Trump: 'I identify with some things as a Democrat'

Donald Trump, a 2016 Republican presidential candidate, said Friday he sometimes identifies more as a Democrat when pressed to explain previous statements that the economy generally does better under Democrats than Republicans.

"I identify with some things as a Democrat," Trump said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" when pressed about the comments from 2004, adding that "generally speaking" he was "never a Bush fan."

"When the economy crashed so horribly under George Bush because of mistakes they made having to do with banking and lots of other things, I don't think the Democrats would have done that," Trump said.

"Now, I see it both ways, but I hated what I was watching in the last two years of George Bush, because it was a bubble that was waiting to explode," he added. "What they were doing was a death wish, and I saw that."

"I have seen things done by Republicans that are not good and are not smart, and I would not do that," he said.

The celebrity real estate developer skyrocketed to the top of many polls following the launch of his GOP White House bid in mid-June, amid weeks of criticism and media attention to his controversial comments on Mexican immigrants.

Trump made waves this week after he threatened during an interview with The Hill to run as a third-party candidate. He played down that possibility Thursday, saying, "I want to run as a Republican. I think I'll get the nomination."

"Over the years as a businessman, I've always helped everybody," Trump said Friday on MSNBC, further explaining his past support for both Democrats and Republicans.

"I'm a conservative, I want to run as a Republican, I'm leading every poll," he said. "I do not want to do independent at all. Now, if I'm treated poorly, that's one thing. If I'm treated well and with great respect and don't win, I would not do that."

Trump had suggested to The Hill on Wednesday that the Republican National Committee "has not been very supportive." He said Friday that the RNC has been "very, very nice over the last few days.”

When the economy crashed so horribly under George Bush because of mistakes they made having to do with banking and lots of other things, I don’t think the Democrats would have done that,” Trump said.

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Actually, this statement is great politics- IF- Trump’s intent was to skewer Jeb Bush. Trump is tying the financial crisis to the Bush Family— which most Americans believe.

Bye, bye Jebber— that’s how they’re coming after you.

That’s the line that bothered me the most. Has he looked at the economy in DEM strongholds in this country? Maybe ha can throw money into bad deals because he is rich and can write them off. That could be why he thinks the DEMS are better because of the stimulus. However, it was Bush who started it. Obama just picked up the ball and ran with it, and ran, and ran and ran. I suspect that Donald hasn’t handled his own money for years. He has people who take care of those things for him. I felt rather deflated after hearing this remark, but, other than Cruz and possibly Walker, who we gonna vote for who can win?

“I guess all the Trump groupies are sleeping late today”

The owner has been cheering on Trump, along with a lot of us as he has been flogging the left and their RINO allies. Do you include him?
I guess you didn’t get the memo—two, actually—admonishing us to try and get along because here you are, crowing like Chanticleer.

Trump is anything but ideological. I honestly don't think he KNOWS what "Democrats" or "Republicans" stand for or what a lot of their core ideologies are. He's total seat of the pants businessman, if it works, use it. If it doesn't don't.

Agree with your analysis. Trump is strictly a pragmatist. We will see him "evolve" during the campaign. If he were President, I can see him making deals across the board. Without any real ideological mooring, his deals could be disturbing to many of us.

I don't want an ideologue as President, but his actions should be circumscribed by basic principles and beliefs.

"Obama turned a lot of people to the right. I imagine that a business man seeing the world going to hell under Obama sees there needs to be a reversal.

Keep in mind, for most of us there were only two fiscally conservative Presidents in our lifetime. One a Democrat, the other a Republican, so we have had few fiscal conservatives."

Except Trump has stated before that the economy always does better under Democrats.

He IS one. He's telling you just that. He doesn't get it.

Hi miss M

Reagan had a recession around 86-87. G H W Bush did the no new taxes line. Dhimmicrats have so called good economic periods by printing money . You get more money which is worth less. Not really good for anyone.

All of them stink but I’ll take a republican for all the other reasons. But not Bush and not Rubio.

"When the economy crashed so horribly under George Bush because of mistakes they made having to do with banking and lots of other things, I don't think the Democrats would have done that," Trump said.

LOL, and this guy is a hero around here to a sizable group of people.

Clearly he has no idea what caused the economic crash. His vague assertion that it was "mistakes having to do with banking and lots of other things" that Bush made is meaningless because there are no specifics. The idea that it wouldn't have happened under Democrats is doubly stupid since it was in large part their CRA policies that led to the entire implosion.

Trump is just spewing populist nonsense. I can understand well meaning but politically uneducated right of center voters liking him, but one expects more than that on a great forum like this with so many actual learned ideological conservatives.

Politics is the art of the possible.

Left or right, it doesn’t matter how brilliant, ideologically solid, honest or hard working someone is if they can’t get elected.

Cruz has the charisma of an armadillo that has been rotting on the freeway in the Teas summer heat for a week or so. He’s really smart, no doubt but I think he’s going to be the Robert Taft of the 21st century.

Trump is entertaining and does not have to pander to anyone for money so his opinions are really his own (or at least part of his own strategy).

I think in a sense it’s his very unpredictability that really thrills the media, in that unpredictability = entertainment value = eyeballs = $$$ = media attention. Even Ross Perot wasn’t as entertaining.

Money and entertainment value in politics, it’s like strength and speed in the NFL, pretty hard to beat in the best of circumstances.

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