372 --> 00:08:48,942 IT IS NOT GREAT RIGHT NOW. WE HAVE HUGE DEFICITS, HUGE UNEMPLOYMENT, HUGE PROBLEM, AND 111 00:08:48,944 --> 00:08:52,278 WE'RE NOT RESPECTED. WE'RE NOT RESPECTED IN THE WORLD. 112 00:08:52,281 --> 00:08:58,117 THE WORLD LAUGHS AT US. THEY WON'T BE LAUGHING IF I'M PRESIDENT. 113 00:08:58,119 --> 00:09:04,690 HE'S CERTAINLY NOT A SHRINKING VIOLET. HOW MUCH TAPE DID YOU HAVE 114 00:09:04,692 --> 00:09:08,562 BECAUSE THERE'S MORE. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE. AND THAT'S COMING UP LATER, 115 00:09:08,564 --> 00:09:10,796 RIGHT? THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE, YEAH. 116 00:09:10,799 --> 00:09:14,166 HE'S -- YOU KNOW, I THINK HE IS SERIOUS. NOW, HE'S GOT A COUPLE OF MONTHS 117 00:09:14,169 --> 00:09:18,737 TO THINK ABOUT THIS, PONDER THIS A LITTLE MORE, BUT I THINK HE'S TAKING IT VERY SERIOUSLY. 118 00:09:18,739 --> 00:09:23,843 AND HE'S SERIOUS ABOUT HAVING PEOPLE DOWN IN HAWAII RIGHT NOW. THAT'S WHAT HE CLAIMS. 119 00:09:23,845 --> 00:09:28,213 HE CLAIMS THERE ARE PEOPLE THERE THAT ARE INVESTIGATING IT, AND IT WILL BE INTERESTING TO SEE 120 00:09:28,216 --> 00:09:35,221 WHAT THEY COME UP WITH. I USED THE WORD DETECTIVE. HE DIDN'T DISCOUNT THE WORD SO I 121 00:09:35,223 --> 00:09:38,257 WOULD ASSUME THAT'S WHO THEY ARE. WHAT WE WOULD LOVE TO SEE IS 122 00:09:38,260 --> 00:09:40,627 DONALD COME BACK AND SHOW THE EVIDENCE. EXACTLY RIGHT.