Subject: FW: TrackerBASE Report: PRES Donald Trump- CPAC Press Conference 3/15/2013
From: "Sorbie, Sean" <[email-masked]>
To: Research_D <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 12 May 2016 12:59:50 -0700

________________________________
From: American Bridge Tracking
Sent: Thursday, May 12, 2016 3:59:47 PM (UTC-05:00) Eastern Time (US & Canada)
To: TrackerBase Tracking Reports
Cc: Lucas Mcdonald
Subject: TrackerBASE Report: PRES Donald Trump- CPAC Press Conference 3/15/2013

Tracker Event Debrief Form

TO: Presidential

FROM: Luke McDonald

Location: Washington, DC

Date: 05/12/16

RE: Donald Trump- CPAC Press Conference- Washington D.C. (3/15/13)

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Event Details: Donald Trump answered questions at a press conference held at CPAC in 2013 about his potential candidacy for President in 2016.

Press: CSPAN

Attendee’s: Donald Trump

Summary of Event:

Key Points:

00:05 Q1- A lot of potential Presidential candidates here, any chance you will run in 2016?

Trump- Well it’s still early, when I announced I wasn’t going to run I was leading in the polls.  I was being begged to continue to do The Apprentice.  I decided not to in the last election and backed Mitt Romney which I sort of regret because I think it’s an election we should have won.  For some reason the Republicans just didn’t resonate.

1:05 Q2- Was Mitt Romney the right candidate in 2012?

Trump- Well I like him very much but obviously perhaps we could have done better.  We lost, perhaps someone could have done better.  He worked very hard and is a very fine man but it didn’t work out.

1:45 Q3- You talk a lot about immigration, you say there are 11 million people here…(cut off)

Trump- We can’t take Norwegians here, we don’t discuss anyone from Europe coming to this country. (Jokingly said) We have 11 million people here, there is going to be some form of citizenship.  If you come in from Norway you get a card and you have to leave by a certain date.  Nobody even talks about this, you have 11 million who won’t leave and will become citizens of some for, probably, but if you come from Europe it doesn’t work that way and somebody needs to look into that.  We educate people from other countries and then force them to leave.  Someone comes to MIT or Harvard and becomes a genius and then we tell them to leave, how stupid is this?

3:25 Q4- You were able to do something nobody else could by asking the President to finally release his long term (inaudible).

Trump- I did get him to release whatever it was he released but the press defended him.  I offered $5 million to a charity to see just one document.  Then I increased it to $50 million toward the end and the press didn’t even report it.  That’s ok, I’m really about the economy now and jobs.

5:05 Q5- Who would you like to support for President in 2016?

Trump- It’s very early, somebody will probably emerge that people don’t know.  I think it’s going to be a tougher race in 2016 because I think Obama was beatable.

6:25 Q6- Considering you have some of the greatest golf courses in the world and the President loves to play golf, don’t you think he could benefit from a round of golf with you?

Trump-  I own 14 great clubs, and we just built one in Scotland.  I think golf is great advantage to the President, but I think he should be playing with the Speaker of the House all the time.  I have made some of the best deals I have ever made on a golf course.  If I had lunch with those people I would have never made those deals.  I think when he plays he should play with people on the other side.

8:05 Q7- President is going to Israel next week, any thoughts on that?

Trump- I think it’s about time he goes and I think it’s great that he is going.

8:22 Q8- You offered to fund White House tours that were eliminated under sequestration. Which sequestration cuts would you enforce, do you support all of the?

Trump- There are many of them, that is one that just sort of got me. From the beginning of time we have been giving tours of the White House.  My offer is out there, I would fund it for a full year.

9:50 Q9- What do you think is the biggest obstacle for Republicans going forward and what do you think they need to do to keep the House majority?

Trump- I think the obstacle is that more and more people are not thinking in terms of Republicans.  They are going to need a leaders who can energize and get more people under the tent.  The next race could be tougher depending on who runs.  As I meant what I said if you allow the 11 million people to have voting privileges, I don’t care who it is leading the charge you won’t get one vote.  They need someone to energize it thought.

11:00 Q10- Where do you stand on universal background checks?

Trump- I am strong for pro gun.  The bad guys have them and if they have them the good guys have to have them.  I am in favor of some kind of background check.  If somebody is a total whack job I don’t like them having possession of a gun but I do believe strongly in the 2nd Amendment.

Q11- Assault weapons ban?

Trump- It’s very simple, if the bad guys have them the good guys have to have them.  I have friends who are on the other side of this issues.  I say what happens if the bad guys don’t give up their gun and the good guys do.  Then you have no form of protection, I am very pro gun.  My sons are actually members of the NRA.

12:35 Q12- Last week you called Ashley Judd a good candidate.

Trump- I like Mitch McConnell, I think what Karl Rove did to him was a disaster.  I know Ashley Judd and she will be a good candidate.  She’s an attractive person she is a celebrity, that helps people can get elected as a celebrity.   She wasn’t even a candidate, Karl Rove took the stupidest ad, he made an ad that was soo bad.  First of all I have never seen her look more beautiful, she made speeches and then they said don’t let her vote because she is from a different state or something.  What a stupid commercial that was.  This is the same mind that spent $400 million and didn’t win a race.  When you look at some of the ads he made they were horrible. She became this phoenix because he ran an ad about her.  I think he is the most overrated man in politics.

14:10 Q13- Do you think Anthony Weiner will run for Mayor of NY?

Trump- Well he is a pervert.  The guy is a whack job pervert.  I can’t believe that he has a future in politics, we need good people.  You think he is going to change?  I wouldn’t run against him, I’m not looking to run for Mayor.

15:30 Q14- Bill Gates was in town recently and compared the US political system to the UK and said at times he wishes it was more like the UK so Obama would have more power to avoid deadlock in Congress, what do you think?

Trump- Well we have a system in place, it’s been a good system.  Right now it’s broken.  You look at the Pope and they lock them in a room for 24 hours and they get something done, maybe we should do that with Congress to get something done.  It is our system though and it has never worked as badly as it does now.

16:15- Q15- Debt ceiling?

Trump- Well I thought that they should have made a deal.  I think that something is going to happen and Obama is going to call that his constitutional right even though he has been advised on that.  The debt ceiling is a powerful weapon, I just think Obama is going to override it.  I think the Republicans should play the debt ceiling card, that’s the thing with the Republicans they have so much power but don’t use it.

17:45 Q16- What is your advice to the Republican party reaching out to the younger more diverse constituents?

Trump-  I think it’s great and it’s something you are going to have to do.

19:20 Q17- Senator Rob Portman just came out and supported gay marriage, what is you take on gay marriage?

Trump- Well I am not in favor of it, but I understand his position.  His son just had something happen that Rob found out about.  I disagree with his position but I respect it very much.

19:40 Q18- Medicare, Social Security, and Medicaid, you said the Republicans shouldn’t talk about cutting them?

Trump-  I think the Republicans have a huge disadvantage.  I like Paul Ryan a lot, and was surprised he was chosen to run for President.  The first thing I think of when I hear his name is cutting of those three.  I think that there are a lot of people that are Republican that when into the voting booth and said I like these guys but here is no way I am having my Medicare or SS cut. If we could make this economy a great engine again all of those problem would take care of themselves.

21:10 Q19- Do you think that this country brings too much 3rd world immigration and not enough 1st world immigration?

Trump- I am not going to say anything on that.  If you come from Europe or parts of Asia, you can’t get into this country.  It’s almost impossible, and yet you have people who walk into this country and stay.  If Europeans or Asians come they leave when their time is up but the others don’t and the Democrats love it because they will vote for them.

22:00 Q20- What grade would you give Boehner in terms of a negotiator?

Trump- I like him a lot, I know he is a good guy.  It is not an easy jobs but I think he is doing ok, I think he could negotiate tougher with the Democrats.

23:00 Q21- You mentioned that reviving the GOP is going to be more difficult than turning the economy around, what does that person need to do?

Trump- It only takes one person, if they can go out and convince people they can turn things around and then the GOP will be fixed.

24:00 Q22- What is it about you that makes your different from Republicans that allows you to break through the media and get your message out?

Trump- Well I don’t think I do I think they kill me.  They go after me more than anyone else I can think of.  The liberal media truly hates Donald Trump.  I would love to see the country be great again but right now we are going in the opposite direction.

File Label:

130315_LEM_254_A

Clip Labels:

130315_LEM_254_A (Livestream)