The Globe Interview: President Trump From the RJC in Las Vegas

The Nevada Globe (TNG) held a second interview with former President Donald J. Trump, candidate for U.S. President, after he addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) at their annual convention at the Venetian in Las Vegas, NV. During his remarks, Trump warned America’s enemies: “If you spill a drop of American blood, we will spill a gallon of yours.”

In our fifteen minute interview, we focused on foreign policy, Israel, Ukraine, breaking news from Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdoğan, and the southern border.

TNG: You just took the stage at the RJC convention. In your address, you said: “Instead of cuddling up to the killers in Iran as Biden has done, I will once again sanction them until their ability to fund terror is absolutely gone. And I will unleash the most powerful economic weapon there is on earth ‘Drill, Baby Drill.’” Can you expand on how the Biden administration’s foreign and domestic policy actions on oil has impacted our national security?

TRUMP: Well, you know, I had sanctions on Iran and when Iran–when I took over–they had almost 100 billion in cash and when I left, they had almost nothing. And, when that happens, they’re not funding anything. They’re not funding terror, they’re not funding anything because they’re not in a position to do that. Biden removed the sanctions and now they have probably over $100 billion in cash and they’re at the forefront of everything. You know, we would not have had to deal with Iran had the election not been rigged. And frankly, it’s too bad for the world that that happened because we wouldn’t have had an attack on Israel. We wouldn’t have had, likewise, an attack on Ukraine. We wouldn’t have had inflation. We wouldn’t have had millions and millions of people pouring into our country from prisons and mental institutions–and everywhere else–and terrorists. This would have been a much different country had the election result been different.

TNG: So staying on national security, let’s go to our southern border. San Diego’s intelligence unit of the CBP issued a warning that Hezbollah/Hamas terrorist organizations or terrorists may have breached our borders or could breach our borders. DeSantis said today that there will be a terrorist attack from someone who has entered our border illegally. What is your response?

TRUMP: Well, I agree with that. I think that there will be terrorist attacks. I think people that are coming into our country…you know, I went four years without an attack and we had the “Trump Ban” which some people didn’t like the sound of it, but now they think it was brilliant. I didn’t wanna talk about it during the fourth year because I didn’t wanna talk about it and then the following evening have an attack. So, I never talked about it…but we didn’t have problems. We didn’t have anything like what we have today. Today is a disaster. I agree that we’ll have some very bad attacks because of what Biden has done, and Biden won’t know how to handle those attacks either.

TNG: You recently came under some fire after saying Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “let Israel down” and that Hezbollah “was smart.” Ari Fleischer who serves on the board of the RJC said he wished you would “let your personal grievances with Bibi slide for now.” Do you have any personal grievances with Bibi Netanyahu? And, when you called Hezbollah “smart,” what exactly did you mean by that?

TRUMP: Well, Hamas is evil. Certainly, you know, people would say they’re…you can add the word evil if that would be helpful. But, to be honest, I think they’re very evil and they are certainly causing a lot of problems. As far as Netanyahu is concerned, I worked with him very successfully, incredibly successfully. I think it was the greatest period of time in the history of Israel. Look at what happened with the capitol of Jerusalem. Look at what happened with all of the different things including the Iran nuclear deal, including the beautiful Mount on High. Look at all the things that took place, all the great things that took place. And, I think it was the greatest time ever. I worked with Bibi on that and I believe it was, it could have very well been, the greatest time in the history of Israel.

TNG: One thing that was just reported within the last hour by the Associated Press was that Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan said to a huge crowd in Turkey, “I reiterate that Hamas is not a terrorist organization. You, Israel, are an occupier, you are an invader, Israel. We will declare you as a war criminal to the world.” Are you surprised by Erdogan’s words? How do these words impact our relations with Turkey, Israel, NATO and the Middle East?

TRUMP: Well, I think it’s another thing that wouldn’t have been said if I were president. I get along very well with him. We had a very strong relationship with different persuasions, but we had a very strong relationship. I don’t think he would have said that then. That’s a very powerful statement he’s making. That’s not a good statement and is certainly not a good statement in terms of Israel because you don’t wanna bring too many fronts into this. You know, they started with one front, and then another front, and how many fronts are you gonna have? That’s a surprising statement and would have never been made if I was the president. That’s a big statement. Turkey is a big, powerful country. That’s not a good statement at all.

TNG: Looking at the protests that have erupted on American streets, college campuses, a protest led by Rashida Talib on the U.S. Capitol steps, all in support of Palestine, people in the U.S. tearing down pictures of American hostages… you had mentioned at a campaign stop in Iowa that you would reinstate and expand your travel ban. You also mentioned you would immediately invoke the Alien Enemies Act, in your words, “to deny entry to all Communists and Marxists into the United States.” Can you provide us with the details or parameters of what your actions would look like instituting the travel ban and invoking the Alien Enemies Act?”

TRUMP: Well, I’d go by the terms of the Act, which actually are quite strong and depending on the way it’s enforced. And, very importantly, we just wouldn’t let people in through the travel ban. You know, I had it for four years here, almost four years. I got it approved and it went through and got approved by the Supreme Court. Do you remember that? That was a pretty big thing that happened. But, the travel ban kept us safe. We wouldn’t let people in from countries where they were having the kind of problems that we didn’t want to have. But, the travel ban kept us safe.

I didn’t talk about it during the those years because I didn’t wanna wake up the next morning and have a problem someplace. Right? That, that doesn’t work too well. But, once I left I started talking about it, because we had a long period where nothing happened. You look at what happened before me and after me with the World Trade Center and other things. And now after me, look at what’s happening now with Israel. This, this is a horror show that’s going on.

This war could escalate with incompetent leadership in America. This war, this could escalate into World War Three. You understand that, right? This could really escalate into World War Three and Biden doesn’t have a clue. Biden can’t put two sentences together. He can’t get off the stage. He can’t find the stairs even though they’re all over the place. You know, this could escalate into World War Three. And, that will be a war…that would be a war like none other. There’d be no other world war like that. That’s because the weaponry today is so incredibly powerful.

TNG: Do you support the amount of money that the U.S. has sent to Ukraine?

TRUMP: Well, I think you’re not hearing too much about Ukraine right now and I would say that President Putin will take advantage of that situation because, you know, you’re not hearing about Ukraine because of Israel. The big focus is on Israel. But, I’ve said from the beginning that Europe has to catch up with us. You know, it affects Europe more than it affects us. Europe, at a minimum, has to catch up with us because they’re way behind. We put in, I say. more than $150 billion. Every time I hear somebody, I hear different numbers and I know they’re always low, way low. But I think we’re in for 150 billion and Europe is in for 20 billion and Europe is relatively the same size as us…if you add it up, if you add the various countries up and I think it’s a disgrace that Biden hasn’t asked them to.

I did it with NATO. I said “you gotta put up your money” and hundreds of billions of dollars were put up. What I said is, “look, if you don’t put it up or we’re not gonna support you” and they all came through and they put it up. Every, almost every, one of them. I think every one of them. That’s the money we have right now to fight. That’s why NATO has so much money. But why are we putting all of it up? First of all, we pay a disproportionate share to NATO, but at least I got them to put up hundreds of billions of dollars, but we pay a disproportionate amount every year. But why are we doing this? Why is Europe so far behind? I say Europe has to equalize.

TNG: Ok, let’s pivot really quick before we run out of time. Let’s go to your federal election subversion trial scheduled for March 24th. There’s a federal law right now that prohibits the broadcast of criminal trials. The judge has asked your lawyers to give their opinion by November 10 on media requests to broadcast the trial. Your lawyer, John Lauro, said he supports the trial being televised. Do you want this case televised?

TRUMP: I haven’t given that much thought as the lawyers are working that out. I won’t comment on that.

TNG: Ok. At this point in the Biden presidency, the state of the Middle East, our southern border…what should Americans fear the most and what should Americans be most optimistic about?

TRUMP: Well, they should be most optimistic about Trump becoming president and making our country great again and they should be most pessimistic about what’s going on in the Middle East and our border, because I think our border is allowing millions and millions of people to come in totally unchecked. They come from everywhere and they’re totally unchecked. They come from jails and they come from mental institutions, they come from everywhere. I think it’s the most dangerous thing that we’ve seen in this country in a long, long time.

TNG: What would be the first three things you would as President if you win in 2024?

TRUMP: I would ‘Drill Baby Drill.’ I would close up the southern border and I would meet with Zelinsky and Putin and get that thing solved. I’d also now add a fourth thing, and I would get the Israeli situation solved. It would have been much easier to do if it didn’t start, as you can imagine. So I would make Israel a fourth. I’d add that to it.

President Trump is scheduled to speak tonight in Las Vegas to a group of supporters and scheduled to return to Iowa tomorrow. Latest polling shows President Trump leading his Republican contenders, excluding former Vice President Mike Pence who announced the end of his campaign at the RJC convention early today. We anticipate another interview with President Trump when he returns to the Silver State around the time of the Nevada GOP Caucus on February 8, 2024.