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Complete Transcript; Trump Amazing Interview With George Stephanopoulos on ABC This Week
ABC News ^ | 20 Dec 2015 | Donald Trump

Posted on 12/20/2015 10:43:02 AM PST by Steely Tom

John Carl: Clinton Lied

GS: OK John Carl, thanks very much. Let's talk to Mr. Trump, ah, right now, we saw that tweet Mr. Trump, you gonna stand by it?

DJT: Well of course I'm standing by it, it was vetted, they went to the Washington Post, Fox News went out in great detail, and looked for it, and there's no such video, and they may make one up, knowing the Clintons, and knowing Hillary, but there's no... there's nobody, and... she just made it up. I mean she made it up, it was a soundbite, just like Bernie Sanders lied, I mean... he went out and said things that never took place, I didn't say that about Mexicans, I have great relationships with the Hispanics, I... he... I didn't say what he said. I mean, they make up things in the world of politics, they're all talk and no action, they're politicians.

GS: You sure you want to go... you sure you want to go down that road... the fact checkers have called you out on more false statements than any other candidate.

0:49
DJT: Oh, I'll go down that road, and, you know, people maybe call me out and they turn out to be wrong also, and many of the things I've said, and I think just about all of them, they may have been controversial at one point George, but they're not controversial in the end because people start to say 'you know, Trump's actually right.' And you go into illegal immigration, everybody now is coming my way, with illegal... I've been 100% right as far as crime is concerned, as far as the economy is concerned, I've been right on more than anybody else has been right by a...

1:18
GS: But you've never come up with a video of those 'thousands of people cheering in New Jersey on 9-11.'

1:22
DJT: Oh, there were plenty of people cheering, believe me, and I've come up with plenty, and the Washington Post wrote a story that they tried to retract, and there were many other stories written, and a lot of people, thousands of people, have been calling and writing and e-mailing... many people saw it, and it was in New Jersey and it was also all over the world, George, so there's an obvious problem, because all over the world, and you're not even disputing that... but people were celebrating all over the world, and I think it's disgusting.

1:50
GS (smiling): there were people celebrating in the West Bank, there were not people celebrating in New Jersey, as far as any evidence we've seen, but I do...

1:55
DJT: Of course there were, George, there were articles...

1:56
GS: ...want to move on...

1:57
DJT: George, there were articles written about it, there were people celebrating, and in fact if you look at the famous Washington Post article, that he tried to retract, there were articles written about it, don't tell me that, there's no reason to apologize, there were people celebrating.

2:13
GS: let's let's...

2:14
DJT: There were people celebrating, George.

2:17
GS: Around the world let's move on to Vladimir Putin. You got that praise from Vladimir Putin this week, called it a great honor, you also said you've 'always felt fine about Putin.' How can you say you feel fine about Vladimir Putin, when he backs our advisaries like Bashir Assad, when he backs Iran, when he invades Ukraine?.

2:33
DJT: I have been an extremely dealmaker, that's what I've done, over years, and I know people, because deals are people. And I think I'll get along very well for the good of our country - for the good of OUR country - this is what I want, make America great again... I believe I'll get along fine with Putin, I believe I'll get along fine with other leaders. Obama doesn't get along with Putin, Putin can't stand our President, and it's causing us difficulty, and I said it a long time ago, if Russia wants to bomb the hell out of ISIS, and join us in that effort, I am absolutely fine with that, I think that's an asset not a liability, so, if Putin respects me, and if Putin want to call be brilliant, and other things that he said which were, frankly, very nice, I'll accept that, and I'll accept it on behalf of our country, because if we get along well with Russia that's a positive thing George, not a negative thing.

3:26
GS: Well you want to get along well with Putin, but you seem to be alienating some of our allies, you've said that Angela Merkle is ruining Germany, and here's what David Cameron, the British Prime Minister, had to say about your proposal to ban Muslims...

3:38
DC: I happen to disagree with (unintelligible) Donald Trump, I think his remarks are divisive, stupid, and wrong, and I think if he came to our country, I think he'd unite us all against him.

3:51
GS: Is it wise to be praising our adversaries and alienating our allies?

3:56
DJT: George, yeah, I know you're having a lot of fun this morning, and so am I if you want to know the truth. The fact is, that... we have a problem, George. You don't have to admit it, cause I know you so politically correct all the time. You don't have to admit it, but we have a problem, and the problem is a very serious problem. You have a radicalization of people, they happen to be Islamic, and you have the radical Islamic terrorism problem that our President doesn't even want to mention, he doesn't want to use those three words, or any one words and... because he's not mentioning it we're never going to solve it. Unless you know what the problem is, you can't solve it.

4:35
DJT: So we have a serious, serious problem, where... you look at what happened in California last week, you look at people flying airplanes into the World Trade Center, you look at many other things that have been happening, not only in this country but around the world, including in Paris, there's a problem, George, and you have to address it, and if you're not going to address it, the problem's gonna get worse and worse. People have to turn other people in. People knew what was going on in California. People... other people, outsiders, friends of their's, knew what was going on in Paris. Those people don't turn them in, why don't they turn them in?

5:10
GS: Well, they should turn them in, I agree with you on that...

5:12
DJT: Well they should turn them in, and they're not going to turn them in with attitudes like your attitude, people won't turn them in. People are just going to go along, the way... we have to solve a very serious problem, and if you don't want to talk about it, or if you think it's politically incorrect, that's your problem, not mine.

5:27
GS: One final question about Vladimir Putin. Ah, when you were pressed about his killing of journalists, you said 'I think our country does plenty of killing too.' What were you thinking about there, what killing sanctioned by the US government is like killing journalists?

5:39
DJT: Well I think, number one, I think Hillary, when she was Secretary of State, made some horrible, horrible decisions, and thousands and thousands, and even hundreds of thousands of people have been killed. I mean you look at what went on in Libya, you look at so many bad decisions that she made. She's incompetent, as far as I'm concerned...

5:56
GS: That's not killing by the United States government...

5:58
DJT: ... you look at her range, she's incompentent. As far as reporters are concerned, as far as the reporters are concerned... obviously, I don't want that to happen, I think it's terrible, horrible. But, in all fairness to Putin, you're saying he killed people, I haven't seen that, I don't know that he has... have you been able to prove that, do you know the names of the reporters that he's killed, because I've been, you know... you've been hearing this, but I haven't seen the name. Now, I think it would be despicable if that took place, but I haven't seen any evidence that he killed anybody, in terms of reporters.

6:30
GS: Here's what Mitt Romney tweeted about that, he said "Important decision here; thug Putin kills journalists and opponents; oru presidens kill terrorists and enemy combatants."

6:40
DJT: Does he know for a fact that he kills the reporters? I don't think anybody knows that, and its possible that he does, but I don't think its been proven. Has anybody proven that he's killed reporters? And I'm not trying to stick up...

6:51
GS: There have been many allegations that he was behind the killing of Anna Politkovskaya...

6:52
DJT: No no, allegations, they are allegations, yeah sure, there are allegations, I've read those allegations over the years, but nobody's proven that he's killed anybody, as far as I'm concerned. He hasn't killed reporters that's been proven...

7:02
GS: So what killing has the United States (unintelligable) done?

7:05
DJT: George, excuse me, let me finish. If he has killed reporters, I think that's terrible. But this isn't like somebody that's stood with a gun and he's taken the blame or he's admitted he's killed. He's always denied it, he's never... it's never been proven, that he's killed anybody, so, you know, you're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty, at least in our country. He has not been proven, that he's killed reporters.

7:29
GS: But... then... you said 'I think our country does plenty of killing too.' What killing are you talking about there, ordered by the United States government?

7:33
DJT: Well take a look at what we are doing in the middle east. We went into Iraq, we shouldn't have, you know that I was opposed to going into Iraq many years ago, in 2003, 2004, there were headlines, in Reuters, that 'Trump is opposed to the war,' because you're going to destabilize the middle east, I said if you do this, you'll destabilize the middle east, and Iran will take over... very simple. Iran will take over Iraq, that's exactly what happening, and on top of that we have ISIS, which is another problem, and another complicating factor, now... we should've never gone into Iraq, when we left, we made a mistake, we made a big mistake with Libya, we've destabilized all these places, we now have a migration, with thousands and hundreds of thousands and even millions of people, that don't know where they're going, I mean, it's a terrible thing. We have been run by incompenent people, incompetent politicians, they don't know... that's probably why I'm leading so in the polls, because people are tired of seeing very, very stupid and very very incompetent people running our country into the ground.

8:40
DJT: In the meantime, we owe 19 trillion dollars, soon going to be 21 trillion dollars, and we better get our act together fast, George, because our country's going down, if we don't.

8:50
GS: Your comments seem to suggest a moral equivalence between the United States and Russia. Is that what you believe?

8:57
DJT: I'm not saying anything, I'm saying when you say a man has killed reporters, I'd like you to prove it, and not... I'm saying it would be a terrible thing if it were true, but I have never seen any information or any proof that he killed reporters, George, you're just saying 'he killed reporters,' you and other people tell me he killed reporters, I don't know that he killed reporters, I haven't seen it. If he did I think it's despicable, I think it would be horrible, but you're making these accusations, and I don't... I don't see any proof, and by the way, he totally denies that he kills reporters, he totally denied it.

9:32
GS: I'm still waiting for the evidence that we've been directly involved in killing people, as well, you made your points about...

9:37
DJT: Well take a look at... excuse me, take a look at the rampage, all over the place, and you know who we've gotten for Iraq? We've spent two trillion dollars, OK? We've ... thousands, hundreds of thousands of people killed, we've lost thousands and thousands of our great young soldiers... So, two trillion, deaths, wounded warriors, and we have nothing. Iran is now taking over Iraq with the second largest oil reserves in the world, and I said 'don't go in, but when you go out, take the oil,' and I've been saying that, for four years, to you and others, and we were so incompenent we didn't even get the oil.

10:14
DJT: You know who got a lot of the oil? ISIS got a lot of the oil, that's who got the oil. And now Iran is taking the rest of it, they're going to get the lion's share, because we don't know what we're doing. We're run by people who don't have a clue.

10:28
GS: And Iran has been backed by Vladimir Putin I want to ask you a final question about Iowa, the New York Times has a story this morning saying...

10:33
DJT: Excuse me, Iran has been backed by us, you know why, you know how Iran has been backed by us? Because we made one of the dumbest deals in the history of dealmaking, when we gave them a hundred and fifty billion dollars, we have 24-day inspections, that don't start for a long time, and they get to self-inspect, and we don't even get our prisoners back. So don't tell me about Iran being run by Putin. We run... we let Iran become... it's a terror nation, and we let Iran become really powerful, and by the way, they don't need to create nuclear, because they are now so rich with 150 billion dollars, they can go out and buy it directly. So we're the ones that have really empowered Iran, not Russia. Russia's certainly doing their damage also, but we - through sheer stupidity - of a deal, one of the worst deals I've ever seen negotiated, we are the ones that truly have empowered Iran. And it's a disgrace.

11:30
GS: (feigning incredulity) We've empowered Iran more than Russia has?

11:31
DJT: George, we just made one of the worst deals I have ever seen in dealmaking, I'm not talking about just between nations. We don't even get our prisoners back. And now, after the deal is made, they want to start talking, as a new deal, to get our prisoners back. And they want a lot for the prisoners, for the four prisoners, and by the way they say we're not going to give you the four prisoners, we're only going to give you three,

11:52
GS: (trying to talk over Trump) ...the negotiating position was backed up by Russia.

11:58
DJT: Hey let me tell... you know why? Because Russia's making a lot of money, because they're selling missiles, and other military armaments to Iran, and they're getting... they're making a fortune on it, because they're smart. Because they're smart, and you know what we're getting from that deal? Nothing.

12:14
DJT: Russia should want them to make the deal, cause Russia's selling armaments, and they're selling missiles, beautiful, new, modern missiles, they're selling them to Iran, because our people don't know what they're doing, so of course Russia wanted that deal to be made, cause they're making a fortune. You know what we get with Iran? Nothing.

12:29
GS: Wait a minute. (Incredulous) It's our fault that Russia's selling missiles to Iran?

12:33
DJT: OF course it's our fault. Russia's a negotiator with us, at the table. Russia wanted Iran to make that deal, because they wanted Iran to have a lot of money, so that Russia could take some of that money away from Iran, because Russia is selling them tremendous numbers of missiles and armaments George, if you don't know that. So Russia, if I was Russia, I would've wanted that deal done too, because the money that the United States - run by incompetent people - is giving to Iran, a lot of that money is going Russia - and other countries - to buy armaments. You don't know that, George, but that's the way it is.

13:11
GS: (condescendingly) I do, I'm just not sure it's our fault. (smiling) That's all we have time for this morning, always a lively conversation, thank you for joining us.

13:17
DJT: Thank you very much.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: stephanopoulos; trump
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To: Steely Tom

Golly, does anybody think GS is campaigning for the Democrats?


41 posted on 12/20/2015 11:39:18 AM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Kahuna

Has Steffy boy ever seen the remnants of a US drone attack? We have even taken out US citizens. I’m not saying this is equivalent to what Putin may do, but our Country does take folks out from time to time. Dumbo calls them “folks”.


42 posted on 12/20/2015 11:40:19 AM PST by Kahuna
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To: bigbob
Indeed. Even ideologues know some of their ilk are blithering idiots, so Trump uses this technique to pull sopport from all sides.

The proof is in the pudding.

Notice that Trump accuses George Stephanopoulos of wanting to be politically correct on more than one occasion, and Stephanopoulos does not even deny it!!

Stephanopoulos knows that he is being politically correct, and wants his colleagues and the other powers-that-be to know that he is politically correct, that he believes in and practices political correctness!

He doesn't even deny it! Not once!

43 posted on 12/20/2015 11:40:48 AM PST by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: Steely Tom

Re: # 17. Very well said. Trump knows the motives, but he is more effectively substituting other more readily understood and less subjective words to say the same thing.

Good insights!


44 posted on 12/20/2015 11:59:06 AM PST by Gratia
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To: Kahuna
March 09, On this day, U.S. warplanes launch a new bombing offensive against Japan, dropping 2,000 tons of incendiary bombs on Tokyo over the course of the next 48 hours. Almost 16 square miles in and around the Japanese capital were incinerated, and between 80,000 and 130,000 Japanese civilians were killed in the worst single firestorm in recorded history.

George we did that. It's war. People die. You condone the World Trade crash as ok, however 1 civilian dies in Afghanistan, you scream bloody murder

45 posted on 12/20/2015 11:59:25 AM PST by Kozy
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To: Steely Tom

What I love about Trump is that he knows that the media is our enemy and he relishes getting in their faces and eviscerating them.

GO TRUMP!


46 posted on 12/20/2015 11:59:42 AM PST by aquila48
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To: Gator113

I am a Cruz supporter, but I just listened to this interview and Trump knocked it out of the park. My goodness that man is strong and he was very ready.

________________________________

With all respect to Cruz (who is so great in many ways) there is no other Republican candidate capable of doing what Trump does.

And it is my belief that no Republican will be able to defeat Hillary without being able to do what Trump daily proves he can do.


47 posted on 12/20/2015 12:04:36 PM PST by Gratia
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To: Steely Tom

Out of all the possible candidates, Trump would not be my first choice to run the country. But he’s not blind, or mute, about the dangers of open borders and ignoring the threat of radical Islam. Many of the other declared candidates won’t speak nearly as plainly, to say the least.

And with a president talking about the Crusades, Trump is the one they label as a kook???


48 posted on 12/20/2015 12:14:56 PM PST by cvq3842 (Thanks for all responses, and flames, in advance.)
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To: Signalman

He could of done better by bringing up gs donations to hrc


49 posted on 12/20/2015 12:17:33 PM PST by italianquaker
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To: italianquaker
He could of done better by bringing up gs donations to hrc

I think Trump has contributed to HRC also. He has certainly contributed to many Democrats.

50 posted on 12/20/2015 12:19:24 PM PST by Steely Tom (Vote GOP: A Slower Handbasket)
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To: Steely Tom
DJT: George, we just made one of the worst deals I have ever seen in dealmaking,

Ha,,,some "deal"...and by accounts the Iranian's didn't even sign it.

51 posted on 12/20/2015 12:28:04 PM PST by spokeshave (MDSM = Mentally Discombobulated Screaming Media)
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To: martinidon

If you’ve ever read anything about the Third Army in WWII, you’ll know that Patton had a standing order: Attack! Keep moving. Concede no ground, even if it’s a foot.

While I’m not comparing Trump to Patton, per sé; I’m sure he’s familiar, in his own way, with Patton’s playbook.

We need a fighter. I don’t care if he comes across as a son of a bitch, just as long as he’s OUR, son of a bitch!


52 posted on 12/20/2015 12:34:50 PM PST by AFreeBird
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To: spokeshave

Trump’s explanation of the Iran deal was breathtakingly insightful and straightforward. And way over Steffi’s head. It was about the last two minutes.


53 posted on 12/20/2015 12:40:48 PM PST by BigEdLB (Take it Easy, Chuck. I'm Not Taking it Back -- Donald Trump)
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To: Steely Tom
It was a great interview. I watched it twice, the second time making daughter watch with me.

Trump is fearless—calling out both flavors of globalists: The neocons like the Bush gang (+Rubio) and the socialists like Obama/Clinton/Sanders.

He is absolutely right about Iraq. We shouldn't have gone there; but, two wrongs don't make a right . . . so, once there, we should have kept permanent military bases and the oil.

54 posted on 12/20/2015 12:44:06 PM PST by Disestablishmentarian
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To: AFreeBird

Agreed!


55 posted on 12/20/2015 12:54:58 PM PST by martinidon
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To: Carl Vehse

A dishonest hypocrite and piece of excrement.


56 posted on 12/20/2015 12:57:02 PM PST by AdaGray
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To: Steely Tom

We just watched it and Trump was fantastic! Really nailed Georgie Boys PC presuppositions. Maranatha! We are hearing the “Last Trump”! ;-)


57 posted on 12/20/2015 1:11:43 PM PST by SubMareener (Save us from Quarterly Freepathons! Become a MONTHLY DONOR!)
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To: DoodleDawg

Or plain old national security.


58 posted on 12/20/2015 1:12:05 PM PST by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: Steely Tom

Trump blames America first for Putin, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and we’re to think he shined in this duel of the dimwits?


59 posted on 12/20/2015 1:37:12 PM PST by elhombrelibre (Against Obama. Against Putin. Pro-freedom. Pro-US Constitution. Go Cruz.)
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To: Steely Tom

Trump really exposed the elitist echo chamber during that interview. Amazing to witness.

Stunning George couldn’t follow the thought of Obama and Hillary being responsible for many, many deaths because of the Arab Spring they supported after the stupid decision to pull out of Iraq. Brain dead stupid. And they have the gall to act as if Trump is the stupid one. Wow.


60 posted on 12/20/2015 1:38:58 PM PST by dynoman (Objectivity is the essence of intelligence. - Marylin vos Savant)
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