Donald Trump has lots to say.
The Daily Caller conducted an extensive interview with the billionaire real estate tycoon and presidential frontrunner Wednesday on a wide array of topics. In part one of our interview, Trump discussed Ben Carson and Ted Cruz, among other topics. In part two he discussed whether flag burning should be illegal, his views on abortion and whether he would actually live in the White House if elected.
In part three of our interview below, Trump opens up about a wide range of topics — from his daughter’s conversion to Judaism, to what his high school years in a military school taught him and to what are his favorite movies.
Check back next week to see the final part of TheDC’s interview with Trump where dishes on his foreign policy worldview.
On whether Trump believes spending his high school years in military school will help him with foreign policy:
Trump: I think so, yeah. I mean, I understand the military, I know the military. I think, look: CNN did a poll, and in the poll I blow everyone away on the economy, blow everyone away on leadership and I actually did very well on that poll on the military, too. The economy I’m going to do great at. I’m going to be a job-creating, incredible job-creating president, right? But I think I will be a great president having to do with the military, and also having to do with taking care of our vets.
On pollster Frank Luntz and Luntz’s recent pro-Trump focus group:
Trump: Yeah, I did see it, and I actually saw it on television. He was on television on Fox doing it. He actually said it’s the highest score that he’s ever received in the history of his company, which was quite a statement. So it’s hard to be angry at Frank anymore, right? (RELATED: ‘Nothing Disqualifies Trump’ — What A Focus Group Tells Us About His Supporters)
On what he thought when his daughter Ivanka told him she was converting to Judaism:
Trump: I thought it was fine. She’s got a fantastic husband, they have a beautiful marriage, and I thought it was absolutely fine. They have a great marriage, a great relationship.
Would he consider only serving one term as president?
Trump: I think it depends on where we are. I think that I can do a great job in four years, but it could very well be that to seal everything up and make it just perfect, you’ll take the extra time. I think it would really depend on where I am.
The country’s in very bad shape. The infrastructure of the country is rotted out and in decay. The military — I just saw where General Odierno said today that we’re less ready with the army than any time in our country’s history. That’s an amazing statement. I don’t know if you saw that statement, but he made it very recently. He was the head. He said our army is less ready now than it ever has been in its history. … The point is there’s a lot to be done. I think I can do much of it, if not all of it, in four years, but I would never want to close the option of going for an additional four years.
On Matt Drudge, who he says he’s met:
Trump: I have a great feeling for him. I think he’s done an amazing job and he is a man who, he really does love the country, but he puts freedom of the press, in a sense, above everything else. He really does an amazing job. Yeah, I have a great respect for him. … If he’s in a room, he may be the most important person in the room, but he doesn’t care if anyone knows it. He’s very self-effacing, in other words.
Would he consider any reporter he’s dealt with to be his White House press secretary?
Trump: I’m very mixed on the political press. I’m very, very mixed on the political press, but there are people that I would certainly consider. I think there’s some terrific people that I’ve met in the press, and I’ve met some people that are not honest and not honorable.
TheDC: Would you give some names of the people you think that…
Trump: I’d rather not do that, I think it’s unfair to them, but certainly I’ve met a lot of people in the press that I would consider for various jobs. I’ve met some great people that deal with me in the press. I’ve also met some people that were very dishonorable, frankly.
On a 1990 Vanity Fair report that quoted his ex-wife saying he read speeches by Hitler before going to bed:
TheDC: I’ve read a lot of the profiles they’ve done over the years, and one thing that stood out to me, there was a Vanity Fair profile from 1990 that mentioned that sometimes your nighttime reading you would read lots of Hitler speeches, which was interesting to me. What fascinated you about Hitler? Did you learn anything from his speeches?
Trump: I don’t think I was quoted in that, right? Was I quoted?
TheDC: You said [something like], “I’m not saying it’s true, but it may be true, but I got a book from a producer out in Hollywood.”
Trump: No, they — you know, as you know, did you ever hear of the book Mein Kampf?
TheDC: Yes.
Trump: Okay, I mean, as you know, many people have read that, right?
TheDC: Absolutely. I’m just wondering if it was something that you read regularly, if it was something that …
Trump: No, not at all. No, not at all, not at all.
On whether he credits his father’s wealth with helping him become a billionaire:
TheDC: You have amassed a great fortune, and your success I think is one of the most alluring attributes to you as a candidate, but there are still some critics out there who will say, you know, they don’t give you the credit that you believe you deserve for becoming a billionaire because they say your father had hundreds of millions of dollars in real estate. How do you respond to that?
Trump: He didn’t have hundreds of millions of dollars. What my father gave me more than anything else is great tutoring and a great brain, frankly. You know, my father’s brother was a top person at MIT, went to MIT, graduated from MIT, was a teacher at MIT, a professor at MIT, a great engineer. I mean, you know, I have very good genes. No, I have built a great company… I will say this, according to everybody I guess, by far I am the most successful person to ever run for office.
Where does Donald Trump go on vacation?
Trump: I only go to my places. I go to Turnberry in Scotland, I go to Aberdeen in Scotland. I go to Doonbeg, which I own, in Ireland. I go to Doral, Trump National Doral, in Miami, one of the great resorts of the world. As you know, in Scotland, if you look at Turnberry — you know, I own Turnberry in Scotland. No partners, a thousand acres, on the ocean. I have very little debt and I have very few partners. But I only like to go to places that I own, because, you know, I don’t have enough time. What do I want to sit in somebody else’s resort for?
On his favorite movies:
TheDC: I know that I’ve read in several profiles that when you’re on the plane you like to watch movies. I think back in the ’80s or ’90s you liked “Bloodsport,” a famous Jean-Claude Van Damme movie.
Trump: I like a lot of movies. I love Citizen Kane. I love Gone With the Wind. I love many of them, I mean so many movies. I like a lot of the old classics best. I don’t see too many today, they’re too computerized.
This interview has been very slightly edited for brevity and clarity.
