Donald Trump in CNN 2015 GOP primary debate

On Jobs: FactCheck: Yes, Trump wanted a casino, and Jeb opposed it

Jeb Bush asked about Trump's statement that politicians could be bought: "The one guy that had some special interests that I know of that tried to get me to change my views on something--that gave me money--was Donald Trump," Bush said. "He wanted casino gambling in Florida."

That's when Trump cut him off--and failed to tell the truth. "I didn't," Trump said. But for more than 21 years, Trump did. He and his company have repeatedly been on record trying to get casino deals in one form or another in Florida.

Trump didn't just stop with his one false denial. He doubled down. Immediately after Trump said "I didn't" want casinos in Florida, Bush corrected him: "Yes you did. You wanted it and you didn't get it because I was opposed."

Trump, cutting him off: "[If I'd wanted it], I promise I would have gotten it."

Wrong again. As early as 1994, just before Florida voters rejected expanded gambling, Trump told The Miami Herald: "I'm going to be the first one to open up if Floridians vote for them."

Source: Politico FactCheck on 2015 Republican two-tier CNN debate Sep 17, 2015

On Jobs: 2013: Failed to persuade Florida legislators on large casino

[Did Trump try unsuccessfully to get casinos into Florida while Jeb Bush was governor? Yes.] From hiring lobbyists to taking a former business partner to court, Trump's interest in getting a piece of Florida's gaming industry has been documented in news articles from Tallahassee to Miami. Trump's involvement in expanding Florida gaming--an effort that regularly fails in the state Capitol due to the influence of conservative lawmakers--is well-known among state capital reporters, politicians and lobbyists alike.

As early as 1994, Trump [said he would open a casino if voters approved it]. A decade later, Florida approved casinos. Today, Florida has 15 of them. None are owned by Trump. But he tried after he bought the Doral Golf Resort & Spa near Miami and joined the failed fight to have lawmakers approve new, large "destination-resort" casinos. "If Miami doesn't do casinos, that would be a terrible mistake," Trump told The Miami Herald in 2013. But Trump didn't get what he wanted.

Source: Politico FactCheck on 2015 Republican two-tier CNN debate Sep 17, 2015

On Budget & Economy: We owe $19T and we need a businessman to bring us back

Q [to Fiorina]: You've dismissed Donald Trump as an entertainer. Would you feel comfortable with Donald trump's finger on the nuclear codes?

FIORINA: I think Mr. Trump is a wonderful entertainer. He's been terrific at that business. One of the benefits of a presidential campaign is our judgment and temperament is revealed over time and under pressure.

Q: And his temperament regarding the nuclear codes?

FIORINA: That's not for me to answer; it is for the voters of this country to answer.

TRUMP: As far as temperament, I think I have a great temperament. I built a phenomenal business with incredible, iconic assets. And I may be an entertainer, because I've had tremendous success with #1 bestsellers all over the place. But I will tell you this: What I am far and away greater than an entertainer is a businessman, and that's the kind of mindset this country needs to bring it back, because we owe $19 trillion right now, $19 trillion, and you need this kind of thinking to bring our country back.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Foreign Policy: Putin has no respect for America; I will get along with him

Q: What would you do right now if you were president, to get the Russians out of Syria?

TRUMP: Number one, they have to respect you. He has absolutely no respect for President Obama. Zero. I would talk to him. I would get along with him. I believe I would get along with a lot of the world leaders that this country is not getting along with. I think I will get along with Putin, and I will get along with others, and we will have a much more stable world.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Foreign Policy: We must deal with the maniac in North Korea with nukes

[With regards to the Iranian nuclear deal]: Nobody ever mentions North Korea where you have this maniac sitting there and he actually has nuclear weapons and somebody better start thinking about North Korea and perhaps a couple of other places. You have somebody right now in North Korea who has got nuclear weapons and who is saying almost every other week, "I'm ready to use them." And we don't even mention it. Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Government Reform: I'm not accepting any money from anybody

Q [to Jeb Bush]: Mr. Trump has repeatedly said that the $100 million you've raised for your campaign makes you a puppet for your donors. Are you?

BUSH: No. Absolutely not. The one guy that tried to get me to change my views on something--that was generous and gave me money--was Donald Trump. He wanted casino gambling in Florida.

TRUMP: I promise if I wanted it, I would have gotten it.

BUSH: No way. Believe me.

Q: What about politicians being controlled by donors?

TRUMP: Jeb made the statement, but I'm not only referring to him. A lot of money was raised by a lot of different people that are standing up here. And the donors, the special interests, the lobbyists have very strong power over these people. I am not accepting any money from anybody. Nobody has control of me other than the people of this country. I'm going to do the right thing.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Health Care: I'm for vaccines, but in smaller quantities to avoid autism

Q [to Carson]: Donald Trump has publicly and repeatedly linked autism to childhood vaccines. Your opinion?

CARSON: There have been numerous studies, and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism.

Q [to Trump]: As president, you would be in charge of the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institutes of Health, both of which say you are wrong.

TRUMP: Autism has become an epidemic. It has gotten totally out of control. I am totally in favor of vaccines. But I want smaller doses over a longer period of time. You take this little baby, and you pump--I mean, it looks like it's meant for a horse, not for a child. Just the other day, a 2-year-old child went to have the vaccine, and got a fever; now is autistic. I'm in favor of vaccines, do them over a longer period of time, same amount. And I think you're going to see a big impact on autism.

CARSON: We are probably giving way too many in too short a period of time.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Immigration: We're only country dumb enough for birthright citizenship

Q: You say that babies born in the United States to undocumented immigrants should not any longer get automatic American citizenship; isn't that in the 14th Amendment?

TRUMP: The 14th Amendment says very, very clearly to a lot of great legal scholars that it is wrong. It can be corrected with an act of Congress, but probably doesn't even need that. A woman gets pregnant. She's nine months, she walks across the border, she has the baby in the United States, and we take care of the baby for 85 years? I don't think so. Mexico--and almost every other country anywhere in the world--doesn't have that. We're the only ones dumb enough, stupid enough to have it. And this is not just with respect to Mexico--people are coming from Asia to have babies here, and all of a sudden, we have to take care of the babies for the life of the baby. The 14th Amendment [should] go through the Supreme Court, but there are a lot of great legal scholars that say that is not correct.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Immigration: Illegal immigrants populate many criminal gangs

[First], I want to build a wall. Second of all, we have a lot of really bad dudes in this country from outside. They go, if I get elected. Gangs all over the place. We have a country of laws, they're going to go out, and they'll come back if they deserve to come back. If they've had a bad record, if they've been arrested, if they've been in jail, they're never coming back. Right now, we don't have a country, we don't have a border, and we're going to do something about it. Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Immigration: This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish

We have a country, where, to assimilate, you have to speak English. And I think that where he was, and the way it came out didn't sound right to me. We have to have assimilation--to have a country, we have to have assimilation. I'm not the first one to say this. We've had many people over the years, for many, many years, saying the same thing. This is a country where we speak English, not Spanish. Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Social Security: I'll give up my Social Security; leave it to each person

Q: Chris Christie says billionaires and people who make and earn far less should no longer get Social Security, or there should be limits based on income.

A: I'm OK with it. I would be willing to say I will not get Social Security. As a policy, I would leave it up to the people. Don't forget they pay in, and maybe they do well, and maybe some people want it. But the fact is that there are people that truly don't need it, and there are many people that do need it very, very badly.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On Tax Reform: Raise graduated taxes on hedge fund managers

Q: Donald Trump says that the hedge fund guys are getting away with murder by paying a lower tax rate. He wants to raise the taxes of hedge fund managers, as does Governor Bush. Do you agree?

CARSON: The people who [oppose flat taxes]--that's called socialism.

Q: What about the FairTax?

TRUMP: What I don't like about the FairTax is that if you make $200 million a year, you pay 10%, you're paying very little relatively to somebody that's making $50,000 a year, and has to hire H&R Block because the middle class. The hedge fund guys won't like me as much as they like me right now. I know them all, but they'll pay more. I know people that are making a tremendous amount of money and paying virtually no tax, and I think it's unfair.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On War & Peace: I'm pro-military but I opposed invading Iraq in 2003

TRUMP: I am the only person on this dais that fought very, very hard against us going into Iraq, because I said going into Iraq--that was in 2003, you can check it out--I'll give you 25 different stories. In fact, a delegation was sent to my office to see me because I was so vocal about it. I'm a very militaristic person, but you have to know when to use the military. I'm the only person up here that fought against going into Iraq.

Sen. Rand PAUL: I've made my career as being an opponent of the Iraq War. We have to learn sometimes the interventions backfire. The Iraq War backfired and did not help us. We're still paying the repercussions of a bad decision.

Dr. Ben CARSON: When the issue occurred in 2003, I suggested to President Bush that he not go to war. So I just want that on the record.

Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

On War & Peace: If Obama had attacked Syria, we wouldn't have refugees now

Somehow, [President Obama] just doesn't have courage. There is something missing from our president. Had he crossed the line and really gone in with force, done something to Assad--if he had gone in with tremendous force, you wouldn't have millions of people displaced all over the world. Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN Sep 16, 2015

The above quotations are from CNN Two-Tier 2015 GOP primary debate First Tier: Eleven candidates by polls Second Tier: Four other Republicans. Click here for main summary page. Click here for a profile of Donald Trump. Click here for Donald Trump on all issues.
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Page last updated: Dec 07, 2018