MSNBC "Hardball with Chris Matthews" - Transcript: Live Video of Donald Trump Press Conference In Iowa: Immigration, the Republican Primaries
Interview
BEGIN TRANSCRIPT
CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Good evening. I`m Chris Matthews in
Washington.
Donald Trump, of course, has been taking questions from reporters in
Dubuque, Iowa. Let`s keep listening.
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I supported him. I
actually gave him quite a bit of money. I liked his fight. I liked his
drive. And he actually came to my office six months ago, gave me a trophy,
gave me a beautiful plaque. And I thought that was very nice.
And in the end, I think people see, though, that what`s happening in
Wisconsin -- I love the people of Wisconsin. I know Wisconsin well. I
have friends that live there. And they`re incredible people.
But if you look at what`s going on in Wisconsin, I think people saw
that they have a $2.2 billion budget deficit. It was supposed to be a
surplus of a billion. That`s a tremendous -- they`re borrowing to a point
that nobody thought possible. They`re ranked number 38 in the states,
which isn`t exactly a good ranking, better than others that are running,
but frankly, not a good ranking. And they have a lot of problems.
And there`s a lot of division in the state, to put it mildly. And I
think people -- I do like Scott, but I think people have seen what`s
happened in the state. And he was -- you know, the first -- when I first
announced, I was second and he was first. I think I was at 10 percent and
he was at 22 percent.
Now I think I`m at 22 or 24 percent, and he`s at 6 percent. I think
what happened is people have really looked seriously at what`s going on in
Wisconsin, and it has not been helpful to him, unfortunately.
QUESTION: Mr. Trump...
Yes, go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Well, I do read tweets. And I mean, to a certain extent I do,
yes. I think that`s right. You want me to say no? I retweet. You know,
I retweet for a reason, right? Go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Christian vote during the primaries.
TRUMP: Yes.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) next to "The Art of the Deal," the Bible is
your favorite book. Is there anyone in the Bible that you really relate
to, that you can compare your life to, that you look up to?
TRUMP: Nobody that I would compare to. That is so -- it`s such a --
it`s actually a great question. I love the Bible. I love the Bible. I`m
a Protestant. I`m a Presbyterian. I went to Sunday school. Dr. Norman
Vincent Peale, "The Power of Positive Thinking," was my pastor. He was to
this day one of the great speakers I`ve ever seen. You hated to leave
church. You hated when the sermon was over. That`s how great he was,
Marble Collegiate church.
And I also had a church in Jamaica, Queens, when I grew up in Queens.
And it was wonderful, First Presbyterian church of Jamaica. And I was
there for years. And that`s where I went to Sunday school.
One you know, of the things that`s so incredible about the New
Hampshire numbers is I lead with everybody. I lead with old, with young,
as you saw -- you saw it, everybody.
But one of the groups I lead with substantially, evangelicals. And
I`ve led in Iowa, too, with the evangelicals because they get it. They`re
incredible people that are really smart, and they want to see our country
thrive.
And -- but the beautiful thing -- because it was such a comprehensive
poll in New Hampshire, and they just went over everything. Tea Party,
like, leading by a lot, moderates leading by a lot -- everybody.
Literally, I think -- I mean, you`ll correct me if I`m wrong, but I
think I led with every single group, and by substantial numbers. So I was
very honored to lead but with the evangelicals. I love the evangelicals.
OK.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Yes, good. Absolutely. Good. Absolutely. Good to have you
back.
QUESTION: Thank you very much.
TRUMP: OK.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) is full of empty promises.
TRUMP: OK.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) 11 million (INAUDIBLE) You cannot deny
citizenship to the children in this country. You cannot (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Why do you say that?
QUESTION: You cannot do that.
TRUMP: Well, a lot of people think...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No, no. Excuse me.
QUESTION: You have to change the Constitution in this country.
TRUMP: A lot of people -- no, no, but a lot of people think that`s
not right, that an act of Congress can do it. Now, it`s possibly going to
have to be tested in courts, but a lot of people think that if you come and
you`re on the other side of the border -- I`m not talking about Mexico,
somebody on the other side of the border. A woman is getting ready to have
a baby. She crosses the border for one day, has the baby. All of a
sudden, for the next 80 years, hopefully longer, but for the next 80 years,
we have to take care of the people.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I don`t think there`s -- no, no, no, I don`t think so.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Excuse me. Some of the greatest legal scholars -- and I know
some of the television scholars agree with you, but some of the great legal
scholars agree that that`s not true, that if you come across...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Excuse me just one second.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) not answering (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No, no, I am answering. If you come across for one day, one
day, and you have a baby, now the baby is going to be an American citizen.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: There are great legal -- excuse me. There are great legal
scholars, the top, that say that`s absolutely wrong. It`s going to be
tested, OK?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) how are you going to build a 1900-mile wall?
TRUMP: Very easy. I`m a builder. That`s easy.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I build buildings that are...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Can I tell you what`s more complicated? What`s more
complicated is building a building that`s 95 stories tall, OK?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) time and money (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: You think so? Really? I don`t think so.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: A lot of people don`t think so.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) 40 percent (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I don`t believe that. OK, you`re right. I don`t believe it.
And the drugs come. I see them -- they have pictures, they have
everything, crawling over the fences, which are, by the way, this high. I
mean, you have fences that are not as tall as I am.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Oh, they`re coming by many different ways. But the primary
way they`re coming is being right through, right past our border patrols,
who, by the way, are tremendous people. And they can do the job, but
they`re told not to.
QUESTION: How are you going to deport 11 million (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Here`s what we`re going to do. Ready?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Are you going to bring the Army?
TRUMP: No, no. Let me tell you. Let me tell you. We`re going to do
it in a very humane fashion. Believe me. I have a bigger heart than you
do. We`re going to do it in a very humane fashion. The thing we`re going
to do...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Is there one question (INAUDIBLE) move on
(INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK. The one thing we`re going to start with immediately are
the gangs, and the real bad ones. And you do agree there are some bad
ones. Do you agree with that, or do you think everyone`s is just perfect?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No, no. I asked you a question.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Do you agree with that?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: We have tremendous crime. We have tremendous problems...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) not criminals.
TRUMP: This -- I can`t deal with this.
Listen, we have tremendous crime. We have tremendously -- we have
some very bad ones. And I think you would agree with that, right?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK, there are a lot of bad ones, real bad ones, because, you
know, they looked at some of the gangs...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Excuse me. They looked at some of the gangs in Baltimore.
They looked at some of the gangs in Chicago. They looked even in Ferguson.
They got some rough illegal immigrants in those gangs.
They`re getting out. You mind if I send them out? Now, if they come
from Mexico, do you mind if I send them back to Mexico?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No, no. Do you mind if I send them back to Mexico?
QUESTION: If they`re criminal (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK. Those people are out. They`re going to be out so fast,
your head will spin, all right? The rest, we`re going to do in a --
remember, you used the word "illegal immigrant."
QUESTION: No, I didn`t use the word (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK, well, you should use it because that`s what the definition
is.
QUESTION: No human being is illegal.
TRUMP: OK, well, when they cross the border, from a legal standpoint,
they`re illegal immigrant when they don`t have their papers.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: And I want to make it possible -- and I think you`ll like
this. This is the part you`re going to like. I want these people, the
good people -- I want them to come back and I want them to get
documentation and get so they become legal.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: It`s going to be -- you know what it`s called? Management.
See, you`re not used to good management because you`re always talking about
government.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Government -- let me just tell you. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
Government is incompetent. Guys like Bush and some others that I won`t
name, they`re incompetent people. They don`t have it. They don`t have it.
I agree, they can`t do it. But I`m a great manager. I know how to
manage things. I hire unbelievable people. When I look at the vets...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: When I look at the VA -- excuse me. When I look at the VA --
we spend billions of dollars, and people are treated horribly, OK?
Horribly. That`ll work great. What we`re doing here will work great. And
we want to get good people back in.
And also...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Let me just tell you...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I`m giving you specifics. I`m giving you -- great management.
And they`re going to, hopefully, come back in very soon.
OK. Another question? Wait.
QUESTION: Mr. Trump?
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead. Yes, sir.
QUESTION: Is there any specific change in the law you`d make to limit
the influence of money in politics?
TRUMP: Money in politics? Well, I think there should be, frankly,
more transparency because I see a guy like Jeb Bush, with $114 million,
which is now higher, and nobody even knows who put the money in. And they
all control him like a little puppet, OK?
I know half of the people. I mean, I don`t know who they are because
I can`t find it out, but as soon as they do, I will know most of them.
They`re friends of mine. I used to be there. I used to be the king of
that, OK? I know the system better than anybody.
The fact is that whether it`s Jeb or Hillary or any of them, they`re
all controlled by these people. And the people that control them are the
special interests, the lobbyists and the donors. And they`re controlling -
- you know what the nice part about me? I don`t need anybody`s money.
I mean, if a woman sends me the $7, I take it because that`s great
because she`s investing in this country in a proper way, not in an improper
way. But I don`t need money. It`s the beautiful thing.
So nobody`s getting -- so if I say that I don`t want Ford building, in
this case in Mexico, or someplace else, in all fairness, China, I want them
to build here, I`m not going to be hit by the Ford lobby and by all the
other lobbies that you know who they are better than I do. They`re not
going to hit me because they didn`t give 10 cents to my campaign because I
don`t want their money. So it`s very important.
QUESTION: But should it be limited legally? Would you favor...
TRUMP: I won`t -- I don`t know about the limits. I think the most
important thing is transparency. You have to know who you`re dealing with.
And right now, you don`t. You don`t. And I`m talking about PACs in
all fairness. I have a lot of good friends, they like to put money into
PACs, many friends -- some enemies, too, by the way. But I have many
friends, they put money into PACs.
And you need transparency. You need to know who`s putting up what, so
when they start making deals in a year or two years or three years, you
know what`s happening.
OK, how about one more question? Go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) that most of the illegal immigrants in this
country are either criminals or...
TRUMP: No. Not at all! I never said that.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No. I think most of them are good people. I love that
question because, you know, hopefully, maybe somebody -- no, I think most
of them are very good people.
But they are here illegally. And we`re a country of laws and we`re a
country of borders. We have to have a border. And we`ll have a border,
and we`ll have a wall and the wall`s going to have a big beautiful door
where people can come in legally, and also where we can bring talented
people. We need that in the Silicon Valley.
When somebody goes to Harvard, Yale, Princeton, the Wharton School of
Finance, we send them out as soon as they graduate. They can`t stay here.
It`s ridiculous. They want to be here. So then they go to their country,
wherever it may be, whether it`s Asia, Mexico, wherever it may be, and they
compete against us. I don`t want that.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: All right, how about one more then? Yes, ma`am, go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: In where?
QUESTION: In Wisconsin. But in the latest poll numbers there,
Governor Walker is leading amongst Republicans at 25 percent and you`re at
9. What do you make of those numbers (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: In Wisconsin? I really don`t know. I mean, I haven`t gotten
there. I would think we`d win...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I would think we`d win Wisconsin. I mean, I have a great
relationship with the people of Wisconsin. But you know, I haven`t
started. I haven`t been thinking about Wisconsin right now, and Governor
Walker certainly has been. I don`t know what the poll is.
I know this. In Florida, they just came out with a poll. And I`m at
28 and Bush is much lower, and Senator Rubio, who`s the sitting senator, is
much, much lower. So I don`t know. I think I`ll do very well in
Wisconsin. I think so.
Yes.
QUESTION: One more?
TRUMP: Yes. Yes, sir. Go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead. Go ahead.
QUESTION: Well, you think that you`re going to be able to (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Well, he came up. He wants to support my campaign. But then
I said, Oh, gee, he said some negative things about me. Then he comes up
to my office two, three hours later. He wants to be a part of my campaign.
But you know, he`s a hedge fund guy. And honestly, maybe the hedge
fund guys won`t like me too much. I know a lot about hedge funds. I also
know how they`re taxed better than he does. So maybe they won`t because
maybe they won`t like me. You understand.
But he came up. He came up. He wants to support me. He wanted to
leave Walker to support me. But I didn`t make it so easy for him.
OK, go ahead.
QUESTION: Do you think it matters how Fox News covers you?
TRUMP: I don`t know. Look, I have a lot of respect for Roger. We`ll
see. I mean, you know, maybe, maybe not. I really don`t know.
Look, I think they cover me terribly. Fox News? I think they cover
me terribly, and I`m winning by double digits in every poll. So I don`t
know. Maybe it matters, maybe it doesn`t. I don`t think I get good
treatment by -- from Fox. They certainly cover me a lot.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) that Fox (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Well, I`m being covered by everybody.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) influence how you are doing in polls?
TRUMP: I don`t know. I don`t think so because I think they give me
very bad treatment. I think Fox treats me terribly. And a lot of the
people that like me think they treat me terribly.
But I don`t think -- I mean, what, you think I was asked nice, easy
questions? The other guys are saying, What are you going to do about jobs?
Another one saying, Do you love God? Another one says something else.
I get these questions -- like, what`s going on here? And yet I won.
In every single poll of the debate, I won. I won from Drudge. I won in
"Time" magazine. I won all the -- everybody thought I won the debate.
But I certainly had the worst questions, the most unfair questions.
And you know, I like Fox. I like it. But no, I think they treat me very
poorly.
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Yes, go ahead. I`ll do that. I`ll do that.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) why not?
TRUMP: The which?
QUESTION: The Twitter fights (INAUDIBLE) tweeting about Megyn Kelly
or...
TRUMP: Takes two seconds. You do a couple of tweets...
QUESTION: Why?
TRUMP: Because when people treat me unfairly, I don`t let them
forget. And maybe we should do that more in this country and maybe the
country wouldn`t be pushed around so much.
Go ahead, Mr. Jorge.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) you say that you`re going to win the Latino
vote.
TRUMP: I think so because I`m going to bring jobs back.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) the Univision polls said 75 percent of
Latinos...
TRUMP: How much am I suing Univision for right now?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: No, no, no, no. Do you know the number?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: NO, no, no. Tell me.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Tell me. Do you know the number? And you know you`re a part
of the lawsuit. How much am I suing Univision for?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Wait, wait.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: It`s $500 million.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: And they`re very concerned about it, I have to tell you. I`m
very good at this stuff.
yes, go ahead.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) 75 percent of Latino...
TRUMP: I don`t think I will.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) nationwide (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I haven`t even started!
QUESTION: ... Latinos have a negative opinion of you.
TRUMP: Do you know how many Latinos...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) candidate among the (INAUDIBLE) check social
media...
TRUMP: Do you know how many Latinos work for me?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Do you know how many Hispanics are working for me?
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK. They love me. They love me.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) Do you know how many Hispanics work for me?
Thousands. Do you know how many have worked for me over the years? Tens
of thousands.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) negative opinion (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Here`s what happens.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Once I win, you`re going to see things happen. You know what
they want? They want jobs. That`s what they want. In Nevada -- did you
see the poll of the Hispanics in the state of Nevada? Did you see the...
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Excuse me. Big Hispanic population. I wiped everybody out.
Hispanic. I won the poll.
QUESTION: No, nationwide (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Excuse me. I`m not talking nation -- I`m talking the only
poll I saw. The one that came out, which was in the state of Nevada, I
wiped everybody out. I wiped them out. With Hispanics. You saw that,
right? Did you see it?
QUESTION: Nevada (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: Wait. Did you see it.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: OK. He`s an honest guy. Now I like him. OK.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: You and I will talk. We`ll have -- we`re going to be talking
a lot over the years.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: We will. We will.
OK, thank you, everybody.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) write them yourself?
TRUMP: I think about them myself.
QUESTION: Did you write-
TRUMP: I like -- very interesting because a lot of people have been
asking me because in Alabama, I got very high marks for a speech. And I
honestly feel -- and it`s one of the things I`m going to talk about. I`m
always on live television. And if you`re on television every three or four
days, you got to say things different. Can`t be on the same -- and give
the same stories, right?
I think about my speeches. And I don`t believe in teleprompters,
although it`s very easy. Oh, would I like to go up and stand and read a
speech for a half an hour and just leave. But you know what happens? You
wouldn`t have sold-out crowds like we have outside. You wouldn`t have
30,000 people like we had in Alabama. You wouldn`t have the crowd that we
had the other night in New Hampshire. You just wouldn`t have it. It`s not
the same.
In fact, I jokingly say if you`re running for president, you shouldn`t
be allowed to use teleprompters. So I think about my speeches a lot. I
think about what I`m going to say, but I essentially don`t use notes and I
definitely don`t read the speeches because I think it`s -- it`s much
easier. But you know what happens? You don`t have the same vibrancy. You
understand.
QUESTION: (INAUDIBLE) at night when you`re on Twitter writing tweets,
do you write them yourself or (INAUDIBLE)
TRUMP: I do a lot of things by myself. People would be surprised.
(LAUGHTER)
TRUMP: People are shocked at how smart I am, right?
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Thank you.
MATTHEWS: Well, Donald Trump has just finished taking reporters`
questions in Iowa, in Dubuque. He`ll be giving a speech any moment now.
We`ll bring you that live.
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