FOX "Hannity"- Transcript: Debate Recap

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Joining us now, he's still No. 1 in the polls, and doing very well on the Drudge Report, instant poll results.

Donald Trump, how are you?

TRUMP: Yes. Well, I love Drudge, and I heard that. Very honored

HANNITY: First time in any situation like this. How did you feel up there?

TRUMP: Well, it was exciting. So many people. Everybody is going wild and I believe in my subject matter, I mean, make America great again. And that word again is a very important word, because it can happen, but you need the right leader. So hopefully we continue to do well.

HANNITY: The country is suffering. No doubt about it. The one question that got a lot of boos, and came right in off the top. Running as a third candidate. You wouldn't make the pledge.

TRUMP: I would make the pledge if I win. But you know what, why should I give up that leverage? If they don't treat me well. You're talking about the establishment Republicans. If they don't treat me well, Sean, why should I make that pledge? Now, I may at some point do it, I'm starting to really like the establishment people. Reince and the whole group have really been nice lately. It is good leverage and I might as well use it.

This country should use leverage in their trade deals. They don't believe in it, because they don't know what they're doing. So, I knew that would be a little bit controversial, but it was exciting. A really good way to start off the show.

HANNITY: What really made you popular, you're not afraid to just say...

TRUMP: I'm not afraid.

HANNITY: But you hoped -- if you didn't win, you would hope that you would be able to support the Republican nomination.

TRUMP: One hundred percent correct. I just want to be treated well, be treated with respect. 100 percent correct.

HANNITY: OK, let me ask you, before you ever became a candidate, you're outspoken. You had a Twitter war with Rosie O'Donnell.

TRUMP: And many others.

HANNITY: But you said something, you know what, we're too P.C. And you said America is in such bad shape. We don't have time to be nice. We have got to have the right tone.

TRUMP: We don't have time, we don't have time.

I mean, you know, one of the questions, they talked about waterboarding. Do you believe in waterboarding? They asked Ben that question, and I said to myself, you know, I'm thinking, here we're talking about waterboarding and they're chopping off everybody's head. And we're talking about waterboarding.

We don't have time for it for anymore, Sean. The country is in trouble. We own $19 trillion, it will be 21, 22 very soon. And you know, when you get to that 24 million mark, we become Greece. We become Greece on steroids, could you say. I don't know. This was a very exciting night, though. We had such a great crowd and they really agreed with what I said.

HANNITY: You know, I interpreted your, the comments you made about Mexican immigrants, I think differently than other people did, when you talked about the Mexican government -- and that came up again and again tonight.

TRUMP: Yes. Well, you interpreted it correct.

HANNITY: I interpreted is that they're not doing anything to stop it and it actually is a stop-gap for them if they allow people to leave at will. Is that what you were saying?

TRUMP: And they save a lot of money.

HANNITY: A fortune.

TRUMP: They don't have to take care of the people. We're not getting their best and their finest. They're pushing people out. And I'm talking about serious, in many cases, people that would be in their prisons, they say,hey, let the Americans. The Americans have stupid leaders. Let them put them in their prisons. And the problem is, you have people like the guy -- the absolute bad guy who killed Kate, and killed Jamil and killed other people.

HANNITY: All these people.

TRUMP: You know, you have all these people coming in and they're killing, and causing crime and the drugs are pouring in. So, I turned out to be right. I took tremendous heat that first day. A lot of your friends like Rush Limbaugh and a lot of people, they said boy, they used the word incoming. But Trump is taking tremendous incoming. It was an honor, and now some of the people that you would least expect it are calling me up and apologizing. What I am is true. The word illegal immigration would not have been a topic if it wasn't for me.

HANNITY: It was funny. I think it was quintessential Trump honesty when you said that you donate money. They'll pick up the phone. And yes, would you expect that they would do what you needed to do, or help you in whatever way. The only question I had, is why would you want to donate to Hillary to go to your wedding?

TRUMP: Well, no, I was using that as a joke. They did come to the wedding, but they came because I'm a donor. If I wanted something -- I never wanted it -- but if I wanted something -- and I've contributed. Don't forget, that's a different life.

I was a businessman. I have to deal with Democrats, I have to deal with Republicans and I deal with politicians like I'm as good as it gets, I guess. I built a great business and part of that is dealing with politicians.

I sort of get a kick when people say you don't have political experience. I have more political experience than anybody.

HANNITY: It is a truth, though, people donate for the purpose of influence. Maybe the difference is you're honest about it.

TRUMP: When I see the candidates -- and I like these candidates, I had a great relationship with them tonight, as you can see, for the most part.

HANNITY: I saw.

TRUMP: But I like them very much. They're good people. But when I see them raising $50 million, $40 million -- from friends of mine. A $100 million.

Well, Jeb is raising $100 million. It's great. But those people are not like charities. You understand. They don't -- you know, they want. These are total tough cookies. I know many of them; I probably know most of them. And when they give million and millions of dollars, they're not doing it for the good of the American Cancer Society. They're doing it for themselves.

HANNITY: You got -- you gave a very forceful answer about all the hundreds of businesses, I guess, the corporations that you have. That you use the laws of the land.

TRUMP: I use the laws of the land.

HANNITY: You said something about bankers, though, that got a pretty good applause.

TRUMP: Yes, you know, because the people, I really did a number on were bankers. These are tough guys. These are the guys giving money to all of these candidates. I mean, these are very tough, very sophisticated guys. They know the game. They know game as well as I do. And I played the game better than they do. But I understand how to play the game.

And I also said, Sean, that's what the country needs. When you have 18 or 19 trillion in debt, they need somebody like me to straighten it up. Because a politician is never going to understand how to straighten it up.

HANNITY: Which kind of goes -- I was a little surprised. You've been pretty harsh against Governor Jeb Bush tonight. You got along, you were complimentary towards him.

TRUMP: He was really nice. And I liked him. In fact, he even took, they put words in his mouth. Because these people were not so nice to me as far as I'm concerned. But they put words in his mouth, and he said I didn't say that. I thought that was a class act.

HANNITY: Yes. So, when you talk about the economy. And you mentioned 19 trillion in debt, we also have a 128 trillion in unfunded liabilities.

TRUMP: You don't want to even think about that -- it's terrible.

HANNITY: You also said you want to preserve the Social Security and Medicare. How do we do that, considering that's nearly 80 percent of the money?

TRUMP: By making our economy really powerful again. We have to take our jobs. You know, we've rebuilt China. We have single handedly, they have taken our money, they have taken our jobs, and then they loan money back to us. I mean, they put money in bonds, they buy our bonds. We owe them now $1.4 trillion. They do a number on us, and then we owe them money. Think of that.

So, I know the game better than anybody, and I'm the only one who can fix it.

HANNITY: When the issue of tone came up. You said -- I think the quote was, "Excuse me, they're chopping off our heads. We don't have time for tone." Is it time for all American politicians to get rid of political correctness? Are you kind of leading the way?

TRUMP: No. I don't really think that, I think I'm leading the way at a certain high level of leadership. But, look, they're not that way. They're not inclined to be that way. But we need a leader at the top that will not worry so much about tone, that's going to get results. We don't have time for tone. And it is true; and Jeb, again, really nice guy, but he did criticize on tone, he thought my tone was a little tough, a little bit quick. We need strong tone. And we need enthusiasm, we need excitement and enthusiasm, because it's never going to get better.

HANNITY: There's never going to be an apology to Rosie. You're still glad you said all that to her.

TRUMP: She's terrible.

HANNITY: You wouldn't do that as president?

TRUMP: Probably not. Well, it sort of broke up the question from Megyn, which was an very nice question to start off with. But no, I'm not a fan of Rosie, but that's OK.

HANNITY: And you're in this to the end? You want this job?

TRUMP: I want this job, and I want to be the Republican. I want to be the Republican -- I'm the one who can beat Hillary. Believe me. Hillary's worst nightmare is me. Who treats it rougher than me? She should be going to prison for what she's done with the e-mails. Nobody even says that. What she's done is totally illegal. Look at General Petraeus, Sean. They've destroyed his life over doing much less than what she has done.

HANNITY: Far much less. And you know what is confidential information was? His calendar.

Mr. Trump, good to see you. Thanks for spending time with us.

TRUMP: Thanks very much.

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