Subject: RE: Trump Questions for CNN
From: "Dillon, Lauren" <[email-masked]>
To: "Freundlich, Christina" <[email-masked]>, "Roberts, Kelly" <[email-masked]>, "Sarge, Matthew" <[email-masked]>, "Graham, Caroline" <[email-masked]>, "Walker, Eric" <[email-masked]>, "Bauer, Nick" <[email-masked]>, "Brinster, Jeremy" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2016 08:59:57 -0700

CNN said the interview was cancelled as of now but will keep the questions for the next one :(

Good to have for others as well.

Updated here:

- Who helped you write the foreign policy speech you're giving tomorrow? Which advisors specifically did you talk to? What advice did they give you? Did they give you any advice that you chose not to take?

-A number of Republicans and think tanks including the Heritage Foundation<http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/homeland-security/259033-the-case-against-a-minimum-percentage-of-gdp-defense> have suggested tying defense spending to GDP, most often suggesting defense should be funded at 4 percent GDP. Is that something you would do/we'll see in your plan?

- You've said you look to Ambassador John Bolton for military advice and called him "terrific," but he was one of the architects of the Iraq war. How do you explain your praise for Bolton if you also claim the war was a mistake? What advice have you taken from him?

*         TODD: "Who do you talk to for military advice right now?" TRUMP: "Well, I watch the shows. I really see a lot of great -- when you watch your show and all of the other shows and you have the generals and you have certain people that you like." TODD: "But is there somebody -- is there a go to for you?" TRUMP: "Probably there are two or three." TODD: "Every presidential candidate has a go-to." TRUMP: "Well, probably there are two or three. I like Bolton, I think he's a tough cookie, knows what he's talking about. Jacobs is a good guy." TODD: "Do you mean Ambassador John Bolton--" TRUMP: "Yes. I think he's terrific--."  [Meet The Press, NBC, 8/16/15]

- CIA Director Brennan and former CIA Director Hayden have both said that our military and intelligence officers might refuse to follow some of your orders if you were president. You've said that the military would in fact listen, but what would you do if the military refused to listen to you? Should they be court-martialed if they refuse to follow orders?

*         Asked What He Would Do If The Military Refused To Obey His Illegal Orders, Trump Said "They're Not Going To Refuse Me. Believe Me." BAIER: "General Michael Hayden, former CIA director, NSA director, and other experts have said that when you asked the U.S. military to carry out some of your campaign promises, specifically targeting terrorists' families, and also the use of interrogation methods more extreme than waterboarding, the military will refuse because they've been trained to turn down and refuse illegal orders. So what would you do, as commander-in-chief, if the U.S. military refused to carry out those orders?" TRUMP: "They won't refuse. They're not going to refuse me. Believe me." BAIER: "But they're illegal." [Republican Primary Debate, Detroit MI, 3/3/16]

*         Trump: "If I Say Do It, They're Going To Do It. That's What Leadership Is All About." BAIER: "But targeting terrorists' families?" (APPLAUSE) TRUMP: "And -- and -- and -- I'm a leader. I'm a leader. I've always been a leader. I've never had any problem leading people. If I say do it, they're going to do it. That's what leadership is all about." [Republican Primary Debate, Detroit MI, 3/3/16]

- Do you think American victims of 9/11 should be able to sue Saudi Arabia in court? What role, if any, do you think Saudi Arabia had in the 9/11 attacks?

- You've said we should have bombed the "right people" after 9/11 and have suggested that the government has evidence Saudi Arabia was involved. Do you think we should have instead bombed Saudi Arabia?

*         Trump Said We Needed To Bomb The "Right People," The "People That Knocked Down The World Trade Center" And That Was Not Saddam Hussein. TRUMP: "No, I'm saying that, certainly, it would have been nice if the federal government could have given some of the trillion dollars that we've spent on Iraq. And by the way, I'm worse of a hawk than anybody. I'm worse than Roger Ailes, and that's pretty bad, OK? But you've got to bomb the right people. You've got to bomb the right -- the people that knocked down the World Trade Center. It was not the people of Iraq, and it was not Saddam Hussein. It's sort of interesting. Saddam Hussein used to kill terrorists. Now Iraq is a breeding ground for terrorists. I mean, that's the Harvard of terrorism. So it's a very, very sad situation." [Cavuto, Fox Business, 12/17/08]

*         Trump Suggested The Redacted Pages Of The 9/11 Report Would Reveal That Saudi Arabia Blew Up The World Trade Center. "'Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasn't the Iraqis, it was Saudi - take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents,' Trump told the gang at Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, after defending his bizarre theory that George W. Bush was president on September 11. Trump appeared to be referencing the 28 pages that were redacted from the 2002 Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks." [New York Magazine, 2/17/16<http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/donald-trump-suggests-the-saudis-did-911.html>]

- Would you order U.S. troops to withdraw from South Korea if they refused to pay us, and if so, how quickly?

*         Trump Said He Was Willing To Withdraw U.S. Forces From Japan And South Korea If They Did Not Increase Their Financial Contribution. HABERMAN: "Would you be willing to withdraw U.S. forces from places like Japan and South Korea if they don't increase their contribution significantly?" TRUMP: "Yes, I would. I would not do so happily, but I would be willing to do it. Not happily. David actually asked me that question before, this morning before we sort of finalized out. The answer is not happily but the answer is yes. We cannot afford to be losing vast amounts of billions of dollars on all of this. We just can't do it anymore. Now there was a time when we could have done it. When we started doing it. But we can't do it anymore. And I have a feeling that they'd up the ante very much. I think they would, and if they wouldn't I would really have to say yes." [Donald Trump Interview, New York Times, 3/26/16<http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-transcript.html?_r=0>]

- How many military bases do you think the U.S. should have in Southeast Asia?

*         Trump Said He Did Not Think The U.S. Gained Anything By Having Military Bases In South Korea And Japan. LANE:  "You know, well, they say and I think this is on public record, it's basically 50 percent of the non-personnel cost is paid by South Korea and Japan." TRUMP: "50 percent?" LANE: "Yeah." TRUMP: "Why isn't it 100 percent?" HIATT: "Well I guess the question is, does the United States gain anything by having bases?" TRUMP: "Personally I don't think so. I personally don't think so. Look. I have great relationships with South Korea. I have buildings in South Korea. But that's a wealthy country. They make the ships, they make the televisions, they make the air conditioning. They make tremendous amounts of products. It's a huge, it's a massive industrial complex country." [Editorial Board Interview, Washington Post, 3/21/16<https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/21/a-transcript-of-donald-trumps-meeting-with-the-washington-post-editorial-board/>]

- You've said that you would listen to our generals if they called to send 20,000 troops in to fight ISIS, then later said you would find it hard to go along with those troop levels. Which one is it? Would you listen to the troop levels our generals called for? If not, how many troops do you think is appropriate to send in to combat ISIS?

*         Trump Said He "Would Listen To The Generals" But Was "Hearing Numbers Of 20,000 To 30,000" Ground Troops To Fight ISIS In Syria. HEWITT: "Mr. Trump, more troops?" TRUMP:  "We really have no choice. We have to knock out ISIS. We have to knock the hell out of them, we have to get rid of it and then we have to come back here and rebuild our country, which is falling apart." HEWITT: "How many?" TRUMP: "I would listen to the generals but I'm hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000. We have to knock them out fast. We have to knock them out fast. Look, we're not allowed to fight. We can't fight. We're not knocking out the oil because they don't want to create environmental pollution up in the air." [Republican Primary Debate, Miami FL, 3/10/16]

*         Trump: "I Find It Hard To Go Along With" The Generals' Suggestion For 20- To 30,000 Troops "Because It's So Much." DIEHL: "And could I ask you about ISIS, speaking of making commitments, because you talked recently about possibly sending 20 or 30,000 troops and--" TRUMP: "No I didn't, oh no no no, okay, I know what you're saying. There was a question asked to me. I said that the military, the generals have said that 20- to 30,000. They said, would you send troops? I didn't say send 20,000. I said, well the generals are saying you'd need because they , what would it take to wipe out ISIS, I said pretty much exactly this, I said the generals, the military is saying you would need 20- to 30,000 troops, but I didn't say that I would send them." DIEHL: "If they said that, would you go along with that and send the troops?" TRUMP: "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." [Editorial Board Interview, Washington Post, 3/21/16<https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/wp/2016/03/21/a-transcript-of-donald-trumps-meeting-with-the-washington-post-editorial-board/>]

- You've said that the U.S. disproportionately funded the U.N., should we reduce our funding to the United Nations? How much should we reduce it by? If we get nothing out of the U.N, why should we continue to be a member of it?

*         Trump Said We Disproportionately Funded The United Nations And Got Nothing Out Of It. TRUMP: "You know, I'll give you another one, I talked about NATO and we fund disproportionately, the United Nations, we get nothing out of the United Nations other than good real estate prices. We get nothing out of the United Nations. They don't respect us, they don't do what we want, and yet we fund them disproportionately again. Why are we always the ones that funds everybody disproportionately, you know? So everything is like that." [New York Times Interview, 3/26/16<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-transcript.html?_r=0>]

- Which international organizations should the U.S. be a member of? Which treaties do you think it is valuable the U.S. remain a part of?

- In 2000, you said you supported a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if it would keep them from getting nuclear weapons. Do you still support that?

*         Trump: Am I Ready To Bomb North Korea's Reactor? "You're Damned Right." "What would I do in North Korea? Fair question. It's easy to point out the problem, but what should we do to solve it? Am I ready to bomb this reactor? You're damned right." [Donald Trump, The America We Deserve, 1/15/00]

*         Trump: "A Surgical Strike Would Not Only Put Out The Fire In North Korea, But It Would Also Send A Message Around The World That The United States Is Going To Eliminate Any Serious Threat To Its Security, And Do So Without Apology." [Donald Trump, The America We Deserve, 1/15/00]

From: Freundlich, Christina
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 10:34 AM
To: Roberts, Kelly; Dillon, Lauren; Sarge, Matthew; Graham, Caroline; Walker, Eric; Bauer, Nick; Brinster, Jeremy
Subject: RE: Trump Questions for CNN

Obviously I think these are all great. lauren?

From: Roberts, Kelly
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 10:21 AM
To: Dillon, Lauren; Freundlich, Christina; Sarge, Matthew; Graham, Caroline; Walker, Eric; Bauer, Nick; Brinster, Jeremy
Subject: RE: Trump Questions for CNN

This is the list Brinster, Sarge and I came up with:

- Who helped you write the foreign policy speech you're giving tomorrow? Which advisors specifically did you talk to? What advice did they give you? Did they give you any advice that you chose not to take?

- CIA Director Brennan and former CIA Director Hayden have both said that our military and intelligence officers might refuse to follow some of your orders if you were president. What would you do if the military refused to listen to you? Should they be court-martialed if they refuse to follow orders?

- You've said you look to Ambassador John Bolton for military advice and called him "terrific," but he was one of the architects of the Iraq war. How do you explain your praise for Bolton if you also claim the war was a mistake? What advice have you taken from him?

*         TODD: "Who do you talk to for military advice right now?" TRUMP: "Well, I watch the shows. I really see a lot of great -- when you watch your show and all of the other shows and you have the generals and you have certain people that you like." TODD: "But is there somebody -- is there a go to for you?" TRUMP: "Probably there are two or three." TODD: "Every presidential candidate has a go-to." TRUMP: "Well, probably there are two or three. I like Bolton, I think he's a tough cookie, knows what he's talking about. Jacobs is a good guy." TODD: "Do you mean Ambassador John Bolton--" TRUMP: "Yes. I think he's terrific--."  [Meet The Press, NBC, 8/16/15]

- Do you think American victims of 9/11 should be able to sue Saudi Arabia in court? What role, if any, do you think Saudi Arabia had in the 9/11 attacks?

- You've said we should have bombed the "right people" after 9/11 and have suggested that the government has evidence Saudi Arabia was involved. Do you think we should have instead bombed Saudi Arabia?

*         Trump Said We Needed To Bomb The "Right People," The "People That Knocked Down The World Trade Center" And That Was Not Saddam Hussein. TRUMP: "No, I'm saying that, certainly, it would have been nice if the federal government could have given some of the trillion dollars that we've spent on Iraq. And by the way, I'm worse of a hawk than anybody. I'm worse than Roger Ailes, and that's pretty bad, OK? But you've got to bomb the right people. You've got to bomb the right -- the people that knocked down the World Trade Center. It was not the people of Iraq, and it was not Saddam Hussein. It's sort of interesting. Saddam Hussein used to kill terrorists. Now Iraq is a breeding ground for terrorists. I mean, that's the Harvard of terrorism. So it's a very, very sad situation." [Cavuto, Fox Business, 12/17/08]

*         Trump Suggested The Redacted Pages Of The 9/11 Report Would Reveal That Saudi Arabia Blew Up The World Trade Center. "'Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasn't the Iraqis, it was Saudi - take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents,' Trump told the gang at Fox & Friends Wednesday morning, after defending his bizarre theory that George W. Bush was president on September 11. Trump appeared to be referencing the 28 pages that were redacted from the 2002 Joint Inquiry into the 9/11 attacks." [New York Magazine, 2/17/16<http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/02/donald-trump-suggests-the-saudis-did-911.html>]

- Would you order U.S. troops to withdraw from South Korea, and if so, how quickly?

- How many military bases do you think the U.S. should have in Southeast Asia?

- President Obama recently announced he's sending 250 U.S. special operations troops to Syria to help in the fight against ISIS. How many U.S. troops do you think need to be sent to Syria/Iraq and what do they need to do there?

- You've said that the U.S. disproportionately funded the U.N., should we cut our funding to the United Nations? How much should we reduce it by? If we get nothing out of the U.N, why should we continue to be a member of it?

*         Trump Said We Disproportionately Funded The United Nations And Got Nothing Out Of It. TRUMP: "You know, I'll give you another one, I talked about NATO and we fund disproportionately, the United Nations, we get nothing out of the United Nations other than good real estate prices. We get nothing out of the United Nations. They don't respect us, they don't do what we want, and yet we fund them disproportionately again. Why are we always the ones that funds everybody disproportionately, you know? So everything is like that." [New York Times Interview, 3/26/16<http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/27/us/politics/donald-trump-transcript.html?_r=0>]

- Which international organizations should the U.S. be a member of? Which treaties do you think it is valuable the U.S. remain a part of?

- In 2000, you said you supported a pre-emptive strike against North Korea if it would keep them from getting nuclear weapons. Do you still support that?

*         Trump: Am I Ready To Bomb North Korea's Reactor? "You're Damned Right." "What would I do in North Korea? Fair question. It's easy to point out the problem, but what should we do to solve it? Am I ready to bomb this reactor? You're damned right." [Donald Trump, The America We Deserve, 1/15/00]

*         Trump: "A Surgical Strike Would Not Only Put Out The Fire In North Korea, But It Would Also Send A Message Around The World That The United States Is Going To Eliminate Any Serious Threat To Its Security, And Do So Without Apology." [Donald Trump, The America We Deserve, 1/15/00]

From: Dillon, Lauren
Sent: Monday, April 25, 2016 9:05 AM
To: Freundlich, Christina; Roberts, Kelly; Sarge, Matthew; Graham, Caroline; Walker, Eric; Bauer, Nick; Brinster, Jeremy
Subject: Re: Trump Questions for CNN

Reminder

Kelly please take lead. Folks, send your questions and any necessary backup to Kelly.

On Apr 24, 2016, at 10:24 PM, Dillon, Lauren <[email-masked]<mailto:[email-masked]>> wrote:

Wolf Blitzer is interviewing Trump on Tues ahead of his foreign policy address on Wed.

Please send me thoughts by 10:30 AM tomorrow.

Thanks!