Straight-talking Donald had an interview this week with the Washington Post editorial board. Here is his actual response to just two of many questions. Fred Ryan, the paper’s publisher and CEO, asked whether he would consider using a tactical nuclear weapon against ISIS forces. He began, “I don’t want to use, I don’t want to start the process of nuclear. Remember the one thing that everybody has said, I’m a counterpuncher. Rubio hit me. Bush hit me. When I said low energy, he’s a low-energy individual, he hit me first. I spent, by the way he spent 18 million dollars’ worth of negative ads on me. That’s putting –” Ryan interrupted, “This is about ISIS. You would not use a tactical nuclear weapon against ISIS?” “I’ll tell you one thing, this is a very good looking group of people here,” Trump said. “Could I just go around so I know who the hell I’m talking to?” Trump was then asked to clarify his earlier comments that he would send 20-30 thousand ground troups to the middle east to “knock out” ISIS. “I find it hard to go along with — I mention that as an example because it’s so much. That’s why I brought that up. But a couple of people have said the same thing as you, where they said, ‘Did I say that,’ and I said that that’s a number that I heard would be needed. I would find it very, very hard to send that many troops to take care of it. I would say this, I would put tremendous pressure on other countries that are over there to use their troops and I’d give them tremendous air supporters and support, because we have to get rid of ISIS, okay, just so — we have to get rid of ISIS. I would get other countries to become very much involved.” If you have the stomach for the rest of the interview, you can find it here: https://www.washingtonpost.com/blog...ing-with-the-washington-post-editorial-board/
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee apologized on Tuesday for remarks made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump — and the reaction they received during their conference a day earlier, the Washington Post reported. “We say, unequivocally, that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks, and we take great offense against those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage,” AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus said. “While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the United States and our president, Barack Obama.” Trump called the president “the worst thing that ever happened to Israel” during his remarks at the conference, which bill itself as a non-partisan event. He also set off a round of cheers at the beginning of the speech, when he said, “With President Obama in his final year” and added, “Yay!” The line appeared to have been ad-libbed, an outlier in a speech that was delivered with the use of a teleprompter, unlike Trump’s campaign speeches. “We are disappointed that so many people applauded the sentiment that we neither agree with, or condone,” Pinkus said of the reaction. “Let us close this conference in recognition that when we say ‘come together,’ we still have a lot to learn from each other, and we still have much work to do.” According to the Post, Trump was also criticized by Jewish media outlets for his remarks, including Jane Eisner, editor-in-chief for The Forward. “I am ashamed that they would succumb to the pandering lies,” she wrote. “Donald Trump ought to have been received civilly but silently by AIPAC. Instead, the applause spoke volumes.”
It spoke the same message republican primary voters have been delivering. They are tired of being sold out by their leaders. Every person at the AIPAC meeting knew Trump was telling the truth, but like most Jews here, they are liberal democrats and have some sort of Stockholm Syndrome death wish when it comes to Obama.
So I read the whole thing. Here's my take, which I know you guys won't agree with (all you Trump haters) because you don't look at things fairly, you just hate Trump and everything will be twisted in a negative fashion no matter what. All those things you say about Obama haters, and how they don't look at Obama fairly, you're pretty much guilty of with Trump. I'm not for Trump, but I see what he's trying to do. Some of it I like, some of it I don't. His answers are so verbose and wandering that it's tough following a transcript of this nature. I wish he were more concise, I do. The following topics were brought up with Trump and these are my thoughts on his answers... On his foreign policy team: He didn't completely round out his full team but he brought up some names of some folks he's considering. Some I had to look up. Some I didn't. There are some good folks in there. Where were the other candidates foreign policy teams listed? I didn't see the media ask questions of them, can someone point me to them? On the question of a good SoS in the current era: Trump liked Shultz, didn't like Clinton or Kerry. Kerry particularly because of the Iran deal. Which lead to the question on Iran - what was bad about the deal: Trump had a good answer. We shouldn't have given back the money and lifted the sanctions without having our people back. I would have thought that'd be a no-brainer. He's looking at the Iran deal like a bad business deal. And he's right. On the question of inner city struggles: Trump's answer was pretty good. Provide incentives for companies to build and bring jobs there. Trump avoided the "racist police" bait the Post tried several times because he knows it's not his place to get in the middle of that. Let the courts handle the cases, but he's bang on when he says that jobs will eliminate a lot of the tension because people aren't really rioting over a single police case, they're rioting because they are not content - and that discontent comes from inequality and lack of opportunity at the core. On libel cases: Here I think Trump's position is really weak. He keeps saying the press should be more "fair" but he fails to define how that would be judged. They even ask him "fair according to you?" and he dodges. What I do like is that he talks about how newspapers should retract incorrect stories (instead of putting a small blurb on some back page). They should be forced to take up some front page with retractions when they do them. It should cost them money. What I don't like is how he seems to be pushing for restrictions on freedom of the press. But it's hard to blame him when the press is so one sided. I still don't agree, though. On the issue of condoning violence: as expected, the Post brings that up again, indicating it's Trump who is responsible for all these violent acts, and never pointing out that protesters are out of control and have no business doing some of the things they are doing. So it's all Trump's fault. Trump continued to say he does not support violence, but that these protesters are out of their rights of freedom of speech and taking things too far. He's right. Is Trump the most articulate individual to run for President? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But he's a regular Joe and he's saying it like he feels. The irony is that the people from the party of "tolerance" have the most problem with all of this.
The thing about Trump is, he never says anything that is untrue. Muslims hate us. Well he never said All Muslims, but when asked he replied, Well, a lot of them do. How is that in anyway untrue? Mexicans are sneaking in and raping our women and stealing our jobs. How is that untrue? And the one that cracks me up, we need to make deals with China that helps the Americans that want to live in Trump Tower and not just the Chinese that can afford to live in Trump Tower (well, he may have not said that one yet.)
He says lots of things that aren't true. Mostly because he shoots off without checking his stats first. But my point is - how is this any different than any other politician we've had or that is running?