Donald Trump continues to lead the GOP presidential field

The Republican front runner joins 'The O'Reilly Factor' to discuss debate strategy and campaign politics

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," September 15, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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Hi, I'm Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us tonight.

The "Talking Points Memo" on the exploding Muslim invasion will be in our third segment this evening. But we lead with a new poll from CBS. It says Republican primary voters prefer Donald Trump and Dr. Ben Carson by a wide margin over the rest of the field. Mr. Trump at 27 percent is up three points from early August. Dr. Carson at 23 percent up a whopping 17 points.

But there is a cautionary question. Republicans were asked is your mind made up or is it too early to be sure? 37 percent say made up; 63 percent too early.

Joining us now from his golf club in Los Angeles, California is the Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. First of all, do you study to prepare for the debate tomorrow? Do you do any research or anything like that at all?

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, I have to start off by saying I am not playing golf. I'm working. I'm out here at Trump National and it's an amazing place on the Pacific. And I'm only working. I'm not playing golf. I haven't played golf for a long time. Believe me.

And as far as the research, I have sort of been doing it for the last 30 years, I guess, Bill. I don't know how you can prepare for something. I hear everybody is coming after me. We had one poll where I was at 40 in New Hampshire. I'm at 40, and second place I think was 12 or something.

And you know, they are all coming after me is what I hear and whatever it is it is. Let's see what happens.

O'REILLY: All right. So you are going to go in, you're going to wing it. People should know you are not allowed to bring in any notes. You are not allowed to bring any weapons in. You can't have you know, a samurai sword. You can have a piece of paper and a pen just like I do here. You're not going to wear the hat tomorrow night at the debate. Are you? Are you going to wear the hat?

TRUMP: No, I'm only wearing it today because it's so windy out here on the Pacific. The wind is pretty strong so I didn't want my hair blowing around. I just have too much respect for your program.

O'REILLY: Right. And beside if you have the hat they can't make fun of the hair. So you don't want to do that.

TRUMP: That's true. That's true.

O'REILLY: All right now, let's get serious for a minute.

You had a big crowd in Dallas last night. A lot of people watched your speech on TV. But outside you had a couple of thousand demonstrators, Hispanics primarily.

TRUMP: No, no, no. No, we didn't. We didn't have a couple of thousand. They had a very, very small group. We had thousands of Hispanics inside that were cheering louder than anybody. We had a very, very small group. Actually reported there was going to be 4,000 people and it turned out to be 2,000. It turned out to be about 1,000 people. Very few protesters.

O'REILLY: Yes, yes. My question is this. Does that bother you that they were out there? Does that bother you?

TRUMP: No. Because inside I had 20,000 people and it was a love fest. It was incredible. As you know the American Airlines Center where the Mavericks play it was packed and it was an amazing event. Again, we had everybody. We had the Tea Party. We had the Evangelicals. We had Hispanics. We had rich, we had poor. We had everybody. It was an absolute incredible evening.

O'REILLY: All right. So you were happy with your turnout. I just wanted to know if those people outside bothered you.

Now, I'm going to be one of the --

TRUMP: Very, very few people outside -- Bill.

O'REILLY: They'll never let me but if they did, these are the questions that I would ask you tomorrow night. Ready?

TRUMP: All right.

O'REILLY: Ok, Mr. Trump, the Club for Growth which is a conservative economic group says that you are a high tax guy and very liberal economically. What is your tax program specifically?

TRUMP: Ok. Well, I'm going to announce it in three weeks but I'm actually lowering taxes and especially for the middle class. The hedge funds guys are going to have to pay because they pay practically nothing -- peanuts. But I'm lowering taxes overall. Lowering for corporations.

And by the way, Club for Growth is a phony outfit. They came to my office a few months ago. They asked me for a million dollars. I said no. Tight after I told them no because I don't even know who these people are. Right after I told them no they came out with a negative kind of an ad. Now they've put on an ad.

Just so I you understand. I'm lowering taxes. I'm not raising taxes.

O'REILLY: On me -- ok. On me.

TRUMP: So what they've said is a lie.

O'REILLY: I make a lot of money. Not as much as you do. But I make a lot of money. So what is a fair rate, tax rate for me to pay for the federal government?

O'REILLY: Well, I'm announcing it in three weeks, Bill. So I don't want to really do that. --

(CROSSTALK)

O'REILLY: Well, give me a hint so I can start to save. 40? What?

TRUMP: No, no, no. Much lower. Your taxes are going to go down a little bit even though you make a hell of a lot of money. And the middle income is really going to go down big league. And hopefully we are going to simplify to a point where H and R block is going to be put out of business because the people to pay them a fortune because of the complexities.

So we are going to be -- I think you are going to be very happy. We are going to be lowering taxes and we're going to make it really good. We're going to bring back the middle class. The hedge fund guys won't be that happy but they will still make a lot of money.

O'REILLY: Ok. But if you say that tomorrow night that you're going to announce in three weeks, they're going to say you're dodging and all of that. And all the other guys are going to go --

TRUMP: No, I'm not dodging.

O'REILLY: That's what they're going to say.

TRUMP: Very importantly taxes are going down and corporate taxes are going to go down and we are going to put people to work again. And I' going to bring jobs back from China and Mexico and Japan and all of the other places that are stealing our jobs. And we're going to have an economy that's going to be booming again because right now it's a disaster.

O'REILLY: Ok. Now, your close and personal friend Hillary Clinton who went to your wedding and I'm sure gave you a nice present. She says she wants to debate you about women. All right? That you don't understand women and your policies are going to hurt women. Are you up for a one-on- one debated with Hillary Clinton over women?

TRUMP: I love it. And I will tell you what, I have great respect. In fact, my wife and my daughter wanted me Ivanka and Milania wanted me really to discuss it because they know the respect I have for women. They know that I cherish women and I am going to take care of women, women's health issues.

Jeb Bush was a disaster. He came out and he said he doesn't want to give them any kind of a subsidy to help them with women's health. And then he said he misspoke. But that was too late. No, I'm going to take care of women better than Hillary will take care of women. That, I can tell you. Hillary was the worst secretary of state.

O'REILLY: Ok. Ok. We know that. We know that but I have got to challenge you on the women thing. I've got to challenge you on the women thing.

TRUMP: All right. Go ahead.

O'REILLY: Planned Parenthood, another damning video today comes out. One of their top executives are saying hey, you know, what I really don't want to talk about the harvesting of baby parts but you know we do it and everybody knows they do it and they make money doing it Planned Parenthood. So they're basically aborting babies but they're aborting them in a way that they can remove them from the woman and cut them up and sell their body parts for money.

Ok. A lot of conservatives want to defund Planned Parenthood, period. No more government money in the face of this horrendous exposition. Here it is tonight. You have got to answer this yes or no. Would you vote to defund Planned Parenthood? Yes or no?

TRUMP: Yes, I have seen it. And I think you know my stance on it. I have said it before. I have seen the video. Bill, I have seen the videos. I think it's a disgrace.

O'REILLY: It is.

TRUMP: The answer is I would vote to defund, yes.

O'REILLY: Ok, good. I'm glad you answered that like that. Not because editorially but because I have got three more questions.

Ben Carson is your main competition. Now, are you going to call him Dr. Welby tomorrow? He's a mediocre doctor? Are you going to do that tomorrow? Are you?

TRUMP: No, I like Ben Carson. He is not a deal maker and we need somebody in this country that's going to get rid of the $19 trillion in debt, that's going to bring back our jobs, that's going to bring back our manufacturing.

O'REILLY: But he says he is going to do that.

TRUMP: Well, he is not going to do that you have to have that and, you know, like it's one of those things. He won't have that ability, in my opinion.

O'REILLY: All right. But you are not going to call him a pinhead or anything like that.

TRUMP: We need somebody with great ability for doing that.

O'REILLY: You are not going to question his faith. You're not going to do any of that.

TRUMP: No, I wouldn't do that at all. It depends on what he does with me.

O'REILLY: Oh, no, no. You should take a pledge that you are not going to do it no matter what he does. All right -- last question.

TRUMP: Look, I don't know who is coming from where. I hear everybody is going to be hitting me because I'm number one in the polls.

O'REILLY: I would if I were there. I would hit you with a pie.

TRUMP: And I'll respond accordingly Bill.

O'REILLY: If I were there, I would hit with you everything I had because you are the leader. All right. They have got to get attention. And you know it's coming.

Last question. The press. You said last night in Dallas, generally speaking, unfair to you. You really believe that or was that just hyperbole?

O'REILLY: No, no. I think generally speaking unfair. I met some political reporters who are absolute horrible human beings and they are liars. I have also dealt with some that are extremely honorable, extremely talented and really good. But I have met some very devious people, some very bad people in the world of politics.

When I deal in finance it's a little bit easier maybe because it's numbers. I don't have complaints. I have met some very, very dishonest people dealing in politics. There is no question about that.

O'REILLY: All right. You are going to give a big address tonight -- foreign policy address. We will be listening to that. And we wish you the best in the debate as we wish the other 10 contenders and it's going to be very interesting and I hope you come back soon and tell us about that experience.

TRUMP: Thank you, Bill.

O'REILLY: All right.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

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