Time to Get Tough (22 page)

Some people think the presidency no longer matters, that the United States is finished. But let me tell you, the president makes all the difference in the world. If we get the right president, our country can become stronger and better and more successful than ever before.

The Republican field has several good candidates in the race—most of whom have come to see me at my office in Trump Tower. The reason they come to see me isn't just because I am a nice person but because millions of people listen to what I say and know I “get it.” Some magazines have said I am the single most important endorsement a presidential candidate can
have. I don't know if that's true but it wouldn't surprise me. I don't say that to brag, I just tell it like it is.

It started when Sarah Palin came to Trump Tower. She is a terrific woman and gets an unfair shake from the media. We had a great conversation. She said, “Hey, let's go out for pizza.” We did and it was bedlam, with tons of people swarming us. I got criticized because I ate my pizza with a fork. (The truth is, I know how to eat pizza but I was trying to eat as little as possible because I hate gaining weight!) But I really enjoyed my time with Sarah and her family. We caused quite a stir on the streets of New York and especially in front of that pizza parlor. It was wild!

Michele Bachmann came up to my office more than once. She is a real worker bee. She started low, shot to the top of the polls, and then dropped down again, probably because Rick Perry came in and stole a lot of her thunder. But Michele is a wonderful person and no matter what happens with her run for the White House she's got a great political future ahead of her. She's passionate about America and a strong protector of traditional values.

When Rick Perry came to see me at Trump Tower we had a great discussion, and then went to Jean Georges Restaurant, probably the best restaurant in New York, which is located on the street level of Trump International Hotel and Tower at One Central Park West. We had an incredible conversation and I found him to be a good and personable guy, much different from what you see in the debates. Since then, I have spoken to him on numerous occasions, and every time I speak to him he is so forceful and strong that I have actually said to him: “Rick, why can't you act this way during the debates?” He said, “Donald, the debates are just not my thing.” So I said, “Why don't you pretend you are someplace else?
You gotta act different. You are getting killed in the debates.” But he repeated, “Donald, they are just not for me.” Fair enough. But Rick was severely hurt by what took place in the debates. It was sad to see. The debates are turning out to be much more important in this presidential cycle than in past primaries, and if you don't do well in the debates, it's a long climb back to the top. But again, Rick is a terrific guy with some solid ideas. It will be interesting to see if he can regain his footing.

Mitt Romney came up to Trump Tower. I had never met Mitt before and, not having met him, maybe I was inclined not to be in his corner. The fact is, when you meet him in person, he is a much different guy than he is in public. He is warm and engaging. The public has to get to know him better. He gets criticized for changing his opinions, or “flip flopping,” but over a lifetime I've seen many people who don't change and they always get left behind. Smart people learn things, so they change their minds. Only stupid people never change their minds.

In the debates, Mitt has been spectacular. He's sharp, highly educated, and looks like a president. The amazing thing is, no matter how well he does, no matter who endorses him, he seems to stay at about the same numbers in the polls.
So far
, although he remains at the top or close to the top in the polls, he seems frozen at around 25 percent of primary voters. As other candidates drop out of the race, those numbers may break in his favor. Only time will tell.

Herman Cain is a real piece of work. He came up to my office and immediately I liked him and I believe he liked me. He's a terrific guy with a magnetic personality (he also happens to be a great singer). When Herman left Trump Tower, the press swarmed over him and I was told he said
something like, “Look, I don't know if I am going to get Donald's support or endorsement but I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to like me because he's got the most vicious mouth for anybody he doesn't like and I didn't want him badmouthing me.” I thought it was extremely cute and honest and I do indeed like Herman Cain. He's run an amazing campaign with very little staff. That has some advantages. There are plenty of political bloodsuckers who leech on to candidates and get millions of dollars and do nothing but give the candidates bad ideas and bad advice.

One thing I told Herman is that no matter what happens, he has elevated his stock. If he doesn't win, which is a very distinct possibility, he can run for another office and walk in. Whether it's the Senate or a governorship or even running a company, Herman has built a great resume and done it for peanuts. He didn't waste money—and I really admire that.

As this book goes to press, there are some vicious rumors swirling around Herman. These kinds of charges are to be expected in any political race, but we will see if he can weather them.

One mistake I made was with Jon Huntsman who really seems like a nice guy. He called me a number of times and I was unbelievably busy doing a deal and I didn't get back to him. Then, the time got long enough that I decided maybe I shouldn't bother him.

Jon Huntsman and his family have done an amazing job for the Wharton School of Finance, which is the best business school in the world. We both went there and I respect him and the job his family has done. Nevertheless, when all the candidates were saying they were coming up to see me, he said just the opposite. He said, “I don't have to see Donald
Trump. I don't need Donald Trump. I don't want to see Donald Trump.” What he didn't say was that he called me to have a meeting. While I like Jon Huntsman, he should not have said he didn't call me when he did. In fact, he left me his number and the person's name to call to set up a meeting. If you want, I can give you both. I know he won't lie if directly asked about this. I should have called him back—it wasn't polite and to him I apologize. If he ever calls again I promise to take his call and I would look forward to meeting him. With that said, for many more reasons which are fairly obvious, he can't and won't win the presidency in 2012.

One group that has already won is the Tea Party. The Tea Party has done a great service to the United States. They have made all politicians look seriously at what's wrong with our country, including America's $15 trillion of debt.

The media continuously bash the Tea Party. Nothing could be more unfair. In fact, when the Tea Party held a rally recently in Richmond, Virginia, they were forced to put up $10,000 to take care of insurance and barricades—and they gladly did it. When Occupy Wall Street marched, their gathering caused much more disturbance and disruption and they weren't asked to put up any money. The press constantly maligns, ridicules, and mocks the Tea Party folks. The fact is the Tea Party is made up of great citizens of this country. And in the end, I think the Tea Party patriots will get the last laugh because they will go down as having done more to change the country than any other group. They are terrific people, great Americans, and I am proud to have such a good relationship with them.

As for the Occupy Wall Street protesters, I am certainly not opposed to them or their concerns, some of which are legitimate. They are angry at
the banks and they should be. They are angry at the government and they have every right to be. But, as I tell them all the time when they call my office, they need to move their protest over to the White House and get the community organizer out of his 747 and into the Oval Office so he can get to work making good deals with other countries and stopping other nations from ripping us off. If we could take back our jobs and money from China, OPEC, and all of the other places that are ripping us off, we wouldn't have to decimate our safety net and leave those who really need help stranded. That's a cause worth fighting for.

Of course, while there are some Occupy protesters who are serious and sincere people, there are a lot of them who are just there to meet people and have a party. And there are still others who are bad people who are involved for bad reasons. What started as a protest is becoming dangerous to the protesters. How long it will last is anyone's guess.

One thing the Tea Party folks and the Occupy Wall Street people can and should agree on is tackling the rampant problem in the Obama administration of
crony capitalism
. We've already seen with Solyndra and Fisker how the president's pals and big time campaign donors all got sweetheart loans and deals and stuck taxpayers with the bill. I predict we haven't heard the last of it and that the Obama administration engaged in many more cases of funneling money to companies connected to the president and his donors. Mark my word.

I love capitalism enough to protect it. There has to be a level playing field where everyone can compete fairly. The guy swinging a hammer all day shouldn't have the government reaching in his pocket and handing his taxes to Obama's big shot donors. It's wrong and unfair. Teachers, nurses,
police officers, and firefighters have no business bailing out Wall Street bankers and billion-dollar companies.

Likewise, I think the Occupy people and the Tea Party can agree to get rid of the corporate welfare that gives tax subsidies to oil companies. How does that make any sense? Oil companies make billions. Why should the taxpayers have money taken out of their hard-earned paycheck to hand over to the oil companies, many of whom are in cahoots with OPEC? That's stupid and unfair as anyone can clearly see.

I believe America can restore herself to greatness. But we need the right kind of change to tap the massive potential locked inside our great country. The so-called “ruling class” in Washington needs to be replaced with people committed to the Constitution and the values of fair play, hard work, and sparking the innovation and entrepreneurship that has made America great.

We just lost a great innovator and American entrepreneur in Steve Jobs. Like his politics or not, Jobs changed the world with his technological innovations. Interestingly, Jobs kept Washington money largely out of Apple—he wanted his company to stand and fight on its own two feet. Jobs, who was an Obama supporter, had a great idea that he offered to the president. “Put together a group of six or seven CEOs who could really explain the innovation challenges in America.” But according to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, once the White House officials got involved they messed it up, trying to micromanage things and turning it into a much larger event, and Steve Jobs pulled out.
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We need more innovators, dreamers, and entrepreneurs. America used to be #1 in producing all three. We can restore America and unleash the incredible potential of our great land and people. All it takes is the wisdom to return to our core principles, the resolve to keep the faith, and the willingness to get tough and innovate.

Take, for example, the X-PRIZE Foundation. This entrepreneurial group hosts competitions with cash prizes for the most innovative idea in Education, Exploration, Energy, and Life Sciences. The first $10 million reward was given in 2004 to whatever team could launch a manned spacecraft twice in two weeks. The X-PRIZE motto is totally American: “Revolution Through Competition.”
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That's the way Americans like to think. That's the American Dream in motion. We're going to have to invent our way out of the mess our country is in. It starts with doing something I've always done, which is to think big.

Americans dream big and do hard things. It's who we are. It's what we do. When our country is unchained, we're unstoppable. But we need smart leaders, people who understand how the world works and have the guts to get tough. With proper leadership, we can rebuild the shining city on a hill we once were. When we do, we should boldly and proudly celebrate America's power and dominance in the world. The way I see it, greatness need not apologize for itself. Ever.

If we do that, we can, together, make America #1 again.

T
he team at Regnery Publishing has been terrific to work with in every way, and I'd like to thank Wynton Hall, Peter Schweizer, Marji Ross, Jeff Carneal, and Harry Crocker for doing such a great job. They've been a pleasure to work with and their professionalism was apparent from the start. At the Trump Organization I would like to thank Rhona Graff, Meredith McIver, Michael Cohen, Kacey Kennedy, and Thuy Colayco for their enthusiasm and careful work. Thanks to all for a job well done.