Updated

Donald Trump says the federal government needs to charge the countries our military is charged with protecting.

In an exclusive interview with Neil Cavuto on Fox News Channel, the potential presidential candidate suggested the United States could raise revenue and get out of debt by tapping unlikely sources like Iraq.

"We took over Iraq and we totally weakened the country. We've ripped their infrastructure apart. The country is a mess. It's a total mess, and ok now we're gonna leave," said Trump. "They have 15 trillion dollars worth of oil. We've spent one and a half trillion dollars. Why aren't they paying us?"

While on the topic of oil, Trump took the opportunity to point fingers at OPEC (The Organization at the Petroleum Exporting Countries).

"Twelve guys sitting around a table and they are having an absolute field day, because we don't have anybody to call and talk and say 'Fellas, you're not gonna do it. If you do it, you got big, big problems.'"

Trump says if it were not for the US demand on oil, OPEC wouldn't exist. "They set the price of oil. If they did it in this country it would be called an illegal deal. They would go to jail."

Trump says nuclear energy has its issues, but Americans should not let Japan's earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuke plant crisis make them shy away from nuclear energy.

"If a plane goes down, people keep flying. If you get into an auto crash, people keep driving. There are problems in life. Not everything is so perfect. You have to look carefully, though, at really taking care, having the best, the best people in terms of safeguards for nuclear energy. But we do need nuclear energy, and we need a lot of it fast."

Finally, despite owning 12 golf courses and loving the game, Trump is teed off with President Obama's choice to play a couple of holes while the crisis in Japan was breaking.

"For him to be playing golf simultaneously with that happening, you're talking about the day of and the day after, I think is very inappropriate.

Trump says he would love to have Mr. Obama over to play a couple of holes... another time.

"I'd love to have him, in fact, I'd love to play him for the presidency."

Trump says he will announce whether he will run for president by June.