Posted on 07/17/2024 9:28:50 AM PDT by Kazan
Bloomberg Businessweek interviewed former US President Donald Trump at his golf club, Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, on June 25, two days before the first 2024 presidential debate and about two weeks before a failed assassination attempt. In a discussion focused on business and the global economy, Trump talked about the Federal Reserve, inflation, tax cuts, tariffs, Taiwan and his relationships with chief executives. The interview was conducted by Bloomberg Senior Reporters Nancy Cook and Joshua Green, Managing Editor Mario Parker and Businessweek Editor Brad Stone. Below is a transcript of the conversation, lightly edited for clarity, and annotated with several fact-checks by Gregory Korte.
###
On Russia, as a businessman, you’ve talked about ending the war in Ukraine. Have you thought at all about easing or eliminating the sanctions on Russia as part of the deal that you’ve talked about to end the war in Ukraine?
Trump: Yeah. So what we’re doing with sanctions is we’re forcing everyone away from us. So I don’t love sanctions. I found them very useful with Iran, but I didn’t even need sanctions with Iran so much. I told China, that and Russia is in a similar position. I told China... I made people aware and I don’t think China is bad. But I made people aware that China has been ripping off this country for 30 years, OK, under every president, and I’m the only one who took in massive amounts of money, hundreds of billions of dollars from China.
###
Would you defend Taiwan against China?
Trump: Look, a couple of things. No. 1, Taiwan. I know the people very well, respect them greatly. They did take about 100% of our chip business1. I think, Taiwan should pay us for defense. You know, we’re no different than an insurance company. Taiwan doesn’t give us anything. Taiwan is 9,500 miles away. It’s 68 miles away from China. A slight advantage, and China’s a massive piece of land, they could just bombard it. They don’t even need to—I mean, they can literally just send shells. Now they don’t want to do that because they don’t want to lose all those chip plants. You know, all those plants and they don’t want to do that. But I will tell you, that’s the apple of President Xi’s eye, he was a very good friend of mine until Covid that I really, you know, I was, I didn’t feel the same way. Same thing with Putin.
Putin and I got along very well, with our relationship. We were never in danger of a war. He would have never gotten into Ukraine. I said, don’t ever, ever go into Ukraine.
Lots of media trying to ‘twist’ what Trump says into something not what he said. We are going to get a lot of this in the next 4 months.
There will be no need for sanctions against Russia once Trump is in office again.
Condolences to the zeepers! Ukraine is toast.
Trump is quite brilliant. I can’t believe the interviewer got him to saw as much as he did. This type of thinking is needed more than ever.
I’m not liking either position. If Taiwan goes, China goes after the Philippines next, and so on.
WRT Russia, just saying Putin won’t be aggressive because he “likes” Trump is just ridiculous. That’s not how Putin thinks.
I dont think that the article, or some others just in the last 48 hours, are intended to factually show Trumps position. I think they are trying to twist his words and sow discontent amongst supporters in any form they can.
Trump should do as he’s always done. Hold his cards close to his chest when it comes to things like Taiwan, Russia, and other foreign policies. That uncertainty of response is what gives him so much negotiating leverage. I think the media is trying to sabotage that strength.
The one thing I have learned about Trump is not to take his words literally. Everything is posturing.. setting the table so that negotiations can *begin* on friendly terms. It's *during* negotiations that Trump turns the screw. All there in the Art Of The Deal.
I think he’s just saying that Taiwan needs to pay up if they want American protection.
It’s been known that sanctions don’t work. In this case, it has driven Russia into the arms of China and North Korea...
Vance basically was basically along the same lines in the Financial Times interview the other day, at least on Ukraine.
https://www.ft.com/content/563c5005-c099-445f-b0f1-4077b8612de4
On the contrary, Ukraine is guaranteed to be toast if Biden and his neocon handlers remain in charge. It may take time, but Russia will not stop until Ukraine is completely subdued, controlled and its present government is removed. Then it will cease to exist.
Ukraine once had a future as a neutral country and as a buffer between the EU and their newfound enemy Russia. Similar to Austria after WWII. The chance for any part of Ukraine remaining independent is quickly slipping away.
Maybe Trump can save some of Ukraine by making a grand deal with Russia, but I doubt it.
Such binary thinking. No wonder any discussion about Ukraine around here turns into an ignorant s**tshow.
Grade Trump on the final deal. Not the things he says leading up to deal making. Words are cheap. Anyone can say anything to please a crowd.
Trump will knee cap Zelensky and the Ukies.
Right, but any peace deal will be on Putin’s terms. The way it’s going over there, Ukraine might not be around when Trump takes office again. If Ukraine lasts that long and chooses to continue to fight without US money and weapons after Trump takes office they are indeed toasted toast. A lose lose situation.
What Biden’s sanctions has done to Russia is to make China, India and North Korea Russia’s best friends now.
Good for him!
Sanctions can work or not work depending on how they are implemented and supported by the community. Its more effective if you have a coalition rather than go it solo. It also depends on your economic strengths and his economic weaknesses. Poorly executed, sanctions can be ineffective and even backfire.
You dont have to ask my opinion of how effective the Biden folks are at just about everything, not just sanctions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.