His handlers need to get a handle on that smirky frown that's painted on his face when he is listening to someone or waiting to speak.
Not falling for his recent swing to conservatism. Making unrealistic promises that will never happen. Most egotistical individual ever to make a run and I'm not sure it is because he cares about our country. Trump cares about Trump
Not falling for his recent swing to conservatism. Making unrealistic promises that will never happen. Most egotistical individual ever to make a run and I'm not sure it is because he cares about our country. Trump cares about Trump
Speaking to 20,000+ patriots in Arizona. We are going to rebuild the American dream! #MAKEAMERICAGREATAGAIN
Here's the thing, mountain...
Trump has the sack to say what a lot of people feel. This is a country that doesn't like illegal immigrants and frankly doesn't want them here. I know I don't, and I'm sure many feel the same. I don't give a shit what so-called "Hispanic interest groups" believe or feel. Their feelings, thoughts and interests mean nothing to me. They've aligned themselves with the other assorted victim groups that comprise the modern dimocrap party. The PC culture must always be appeased and catered to with every single demand met without argument or question. Mindlessly robotic subservience. Trump said fuck that, and good for him.
As for his ego, he needs a big one to succeed...because both parties are bringing out the knives against him. He isn't in this for the money. Plenty of other far more lucrative opportunities than spending 16-hour days making speeches and facing cameras and reporters asking inane questions. I really hope he does stay in this for the long haul. I don't think he'd do this for cheap publicity.
Speaking to 20,000+ patriots in Arizona. We are going to rebuild the American dream! #MAKEAMERICAGREATAGAIN
I was there, more like 4500 there with another 1000 outside who didn't get in
How Donald Trump is trolling the Republican Party
Updated by Jonathan Allen on July 12, 2015, 1:25 p.m. ET jon@vox.com
Donald Trump is trolling the GOP.
The real-estate mogul vaulted into the top tier of Republican presidential candidates by becoming a megaphone for immigration hard-liners. That's revealed an ugly truth that party leaders have been trying to suppress in their pursuit of Latino voters: Anti-Hispanic bigotry plays well with a chunk of the Republican primary electorate.
Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs and bringing crime, and they're rapists," he said last month. On Saturday, at a rally in Phoenix that had to be moved to the city's convention center to accommodate the crowd, Trump "tripled down," as Politico put it. "They’re taking our jobs. They’re taking our manufacturing jobs. They’re taking our money. They’re killing us," he said. He invited the father of a young man slain by an unauthorized immigrant to the podium to speak.
Trump's a natural showman — the man who turned "You're fired" into a TV catchphrase — but he's given no indication that he's anything but serious as he whips up nativist passions. The danger for the GOP is that Trump's pitch-perfect parroting of anti-immigration forces — and their support for him in polls — will suggest to Latino voters and others that the whole party is intolerant.
GOP leaders and candidates have no idea what to do about it. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tried the nice-guy route, asking Trump in a private conversation to tone down his rhetoric. Instead, as he increasingly gets under the skins of his rivals and top GOP officials, Trump is pumping up the volume.
"The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take the country back," he said Saturday, casting himself as the voice for Republican primary voters who feel that their views are getting short shrift. He's also taken to attacking his Republican rivals harshly, by name and, at least in the case of Marco Rubio on immigration, for shifting stances.
It would be hard for Trump to find tacks more damaging to the GOP than the ones he's pursuing now, which is why his candidacy looks like an elaborate trolling of the Republican Party.
I don't use the Internet much, and I certainly don't hang out in chat rooms. What do you mean by "trolling?"
To assess whether Trump is trolling the GOP, it's necessary to have a working definition of the term.
The perfect troll involves taking a position and insisting on it in a way that enrages those who think — but can't prove — that you don't really believe it. The angrier they get, the more you dig in, perpetuating a cycle that leads them to escalating stages of anger. If you ever let on that you're just baiting them, you've failed. For more on trolling, Urban Dictionary provides some good context.
While it's impossible to know what he's thinking, the effects of Trump's candidacy track the definition of a troll pretty well.
He's infuriated Republican leaders by convincing a significant chunk of the primary electorate that he means what he says about immigration. The leaders are getting madder and madder because of the fix that puts them in: They can't afford to let Trump make a mockery of the party, but they can't openly rip their own voters for supporting him or try to tear him down publicly. If anything, that might trigger a pro-Trump backlash.
There's good reason for Republican leaders to doubt Trump's authenticity: He has flip-flopped on a variety of positions he's held on public policy in the past. Among them, he supported abortion rights, universal health care and raising taxes on the rich.
But Trump clearly isn't running to win an award for consistency or, for that matter, to win the presidency. If his candidacy is, in fact, a well-executed troll, Trump will never let on that it was all an act.
The Republican leadership's best hope is that he implodes — or that they can find a way to undermine him with the very voters to whom he's appealing.
That is, the best way to deal with The Donald is a counter-troll operation. Democrats couldn't be more giddy. Trump's even threatening to run a third-party candidacy, which could rob Republicans of needed votes in swing states in 2016.
If Hillary Clinton didn't put him up to that — if emails planning Trump's candidacy weren't on the server she wiped clean — she really missed out on a Machiavellian way to sabotage the GOP.
None of us can claim to know Trump's thinking, but we can judge his actions. Right now, The Donald looks a lot like a troll.
Updated by Jonathan Allen on July 12, 2015, 1:25 p.m. ET jon@vox.com
Donald Trump is trolling the GOP.
The real-estate mogul vaulted into the top tier of Republican presidential candidates by becoming a megaphone for immigration hard-liners. That's revealed an ugly truth that party leaders have been trying to suppress in their pursuit of Latino voters: Anti-Hispanic bigotry plays well with a chunk of the Republican primary electorate.
Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs and bringing crime, and they're rapists," he said last month. On Saturday, at a rally in Phoenix that had to be moved to the city's convention center to accommodate the crowd, Trump "tripled down," as Politico put it. "They’re taking our jobs. They’re taking our manufacturing jobs. They’re taking our money. They’re killing us," he said. He invited the father of a young man slain by an unauthorized immigrant to the podium to speak.
Trump's a natural showman — the man who turned "You're fired" into a TV catchphrase — but he's given no indication that he's anything but serious as he whips up nativist passions. The danger for the GOP is that Trump's pitch-perfect parroting of anti-immigration forces — and their support for him in polls — will suggest to Latino voters and others that the whole party is intolerant.
GOP leaders and candidates have no idea what to do about it. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus tried the nice-guy route, asking Trump in a private conversation to tone down his rhetoric. Instead, as he increasingly gets under the skins of his rivals and top GOP officials, Trump is pumping up the volume.
"The silent majority is back, and we’re going to take the country back," he said Saturday, casting himself as the voice for Republican primary voters who feel that their views are getting short shrift. He's also taken to attacking his Republican rivals harshly, by name and, at least in the case of Marco Rubio on immigration, for shifting stances.
It would be hard for Trump to find tacks more damaging to the GOP than the ones he's pursuing now, which is why his candidacy looks like an elaborate trolling of the Republican Party.
I don't use the Internet much, and I certainly don't hang out in chat rooms. What do you mean by "trolling?"
To assess whether Trump is trolling the GOP, it's necessary to have a working definition of the term.
The perfect troll involves taking a position and insisting on it in a way that enrages those who think — but can't prove — that you don't really believe it. The angrier they get, the more you dig in, perpetuating a cycle that leads them to escalating stages of anger. If you ever let on that you're just baiting them, you've failed. For more on trolling, Urban Dictionary provides some good context.
While it's impossible to know what he's thinking, the effects of Trump's candidacy track the definition of a troll pretty well.
He's infuriated Republican leaders by convincing a significant chunk of the primary electorate that he means what he says about immigration. The leaders are getting madder and madder because of the fix that puts them in: They can't afford to let Trump make a mockery of the party, but they can't openly rip their own voters for supporting him or try to tear him down publicly. If anything, that might trigger a pro-Trump backlash.
There's good reason for Republican leaders to doubt Trump's authenticity: He has flip-flopped on a variety of positions he's held on public policy in the past. Among them, he supported abortion rights, universal health care and raising taxes on the rich.
But Trump clearly isn't running to win an award for consistency or, for that matter, to win the presidency. If his candidacy is, in fact, a well-executed troll, Trump will never let on that it was all an act.
The Republican leadership's best hope is that he implodes — or that they can find a way to undermine him with the very voters to whom he's appealing.
That is, the best way to deal with The Donald is a counter-troll operation. Democrats couldn't be more giddy. Trump's even threatening to run a third-party candidacy, which could rob Republicans of needed votes in swing states in 2016.
If Hillary Clinton didn't put him up to that — if emails planning Trump's candidacy weren't on the server she wiped clean — she really missed out on a Machiavellian way to sabotage the GOP.
None of us can claim to know Trump's thinking, but we can judge his actions. Right now, The Donald looks a lot like a troll.
The Real Immigration Wild Card
Republicans are scared of what Donald Trump will say on the debate stage—but it’s John Kasich who could really shake things up.
By Josh Voorhees
Ohio Gov. John Kasich speaks during a conference June 19, 2015, Washington, D.C. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
OKATIE, South Carolina—The Republican establishment is terrified of Donald Trump. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is more or less begging Trump to tone down his inflammatory rhetoric about immigration, GOP megadonors want to make sure he never makes it to the first primary debate, and even Fox News is doing all it can to give the once-and-future reality TV star second thoughts about showing up to that opening debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Josh Voorhees Josh Voorhees is a Slate senior writer. He lives in Iowa City.
Conservatives have good reason to be scared. Given his poll numbers, Trump is looking like a lock to crash the GOP’s first debate and bring his particular brand of bloviated bigotry along with him. For a party that wants to attract Latino voters in 2016—or, at the very least, not actively repel them like it did in 2012—Trump’s the last man it wants in front of the camera.
Lost in all the Republican fretting about what Trump’s bombastic brand will do to the party’s own image, though, is another potential wild card who could shake up the debate as much or more than the carnival barker with the $100 million private jet. John Kasich, the popular two-term Ohio governor who has been dismissed as a Jon Huntsman-like moderate afterthought, might actually do more damage to mainstream Republicans than Trump. While Trump’s caustic comments about immigrants may leave Republicans with a general election hangover, it’s Kasich’s more nuanced views of reform that could spell bigger headaches for the establishment favorites.
Kasich, of course, has to make it on the debate stage first. He currently sits three places and about two points away from snagging the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] and final invite to a primetime event that will take place in his own backyard. But there are plenty of reasons to believe Kasich is due for a surge. For starters, he’ll most likely get a bump after he makes his campaign official on July 21, a burst that doesn’t have to be lasting or large to be meaningful since Fox News will send out debate invites two weeks later. Meanwhile, the three candidates he’ll probably need to pass have largely stalled: Carly Fiorina is short on cash, Rick Santorum is short on fans, and Chris Christie’s bid appears to have come four years and one traffic jam too late. Add to that the boost Kasich will get from the $1 million statewide ad blitz that his allies recently launched on his behalf in New Hampshire and the former House budget chairman is a decent bet to be on stage when the curtain rises.
And if that happens? Well, then what promises to be a circus may have some unexpected substance to go along with it. All eyes will still be on Trump, of course, but it’d be Kasich who could make things truly uncomfortable for Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and the rest of the mainstream candidates who are trying to appeal to the disaffected white working-class voters they’ll need to win the GOP nomination while still not completely alienating Latino and moderate voters ahead of the general election.
Consider what will happen when Trump trots out some version of his xenophobic and incendiary comments about many Mexican immigrants being rapists and criminals on the debate stage: Bush and Rubio can score a few easy points by simply admonishing him and moving on. In the process, they’d come off looking responsible and compassionate—who isn’t compared to Trump?—while not having to actually talk about specifics that divide the base. But if Kasich is up there on stage, too, there’d be no such easy out for Bush, Rubio, or even Scott Walker, all of whom have struggled to fully explain their shifting immigration views.
Kasich is an outlier among Republicans less for what he believes about immigration and more for what he’s willing to say and how he’s willing to say it. Like most of the field, he’s not pushing a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who are currently in the country illegally. Unlike many of his rivals, though, Kasich is vocal about not ruling it out completely. “I don’t like the idea of citizenship when people jump the line, [but] we may have to do it,” he said at the Republican Governors Association late last year. “Everybody in this country has to feel as though they have an opportunity.” Asked about his views on the unofficial campaign trail this past week in South Carolina, Kasich remained on message: “I’m not for it, but I wouldn’t take it off the table because I want to get an immigration deal.”
If Kasich has the chance to make the same case on the debate stage, the rest of the field will have to get specific in ways they never would if the conversation were to be led by Trump. Are they completely ruling out a path to citizenship? Or do they believe it belongs in the conversation? Mainstream candidates can tack right to help themselves in the primary and possibly hurt themselves in the general, or they can inch left with an eye on the general election and possibly damage their chances of even winning the nomination. This is the dance that inspired Mitt Romney’s infamous “self-deportation” line during the 2012 primary debates.
The immigration issue could be a major headache for the GOP’s Big Three this time around as well, and Kasich could make it worse. Bush was once for a path to citizenship and as recently as last year described the act of coming to the United States illegally as “an act of love.” Today, he’s more difficult to pin down but says he wants a path to “earned legal status,” not full-on citizenship. Rubio helped write the Senate’s immigration bill that included a path to citizenship in 2013 and once thought immigration would be his signature issue. Today, he’s distanced himself from the deal that many conservatives derisively dubbed “amnesty” and, those rare times he does talk about immigration, prefers to discuss “securing the border.” Walker, meanwhile, was once for a path to citizenship like many of his fellow governors but today is talking about curbing legal immigration. If these guys are going to have to talk about immigration during the primaries, they’d much rather have a shallow debate with Trump than a more complicated one with Kasich.
None of this is to suggest that Kasich can mount a real challenge for the GOP nomination. Most likely, he can’t. As Huntsman’s doomed 2012 campaign illustrated, conservative apostasy is rarely the way to win over the conservative base, and Kasich has committed his fair share. But Kasich doesn’t need to be a legitimate challenger to avoid being largely ignored on the debate stage like Huntsman was. The attention Trump will bring to immigration gives Kasich a clear opening to make some noise in the opposite direction if he wants to.
Perhaps just as important, Kasich has already proven that, unlike Huntsman, he’s able to land his punches. Consider what he said two years ago when facing criticism from conservatives for taking billions of federal dollars as part of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion: “Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.” That defiant stance didn’t change his party’s mind about Medicaid expansion, but it presented a new, grabby, muscular argument for a moderate position on a key issue for Republicans that also co-opted traditional conservative reasoning. If he offers such frank talk about immigration on stage in Cleveland, Bush and Rubio won’t have the luxury of looking compassionate by default.
Trump is the bizarrely coiffed straw man that mainstream GOP candidates can actually somewhat safely denounce. Kasich, though, is an actual foil they’d rather never have to deal with. If he makes it on stage, the White House hopefuls will—for the first time this year—have to define themselves against their party’s center as opposed to just the fringe. That might not be as fun as watching The Donald playing a parody of himself, but it might just be a whole lot more meaningful.
Republicans are scared of what Donald Trump will say on the debate stage—but it’s John Kasich who could really shake things up.
By Josh Voorhees
OKATIE, South Carolina—The Republican establishment is terrified of Donald Trump. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus is more or less begging Trump to tone down his inflammatory rhetoric about immigration, GOP megadonors want to make sure he never makes it to the first primary debate, and even Fox News is doing all it can to give the once-and-future reality TV star second thoughts about showing up to that opening debate in Cleveland on Aug. 6.
Josh Voorhees Josh Voorhees is a Slate senior writer. He lives in Iowa City. Conservatives have good reason to be scared. Given his poll numbers, Trump is looking like a lock to crash the GOP’s first debate and bring his particular brand of bloviated bigotry along with him. For a party that wants to attract Latino voters in 2016—or, at the very least, not actively repel them like it did in 2012—Trump’s the last man it wants in front of the camera.
Lost in all the Republican fretting about what Trump’s bombastic brand will do to the party’s own image, though, is another potential wild card who could shake up the debate as much or more than the carnival barker with the $100 million private jet. John Kasich, the popular two-term Ohio governor who has been dismissed as a Jon Huntsman-like moderate afterthought, might actually do more damage to mainstream Republicans than Trump. While Trump’s caustic comments about immigrants may leave Republicans with a general election hangover, it’s Kasich’s more nuanced views of reform that could spell bigger headaches for the establishment favorites.
Kasich, of course, has to make it on the debate stage first. He currently sits three places and about two points away from snagging the 10[SUP]th[/SUP] and final invite to a primetime event that will take place in his own backyard. But there are plenty of reasons to believe Kasich is due for a surge. For starters, he’ll most likely get a bump after he makes his campaign official on July 21, a burst that doesn’t have to be lasting or large to be meaningful since Fox News will send out debate invites two weeks later. Meanwhile, the three candidates he’ll probably need to pass have largely stalled: Carly Fiorina is short on cash, Rick Santorum is short on fans, and Chris Christie’s bid appears to have come four years and one traffic jam too late. Add to that the boost Kasich will get from the $1 million statewide ad blitz that his allies recently launched on his behalf in New Hampshire and the former House budget chairman is a decent bet to be on stage when the curtain rises.
And if that happens? Well, then what promises to be a circus may have some unexpected substance to go along with it. All eyes will still be on Trump, of course, but it’d be Kasich who could make things truly uncomfortable for Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, and the rest of the mainstream candidates who are trying to appeal to the disaffected white working-class voters they’ll need to win the GOP nomination while still not completely alienating Latino and moderate voters ahead of the general election.
Consider what will happen when Trump trots out some version of his xenophobic and incendiary comments about many Mexican immigrants being rapists and criminals on the debate stage: Bush and Rubio can score a few easy points by simply admonishing him and moving on. In the process, they’d come off looking responsible and compassionate—who isn’t compared to Trump?—while not having to actually talk about specifics that divide the base. But if Kasich is up there on stage, too, there’d be no such easy out for Bush, Rubio, or even Scott Walker, all of whom have struggled to fully explain their shifting immigration views.
Kasich is an outlier among Republicans less for what he believes about immigration and more for what he’s willing to say and how he’s willing to say it. Like most of the field, he’s not pushing a path to citizenship for the millions of immigrants who are currently in the country illegally. Unlike many of his rivals, though, Kasich is vocal about not ruling it out completely. “I don’t like the idea of citizenship when people jump the line, [but] we may have to do it,” he said at the Republican Governors Association late last year. “Everybody in this country has to feel as though they have an opportunity.” Asked about his views on the unofficial campaign trail this past week in South Carolina, Kasich remained on message: “I’m not for it, but I wouldn’t take it off the table because I want to get an immigration deal.”
If Kasich has the chance to make the same case on the debate stage, the rest of the field will have to get specific in ways they never would if the conversation were to be led by Trump. Are they completely ruling out a path to citizenship? Or do they believe it belongs in the conversation? Mainstream candidates can tack right to help themselves in the primary and possibly hurt themselves in the general, or they can inch left with an eye on the general election and possibly damage their chances of even winning the nomination. This is the dance that inspired Mitt Romney’s infamous “self-deportation” line during the 2012 primary debates.
The immigration issue could be a major headache for the GOP’s Big Three this time around as well, and Kasich could make it worse. Bush was once for a path to citizenship and as recently as last year described the act of coming to the United States illegally as “an act of love.” Today, he’s more difficult to pin down but says he wants a path to “earned legal status,” not full-on citizenship. Rubio helped write the Senate’s immigration bill that included a path to citizenship in 2013 and once thought immigration would be his signature issue. Today, he’s distanced himself from the deal that many conservatives derisively dubbed “amnesty” and, those rare times he does talk about immigration, prefers to discuss “securing the border.” Walker, meanwhile, was once for a path to citizenship like many of his fellow governors but today is talking about curbing legal immigration. If these guys are going to have to talk about immigration during the primaries, they’d much rather have a shallow debate with Trump than a more complicated one with Kasich.
None of this is to suggest that Kasich can mount a real challenge for the GOP nomination. Most likely, he can’t. As Huntsman’s doomed 2012 campaign illustrated, conservative apostasy is rarely the way to win over the conservative base, and Kasich has committed his fair share. But Kasich doesn’t need to be a legitimate challenger to avoid being largely ignored on the debate stage like Huntsman was. The attention Trump will bring to immigration gives Kasich a clear opening to make some noise in the opposite direction if he wants to.
Perhaps just as important, Kasich has already proven that, unlike Huntsman, he’s able to land his punches. Consider what he said two years ago when facing criticism from conservatives for taking billions of federal dollars as part of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion: “Now, when you die and get to the meeting with St. Peter, he’s probably not going to ask you much about what you did about keeping government small. But he is going to ask you what you did for the poor. You better have a good answer.” That defiant stance didn’t change his party’s mind about Medicaid expansion, but it presented a new, grabby, muscular argument for a moderate position on a key issue for Republicans that also co-opted traditional conservative reasoning. If he offers such frank talk about immigration on stage in Cleveland, Bush and Rubio won’t have the luxury of looking compassionate by default.
Trump is the bizarrely coiffed straw man that mainstream GOP candidates can actually somewhat safely denounce. Kasich, though, is an actual foil they’d rather never have to deal with. If he makes it on stage, the White House hopefuls will—for the first time this year—have to define themselves against their party’s center as opposed to just the fringe. That might not be as fun as watching The Donald playing a parody of himself, but it might just be a whole lot more meaningful.
[h=1]Listening to Donald Trump swear and talk politics on his private plane[/h]
By Robert Costa Washington Post
Donald Trump says he has no plans to change campaign style
It was Saturday night aboard Donald Trump's gleaming Boeing 757. An hour earlier, he had finished the most high-profile speech of his nearly month-old presidential campaign: a rally attended by thousands in Phoenix where he railed against illegal immigration and countless other targets — Macy's, NBC, NASCAR, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy — for 70 minutes. The billionaire real-estate mogul took off his jacket, clicked the oversized satellite television in his plush, cream-colored cabin over to Fox News and closely watched the channel's coverage.
Letterman comes back from retirement to deliver Top Ten List targeting Trump
As shadowy images of Hispanic immigrants and criminal mug shots were interspersed with his remarks, Trump, 69, turned gleeful. "The only reason they're talking about this is because of me," he said. "Look at that crowd, fantastic," he added. He sat down in his leather chair. His eponymous crest was woven into the headrest, and his plane was 30,000 feet above the border he had called so porous that illegal immigrants are able to "flow in like water."
In an expletive-laden interview over soft drinks — Trump sips from a small plastic bottle of Coca-Cola — the celebrity contender said he has no plans to change the way he's running for the Republican nomination, which combines his trademark showmanship, an outsider-populist credo that resists ideological categorization and incendiary comments that have thrilled conservative activists.
Trump was most animated when analyzing the way the news media covered him and dishing with aides about the articles they had printed out. He was less excited discussing the process of presidential politics. When asked about the coming debate, set for Aug. 6 in Cleveland, he shrugged and said, "Whatever." When asked about calls for him to tone down his fiery pitch, he shrugged again.
Following is a lightly edited transcript:
What's next?
More of the same, I'll keep doing my thing. I'll go around to different places, get great receptivity. I get the biggest crowds. I get the biggest standing ovations. You saw that today, I could have been there for 20 minutes and they would have been cheering. So, you'll see more of the same, getting the word out.
Will immigration remain your focus?
No. It's just one of the things. It's not only immigration. It's about trade. They go hand in hand. Immigration is one of the things you have to do. I'm also a moralist. You heard what I said today about health care. I said, I'm sorry, folks, but we have to take care of people that don't have money. I know it's not the conservative thing to say, but I got a standing ovation — and these were very conservative people. We can't let people down when they can't get any medical care, when they're sick and don't have money to go to a doctor. You help them.
So Trump has a heart?
A big heart, let me tell you. Too big.
When did you decide to seize on immigration and make it the thrust of your campaign?
They gave it to me. It wasn't a big part of my announcement speech — a small paragraph. The Democrats and the enemies lined up and they criticized me for one line where I said Mexico is sending — I said Mexico is sending. I didn't say people are coming over and they're bad people. They would leave off the 'Mexico is sending' part, chop it and say I said 'rapists' when talking about people.
But when you use a word like rapist . . .
It is a very rough word. It's okay to use.
[Eyeing the television, Trump gets up to watch another Fox News segment about his Arizona gathering. "Jeanine Pirro, let's see what she has to say about me," he said as he settled into his couch. When a picture of the Mexican laborer accused of killing a San Francisco woman is put on screen, Trump said: "Look at that guy, look at what he did, killing that beautiful girl. [Expletive] animal." He returned several minutes later to continue the interview.]
Are you looking forward to the debate?
No, not one way or the other. Whatever. I don't look forward or not look forward. It is what it is.
When are you going to file your financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission?
This week. Do you think Jeb Bush [the former Florida governor] is going to file his statement? I don't know what's going on. I just heard it today that he hasn't filed. I assume he would have been filed. His should be simple, you know, in comparison to mine. I have so many companies and corporations.
GOP chairman to Trump: 'Tone it down'
Many Republican officials have asked you to tone down your immigration comments. It doesn't seem like you're listening to their advice.
I respect the people in the Republican Party, but this is a very important issue and it can't be toned down. It's an issue that wants to be silenced. Remember I told you the story about the guy they were going after, that killer, and when they heard he was he was an illegal immigrant it was like he was protected? If he were a citizen, they'd put him in jail for life.
How did you come up with "the silent majority" as a theme for your Saturday speech?
I was just thinking about it today. When I heard about this overwhelming — I'm telling you, it was 500 people at the start and the hotel called us begging to be released. They said they never had anything like this and we had to move the venue. I said to myself, 'That's the silent majority.'
You don't care about the Nixon overtones?
Nah. Nobody remembers that. Oh, is that why people stopped using [the phrase]? Maybe. Nobody thinks of Nixon. I don't think of Nixon when I think of the silent majority. The silent majority today, they're going to vote for Trump. Remember, many Republicans didn't vote for Mitt Romney. He didn't inspire people. They're going to vote for me. And I'll also get the Hispanics, you watch.
What do they see in you?
They see somebody who's going to turn the country around — somebody who has the ability to turn this country around. They're tired of the incompetence. When you see my [financial] statement, you'll be very impressed. That's why it's important. Let's say I was worth $10. People would say, "Who the [expletive] are you?" You understand? They know my statement. Fortune. My book, "The Art of the Deal," based on my fortune. If I didn't make a fortune, who the [expletive] is going to buy "The Art of the Deal"? That's why they watched "The Apprentice," because of my great success.
Do you see your bid as similar to Ross Perot's 1992 maverick presidential campaign?
A: No. I don't consider Perot a movement. This is a movement. It's a different movement than I think you've ever seen before. Angry, sad, disappointed, devastated by what's happened to the country. Mourning. Some of these people who've lost their kids to [illegal immigrants], it's mourning. I spoke to one of the mothers today who came to see me, lost her son five years ago. It was like it was yesterday. Their lives are [expletive] over. She'll never be happy. This campaign is about making America great again. I copyrighted it.
Republican leaders worry that Donald Trump is damaging GOP image
What the [expletive] else do you have? Are you finished yet?
[Trump turns back to Fox, which is again covering the accused San Francisco killer. "Look at this animal. Now he's claiming innocence. He's got the lawyer now," Trump said. He stands up and opens another Coke, not to go on record again.]
By Robert Costa Washington Post
Donald Trump says he has no plans to change campaign style
It was Saturday night aboard Donald Trump's gleaming Boeing 757. An hour earlier, he had finished the most high-profile speech of his nearly month-old presidential campaign: a rally attended by thousands in Phoenix where he railed against illegal immigration and countless other targets — Macy's, NBC, NASCAR, U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy — for 70 minutes. The billionaire real-estate mogul took off his jacket, clicked the oversized satellite television in his plush, cream-colored cabin over to Fox News and closely watched the channel's coverage.
Letterman comes back from retirement to deliver Top Ten List targeting Trump
As shadowy images of Hispanic immigrants and criminal mug shots were interspersed with his remarks, Trump, 69, turned gleeful. "The only reason they're talking about this is because of me," he said. "Look at that crowd, fantastic," he added. He sat down in his leather chair. His eponymous crest was woven into the headrest, and his plane was 30,000 feet above the border he had called so porous that illegal immigrants are able to "flow in like water."
In an expletive-laden interview over soft drinks — Trump sips from a small plastic bottle of Coca-Cola — the celebrity contender said he has no plans to change the way he's running for the Republican nomination, which combines his trademark showmanship, an outsider-populist credo that resists ideological categorization and incendiary comments that have thrilled conservative activists.
Trump was most animated when analyzing the way the news media covered him and dishing with aides about the articles they had printed out. He was less excited discussing the process of presidential politics. When asked about the coming debate, set for Aug. 6 in Cleveland, he shrugged and said, "Whatever." When asked about calls for him to tone down his fiery pitch, he shrugged again.
Following is a lightly edited transcript:
What's next?
More of the same, I'll keep doing my thing. I'll go around to different places, get great receptivity. I get the biggest crowds. I get the biggest standing ovations. You saw that today, I could have been there for 20 minutes and they would have been cheering. So, you'll see more of the same, getting the word out.
Will immigration remain your focus?
No. It's just one of the things. It's not only immigration. It's about trade. They go hand in hand. Immigration is one of the things you have to do. I'm also a moralist. You heard what I said today about health care. I said, I'm sorry, folks, but we have to take care of people that don't have money. I know it's not the conservative thing to say, but I got a standing ovation — and these were very conservative people. We can't let people down when they can't get any medical care, when they're sick and don't have money to go to a doctor. You help them.
So Trump has a heart?
A big heart, let me tell you. Too big.
When did you decide to seize on immigration and make it the thrust of your campaign?
They gave it to me. It wasn't a big part of my announcement speech — a small paragraph. The Democrats and the enemies lined up and they criticized me for one line where I said Mexico is sending — I said Mexico is sending. I didn't say people are coming over and they're bad people. They would leave off the 'Mexico is sending' part, chop it and say I said 'rapists' when talking about people.
But when you use a word like rapist . . .
It is a very rough word. It's okay to use.
[Eyeing the television, Trump gets up to watch another Fox News segment about his Arizona gathering. "Jeanine Pirro, let's see what she has to say about me," he said as he settled into his couch. When a picture of the Mexican laborer accused of killing a San Francisco woman is put on screen, Trump said: "Look at that guy, look at what he did, killing that beautiful girl. [Expletive] animal." He returned several minutes later to continue the interview.]
Are you looking forward to the debate?
No, not one way or the other. Whatever. I don't look forward or not look forward. It is what it is.
When are you going to file your financial disclosure with the Federal Election Commission?
This week. Do you think Jeb Bush [the former Florida governor] is going to file his statement? I don't know what's going on. I just heard it today that he hasn't filed. I assume he would have been filed. His should be simple, you know, in comparison to mine. I have so many companies and corporations.
GOP chairman to Trump: 'Tone it down'
Many Republican officials have asked you to tone down your immigration comments. It doesn't seem like you're listening to their advice.
I respect the people in the Republican Party, but this is a very important issue and it can't be toned down. It's an issue that wants to be silenced. Remember I told you the story about the guy they were going after, that killer, and when they heard he was he was an illegal immigrant it was like he was protected? If he were a citizen, they'd put him in jail for life.
How did you come up with "the silent majority" as a theme for your Saturday speech?
I was just thinking about it today. When I heard about this overwhelming — I'm telling you, it was 500 people at the start and the hotel called us begging to be released. They said they never had anything like this and we had to move the venue. I said to myself, 'That's the silent majority.'
You don't care about the Nixon overtones?
Nah. Nobody remembers that. Oh, is that why people stopped using [the phrase]? Maybe. Nobody thinks of Nixon. I don't think of Nixon when I think of the silent majority. The silent majority today, they're going to vote for Trump. Remember, many Republicans didn't vote for Mitt Romney. He didn't inspire people. They're going to vote for me. And I'll also get the Hispanics, you watch.
What do they see in you?
They see somebody who's going to turn the country around — somebody who has the ability to turn this country around. They're tired of the incompetence. When you see my [financial] statement, you'll be very impressed. That's why it's important. Let's say I was worth $10. People would say, "Who the [expletive] are you?" You understand? They know my statement. Fortune. My book, "The Art of the Deal," based on my fortune. If I didn't make a fortune, who the [expletive] is going to buy "The Art of the Deal"? That's why they watched "The Apprentice," because of my great success.
Do you see your bid as similar to Ross Perot's 1992 maverick presidential campaign?
A: No. I don't consider Perot a movement. This is a movement. It's a different movement than I think you've ever seen before. Angry, sad, disappointed, devastated by what's happened to the country. Mourning. Some of these people who've lost their kids to [illegal immigrants], it's mourning. I spoke to one of the mothers today who came to see me, lost her son five years ago. It was like it was yesterday. Their lives are [expletive] over. She'll never be happy. This campaign is about making America great again. I copyrighted it.
Republican leaders worry that Donald Trump is damaging GOP image
What the [expletive] else do you have? Are you finished yet?
[Trump turns back to Fox, which is again covering the accused San Francisco killer. "Look at this animal. Now he's claiming innocence. He's got the lawyer now," Trump said. He stands up and opens another Coke, not to go on record again.]
Letterman comes back from retirement to deliver Top Ten List targeting Trump
Some things are more important than retirement.
David Letterman was called back into action this weekend with a brand-new Top Ten List inspired by the recent presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
Although he's been content since retiring as host of "Late Show" in May, Letterman called missing out on lampooning Trump's White House bid "the biggest mistake of my life."
Appearing with his pals Martin Short and Steve Martin at their live comedy show Friday night in San Antonio, he made up for lost time:
10. That thing on his head was the gopher in "Caddyshack."
9. During sex, Donald Trump calls out his own name.
8. Donald Trump looks like the guy in the lifeboat with the women and children.
7. He wants to build a wall? How about building a wall around that thing on his head!
6. Trump walked away from a moderately successful television show for a delusional, bull... Oh, no, wait, that's me.
5. Donald Trump weighs 240 pounds — 250 with cologne.
4. Trump would like all Americans to know that that thing on his head is free-range.
3. (tie) If President, instead of pardoning a turkey on Thanksgiving, he plans to evict a family on Thanksgiving. AND: That's not a hairdo — it's a wind advisory.
2. Donald Trump has pissed off so many Mexicans, he's starring in a new movie entitled, "NO Amigos" (a reference to the 1986 comedy, "Three Amigos," that starred Short and Martin).
1. Thanks to Donald Trump, the Republican mascot is also an ass.
Associated Press
Some things are more important than retirement.
David Letterman was called back into action this weekend with a brand-new Top Ten List inspired by the recent presidential candidacy of Donald Trump.
Although he's been content since retiring as host of "Late Show" in May, Letterman called missing out on lampooning Trump's White House bid "the biggest mistake of my life."
Appearing with his pals Martin Short and Steve Martin at their live comedy show Friday night in San Antonio, he made up for lost time:
10. That thing on his head was the gopher in "Caddyshack."
9. During sex, Donald Trump calls out his own name.
8. Donald Trump looks like the guy in the lifeboat with the women and children.
7. He wants to build a wall? How about building a wall around that thing on his head!
6. Trump walked away from a moderately successful television show for a delusional, bull... Oh, no, wait, that's me.
5. Donald Trump weighs 240 pounds — 250 with cologne.
4. Trump would like all Americans to know that that thing on his head is free-range.
3. (tie) If President, instead of pardoning a turkey on Thanksgiving, he plans to evict a family on Thanksgiving. AND: That's not a hairdo — it's a wind advisory.
2. Donald Trump has pissed off so many Mexicans, he's starring in a new movie entitled, "NO Amigos" (a reference to the 1986 comedy, "Three Amigos," that starred Short and Martin).
1. Thanks to Donald Trump, the Republican mascot is also an ass.
Associated Press
Trump trails an Avocado 10-1 on twitter. The avocado is far more literate on the issues.
Avocado @avocadofact Jul 1 who would you rather have in office? rt for an avocado. fav for donald trump.
Avocado @avocadofact Jul 1 who would you rather have in office? rt for an avocado. fav for donald trump.
- Retweets 83,606
- Favorites 8,299
Uh oh! Spammy is going after Donald Trump...and we all know how that story ends:
Anyone willing to put up a posting lifetime ban bet that Trump won't be POTUS sign in. That only goes for non stiffs and ghosts, so Zit and Casper aren't eligible. Anyone else, feel free. But I would get as laugh if a clueless idiot like you is now Predicting Trump will be POTUS. All We need is Wrong Way to affirm it.
Donald Trump, who promised to kick El Chapo’s a--, calls FBI after Mexican drug lord threatens him on Twitter 
BY Meg Wagner
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Monday, July 13, 2015, 11:53 AM
Updated: Monday, July 13, 2015, 5:06 PM
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would "kick El Chapo's a--" if he were President.
Donald Trump thinks he can kick El Chapo’s butt — but the billionaire called the FBI when the Mexican drug lord returned the threat.
The 2016 presidential hopeful contacted federal agents Monday when a Twitter account claiming to be the escaped Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman tweeted profane, hostile messages at him, TMZ reported.
A day earlier, Trump tweeted that he’d kick Guzman’s "ass," unlike other presidential contenders who are softer on immigration.
“Keep f--king around, and I’ll make you eat all of your godd--n words, f--king whitey f----t @realDonaldTrump,” an account claiming to be Guzman’s official Twitter presence tweeted at Trump’s account in Spanish.
The Daily News could not verify the @ElChap0Guzman’s authenticity, but the account has more than 272,000 followers and dates back to June 2012.
2016 CANDIDATES BLAST TRUMP FOR OFFENSIVE COMMENTS
Trump Says He'll Kick El Chapo's A--, Calls FBI After Threat
NY Daily News
The same account also tweeted threats to President Enrique Pena Nieto — “And you, @EPN don’t ever call me a delinquent again because I give people jobs, unlike your f--king current government” and commented on life outside of prison — “Life takes many turns, one day we’re in the hole and the next we’re on top..”
When Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison Saturday, Trump quickly chimed in on how he’d handle the runaway cartel mastermind.
“Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with 'El Chapo', the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison? ....” @realDonaldTrump Tweeted Sunday night.
He continued: “...Trump, however, would kick his ass!”
Trump followed up his Sunday comments with more derogatory musings Monday morning about immigration and Mexico. The scathing tweets mirrored bizarre, inflammatory comments he made about Mexican immigrants during his candidacy announcement.
MARIO GUZMAN/EPA Mexican drug lord Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison for the second time Saturday.
U.S. AGENTS 2 PREVIOUS ESCAPE PLOTS BY EL CHAPO
“The U.S. will invite El Chapo, the Mexican drug lord who just escaped prison, to become a U.S. citizen because our ‘leaders’ can't say no!” Trump tweeted. “El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartels use the border unimpeded like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S.”
The rant continued: “....likewise, billions of dollars gets brought into Mexico through the border. We get the killers, drugs & crime, they get the money!”
Last month, while announcing his 2016 presidential run, Trump accused Mexico of sending its drug runners and rapists to the U.S., insinuating that most immigrants were criminals. Critics slammed the comments were slammed as racist — but Trump isn’t backing down, especially in the wake of Guzman’s escape.
“When will people, and the media, start to apologize to me for my statement, ‘Mexico is sending....’, which turned out to be true? El Chapo,” he Tweeted Monday.
Guzman slipped out of his prison cell late Saturday through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel, apparently built over the course of a year right under authorities' noses.
The bold Saturday night breakout is the second in the 58-year-old kingpin’s career. The Sinaloa Cartel boss managed to flee from Mexico's only other maximum-security prison in 2001, and then spent 13 years on the lam. He was recaptured in 2014.
The manhunt for the drug lord entered its second day Monday
BY Meg Wagner
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Published: Monday, July 13, 2015, 11:53 AM
Updated: Monday, July 13, 2015, 5:06 PM
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he would "kick El Chapo's a--" if he were President.
Donald Trump thinks he can kick El Chapo’s butt — but the billionaire called the FBI when the Mexican drug lord returned the threat.
The 2016 presidential hopeful contacted federal agents Monday when a Twitter account claiming to be the escaped Joaquin (El Chapo) Guzman tweeted profane, hostile messages at him, TMZ reported.
A day earlier, Trump tweeted that he’d kick Guzman’s "ass," unlike other presidential contenders who are softer on immigration.
“Keep f--king around, and I’ll make you eat all of your godd--n words, f--king whitey f----t @realDonaldTrump,” an account claiming to be Guzman’s official Twitter presence tweeted at Trump’s account in Spanish.
The Daily News could not verify the @ElChap0Guzman’s authenticity, but the account has more than 272,000 followers and dates back to June 2012.
2016 CANDIDATES BLAST TRUMP FOR OFFENSIVE COMMENTS
NY Daily News
The same account also tweeted threats to President Enrique Pena Nieto — “And you, @EPN don’t ever call me a delinquent again because I give people jobs, unlike your f--king current government” and commented on life outside of prison — “Life takes many turns, one day we’re in the hole and the next we’re on top..”
When Guzman escaped from a maximum-security prison Saturday, Trump quickly chimed in on how he’d handle the runaway cartel mastermind.
“Can you envision Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton negotiating with 'El Chapo', the Mexican drug lord who escaped from prison? ....” @realDonaldTrump Tweeted Sunday night.
He continued: “...Trump, however, would kick his ass!”
Trump followed up his Sunday comments with more derogatory musings Monday morning about immigration and Mexico. The scathing tweets mirrored bizarre, inflammatory comments he made about Mexican immigrants during his candidacy announcement.
U.S. AGENTS 2 PREVIOUS ESCAPE PLOTS BY EL CHAPO
“The U.S. will invite El Chapo, the Mexican drug lord who just escaped prison, to become a U.S. citizen because our ‘leaders’ can't say no!” Trump tweeted. “El Chapo and the Mexican drug cartels use the border unimpeded like it was a vacuum cleaner, sucking drugs and death right into the U.S.”
The rant continued: “....likewise, billions of dollars gets brought into Mexico through the border. We get the killers, drugs & crime, they get the money!”
Last month, while announcing his 2016 presidential run, Trump accused Mexico of sending its drug runners and rapists to the U.S., insinuating that most immigrants were criminals. Critics slammed the comments were slammed as racist — but Trump isn’t backing down, especially in the wake of Guzman’s escape.
“When will people, and the media, start to apologize to me for my statement, ‘Mexico is sending....’, which turned out to be true? El Chapo,” he Tweeted Monday.
Guzman slipped out of his prison cell late Saturday through a sophisticated, mile-long tunnel, apparently built over the course of a year right under authorities' noses.
The bold Saturday night breakout is the second in the 58-year-old kingpin’s career. The Sinaloa Cartel boss managed to flee from Mexico's only other maximum-security prison in 2001, and then spent 13 years on the lam. He was recaptured in 2014.
The manhunt for the drug lord entered its second day Monday
