White: Trump will be watching fight
Post press conference, White says unlikely President Trump will attend the fight, but he will be watching:
They called me yesterday and I don’t think they’re gonna come, but they’ll be watching… [President Trump] feels he’ll ruin the event if he shows up. The Secret Service is going to have to have to go through the place. They have to shut down streets and create crazy traffic.
Ryan: I’ve patched things up with Trump
In a teaser for an upcoming 60 Minutes interview, Ryan tells Pelley his relationship with Trump is good, and that they speak on the phone nearly every day. On whether he thought Trump would be nominated:
I didn’t see this one coming. He knows that. Donald Trump’s a very– he was a very unconventional candidate. He’s going to be an unconventional president. What I like about it, in my, like I said, almost daily conversations, is he’s just a get-things-done kinda guy.
On the separation of powers.
We’ve talked about that extensively. We’ve talked about– the Constitution, Article I on the Constitution, the separation of powers. He feels very strongly, actually, that– that, under President Obama’s watch, he stripped a lot of power away from the Constitution, away from the Legislative Branch of government. And we want to reset the balance of power, so that people and the Constitution are rightfully restored.
Meets NYT reporters, execs
In a interview with New York Times reporters and senior management, Trump says that the paper has treated him poorly.
I have great respect for The New York Times. I have tremendous respect. I think I’ve been treated very rough.
He also says he does not want to investigate Hillary Clinton:
I don’t want to hurt the Clintons, I really don’t. She went through a lot and suffered greatly in many different ways. [A prosecution] Is just not something that I feel very strongly about. I don’t think [Clinton Supporters] will be disappointed [with my presidency]. I think I will explain it that we, in many ways, will save our country.
He says he will “keep an open mind” about whether to pull the United States out of agreements on climate change. Trump also disavows his supporters in the alt-right movement, says he would have preferred to have been elected through a victory in the popular vote and reaffirms his commitment to the First Amendment. He also says he has different ideas on how to solve the Syria crisis than other people.
"Syria, we have to solve that problem," Trump says. Adds he has a "different view than everybody else."
— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016
Compares Trump to McGregor
Cerrone talks about meeting Trump at one of his rallies.
I was out hunting and Tim Kennedy called and said the Secret Service called and said ‘Trump wants to meet us, I need to clear you on a background check’, and I said ‘oh f-ck’..So we went down to the rally and got to bullshit with him…[Backstage] was crazy wild. It was cool just talking to Trump. He was talking about the UFC…It was cool to listen to his points. He’s not just like a racist bigot, y’know…I understand that’s what your aunt’s telling you when she’s drinking wine on a Saturday night, but that’s no really what’s happening. We have two options. Do we go with the indicted girl who’s full of shit, or do we go for the wild Conor McGregor Trump? For all those people out there listening – go vote!..I wish they could teach politics in school more, and gets kids more involved ‘cos it’s our generation that needs to take on things and get involved. I voted for Trump and I voted for pot. I really wanted to check out his toupee. But y’know [Trump] is trying to bring money to the middle class, which most of the guys that fight for the UFC and support the UFC. Trying to bring the tax bracket down to 15% for these guys.
Pope ‘has awfully big wall’
In an interview with CNN’s Cooper, Trump says the Pope’s comments were probably overblown by the media.
I didn’t think it was a good thing for him to say, frankly. I don’t like fighting with the Pope. I don’t think this is a fight…I think it was probably a little bit nicer statement than was reported by you folks in the media. Because after I read it, it was a little bit softer…I think that he heard one side of the story, which is probably by the Mexican government…But the bottom line is we’ve got to have a border, we’ve got to have security. We have tremendous illegal immigration in the country. He also talked about [how] having a wall is not Christian. And he’s got an awfully big wall at the Vatican, I will tell you.
Obama has done ‘a lousy job’
In Beaufort, SC, Trump responds to President Obama’s comments saying he will never be president.
He has done such a lousy job as president. You look at our budgets. You look at our spending. We can’t beat ISIS. Obamacare is terrible. We’re going to terminate it. We’re going to absolutely terminate and replace it. I mean you look at everything. Our borders are like Swiss cheese….You’re lucky I didn’t run last time when Romney ran because you would have been a one-term president.
Don Lemon interview
Trump is interviewed by Lemon on CNN about his plan to halt Muslim immigration, a possible third-party bid, and the effect the campaign has on him. He says that his plan would have exceptions for Muslim athletes and diplomats.
I am the least racist person that you have ever met…I’m doing good for the Muslims. Many Muslim friends of mine are in agreement with me. They say, ‘Donald, you brought something up to the fore that is so brilliant and so fantastic.’ I have many friends who are Muslims. They’re phenomenal people. They are so happy at what I’m doing. I love the Middle East. I love the people of the Middle East.
On a third party run:
I think it’s highly unlikely unless they break the pledge to me, because it’s a two-way street. They said they would be honorable. So far, they, I can’t tell you if they are, but the establishment is not exactly being very good to me. If they don’t treat me with a certain amount of decorum and respect. If they don’t treat me as the front-runner…If the playing field is not level, then certainly all options are open. But that’s nothing I want to do.
On comparisons with Hitler:
You know where things bother me? If things are true. If that were true, it would bother me tremendously. But of course if you were a racist you probably wouldn’t care. But if things are true, it would bother me. But if it’s so false, and honestly I don’t hear it often.
Chris Cuomo interview
Cuomo interviews Trump on CNN about his call for a ban on Muslim immigration. Cuomo:
You’re acting out of fear, not making us look strong, and rejecting what America is all about.
Trump:
You’re going to have many more World Trade Centers if you don’t solve it — many, many more and probably beyond the World Trade Center…They want our buildings to come down; they want our cities to be crushed. They are living within our country. And many of them want to come from outside our country…We can close our eyes. We can put the blinders on, but I don’t choose to do that…I have common sense. I know what has to be done, and we don’t want to have a situation like Paris. And we don’t want to have another World Trade Center…We need a certain toughness in this country or we’re going to end up like a lot of the other places and we’re not going to have a country left.
Trump also says that Roosevelt had instituted similar programs:
If you look at FDR, ’cause I watched Jeffrey Lord this morning, and I thought he was fantastic, by the way. If you look at him, the presidential proclamations 2525, 2526 and 2527 — that was very, very stringent.
Alex Jones interview
Trump is interviewed by Jones on The Alex Jones Show. On the New Jersey 0/11 celebrations:
People have called in, and on twitter @realDonald Trump, they’re all tweeting. I know what happened and I held my line. People wanted me to apologize, and we can’t do that. People like you and I can’t do that so easily. Now, we can do it if we are wrong. You apologize, I’d apologize if I was wrong.
On Clinton:
Clinton, she’s so corrupt, she’s so corrupt and she shouldn’t be allowed to run and frankly her greatest legacy – she was a horrible Secretary of State – …will be getting out of the email scandal. That’s what I think – it’ll be one of the greatest jobs I’ve ever seen of getting out of a scandal because General Petraeus and many others have been destroyed for doing five percent of what she did. She shouldn’t be allowed to run, but you know the recent Fox poll that just came down two days ago has me beating her head-to-head, which is very interesting, very good and beating her handily and soundly, but we have to get it right.
Hannity interview
Trump is interviewed by Hannity on his Fox News show. Trump talks about ISIS, refugees, and attacks by the Republican Party.
I’ve been telling you, on your show, for three years now: you have to attack the oil…They were laughing, ‘Oh how crazy!’…Now all of a sudden, three-four days ago, after Paris, they start attacking the oil, doing exactly what I said.
20/20 interview
Trump. Melania and his children, are interviewed by Walters for 20/20. Trump, on his earlier marriages:
I’ve gone through tremendous amounts of everything, deals and building companies and taking care of people. It hurts a marriage because you’re working all the time… what I did is I worked so hard that I think it was a very, very hard thing for somebody to compete with.
Melania:
We have great chemistry. To be with a man as my husband is—you need to know who you are… you need to have a very independent life as well and supporting him, you need to be very smart and quick, and be there for him when he needs you.
Says database for Syrian refugees
In an interview with Guilfoyle on On The Record, Trump says any database would be for Syrian refugees. He also says he could not hear the reporter’s questions because the music in the hall was loud and people were calling on him to sign books.
I was really responding to a totally different reporter. I want a watch list. I want a database for the Syrian refugees that Obama is going to let in…because nobody knows where they’re coming from. I hear some are missing. You’re looking what happens in Paris, and all over the place. I want to have watchlists, I want to have surveillance programs. We’re not a bunch of babies. We need protection and we need it now.
Muslim database comments
In response to questions from an NBC reporter Trump talks about a Muslim database.
TRUMP: There should be a lot of systems, beyond a database, we should have a lot of systems. And today you can do it. But right now we have to have a border, we have to have strength, we have to have a wall. And we cannot let what’s happening to this country happen.
REPORTER: But is it something your White House would like to implement?
TRUMP: Oh, I would certainly implement that, absolutely.
REPORTER: What do you think the effect of that would be? How would that work?
TRUMP: It would stop people from coming in illegally. We have to stop people from coming into our country illegally.
TRUMP: It would be just good management. What you have to do is good management procedures. And we can do that.
REPORTER: Would you go to mosques and sign these people up into the system?
TRUMP: Different places. You sign ’em up at different — but it’s all about management. Our country has no management.
Refugees ‘a Trojan horse,’ would close mosques
On CNBC’s Squawk Box, Trump says that he will not allow Syrian refugees to enter the U.S.
We have no idea who these people are, we are the worst when it comes to paperwork. This could be one of the great Trojan horses. We cannot let them into this country, period. Our country has tremendous problems. We can’t have another problem…As far as Merkel’s concerned, she ought to be ashamed of herself, what she’s done. She blew it, when she allowed this to happen, this migration.
He says later on MSNBC that it’s time to start surveillance of mosques, and said the U.S. should shut some down if they have radical leaders.
Well you’re going to have to watch and study the mosques, because a lot of talk is going on at the mosques. Well I would hate to do it [close mosques] but it’s something you’re going to have to strongly consider. Some of the absolute hatred is coming from these areas. … The hatred is incredible. It’s embedded. The hatred is beyond belief. The hatred is greater than anybody understands. I know so many people, Muslims, who are such unbelievably great people, and they’re being so badly tarnished by what’s happening now, it’s a shame.
Post-debate interview
Trump is interviewed after the debate.
Well, I thought that if you looked at Hillary’s deal a couple of weeks ago, the questions were much softer, much easier and much nicer. It was like a giant love fest. That did not take place over here. This was pretty tough. But, I would say that’s the way you want it to go…That was actually quite boring – this was more exciting.
Third GOP debate
Trump participates in the third Republican debate. On his biggest weakness:
I trust people too much, I’m too trusting. And when they let me down, if they let me down, I never forgive.
On SuperPACs:
Super PACs are a disaster, they’re a scam, they cause dishonesty and you better get rid of them, because they are causing a lot of bad decisions to be made by some very good people.
Doesn’t ‘get’ recent poll drop
In a call to Morning Joe, Trump says he doesn’t understand his drop in recent polls.
I don’t get it…I’m going there (to Iowa) actually today and I have tremendous crowds and I have tremendous love in the room and, you know, we seem to have hit a chord. But some of these polls coming out, I don’t quite get it.
He says he is stepping up attacks on Ben Carson.
You know Ben wants to knock out Medicare. I heard that over the weekend, he wants to abolish Medicare. And I think, you know, abolishing Medicare. I don’t think you’re going to get away with that one. And it’s actually a program that’s worked…You look at different things having to do with Ben and there’s a lot of contradiction and a lot of questions. We’ll have to see. One thing I know about a front-runner: you get analyzed 15 different ways from China.
Will close mosques, revoke ISIS fighter passports
In an interview on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Co, Trump says he will rescind passports of those who fight for ISIS.
Varney: Now, in the UK, in Britain, they’ve obviously got a terror problem. They’ve got a lot of youngsters going over to fight for ISIS, about — just under 1,000 are going over there, and they’ve got a whole new series of proposals to deal with this, including withdrawal of passports from some of these people who’ve gone –.
Trump: Absolutely good, good.
Varney: And closing some mosques, would you do the same thing in America.
Trump: I would do that. Absolutely. I think it’s great.
‘Bush should not say brother kept us safe’
In an interview on Fox News Sunday, Wallace asks Trump about his comments on George W. Bush and 9/11.
Jeb [Bush] said ‘We were safe with my brother. We were safe.’ Well, the World Trade Center just went down. Now, am I trying to blame him? I’m not blaming anybody, but the World Trade Center came down, so when he said we were safe, we were not safe. We lost 3,000 people. It was one of the greatest — probably the greatest catastrophe ever in this country…I am extremely, extremely tough on people coming into this country. [If I had been president then]…there’s a good chance that those people would not have been in the country…I’m not blaming George Bush, but I don’t want Jeb Bush to say ‘My brother kept us safe’.
Bush responds:
Across the spectrum of foreign policy, Mr. Trump talks about things as though he’s still on The Apprentice. My brother responded to a crisis, and he did it as you would hope a president would do. He united the country, he organized our country and he kept us safe. And there’s no denying that. The great majority of Americans believe that.
Blames Bush for 9/11
In an interview with Bloomberg Television, Trump bristles at the mention of George W. Bush and President Obama’s role as comforter-in-chief.
OK, I think I have a bigger heart than all of them. I think I’m much more competent than all of them. When you talk about George Bush – I mean, say what you want, the World Trade Center came down during his time…He was president, OK? ‘Blame him or don’t blame him, but he was president. The World Trade Center came down during his reign. If you look at Sandy Hook, those people are still begging for help. It’s a disaster, and it’s a disaster all over the place. Government has proven to be a disaster during the Obama administration. What we need is a leader, we don’t have a leader