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Published January 24, 2017
This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," December 7, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: In the wake of that terror attack, GOP frontrunner Donald Trump now calling for the total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.
Just moments ago Donald Trump went ON THE RECORD.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VAN SUSTEREN: Donald, you have issued a statement that there should be a complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States. Is that your view?
DONALD TRUMP, GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (Via Telephone): Absolutely. We have problems going on. Nobody wants to talk about the problems. I watched the president last night in one of the most ridiculous speeches I have ever seen. And he doesn't want to address the real problem. He won't even mention the term. The term, the name of what's going on so when you have a president like that, you are never going to solve problems. So the answer is yes.
You see the numbers. You have seen what I put out where 25 percent of those polls agreed that violence against Americans is justified and 61 percent -- 51 percent want to be governed according to Sharia Law. We can't have that. This is the people living here, Greta. We can't have it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Donald, what about the members of our U.S. military who are Muslims serving overseas tonight. What do you say to them? They want to come home.
TRUMP: They will come home and we have to be vigilant and we have to take care of the Muslims that are living there. But we have to be vigilant. We have two of them living here and they had guns and everybody that they had tremendous. They had bombs. They had ammunition. Everybody knew that something bad was going to happen.
And for the sake of political correctness or anything you want to call it, they refuse -- people knew what was going on refused to report these people and many people died. So we can't allow this to happen.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, what I don't understand, though, there are a lot -- maybe you didn't hear my question right. Is that there are Americans serving in our military who are Muslims who are overseas on bases. Do you apply this rule to them?
TRUMP: No. They would come home. They would be able -- anybody here stay. But we have to be very vigilant. There's a lot of bad things going on. When you look at these polling numbers that came out, there is tremendous hatred. There is tremendous animosity. And these are taken of people living in our country, from Muslims living in our country, which is amazing. Because I have Muslim friends, Greta, and they are wonderful people. But there is a tremendous section and cross section of Muslims living in our country who have tremendous animosity. We can't let this happen. We have a country to protect.
VAN SUSTEREN: Does that apply to your friends? Does this apply to your Muslim friends, this complete shutdown?
TRUMP: No. This does not apply to people living in the country, except that we have to be vigilant, because when you have people putting bombs -- having pipe bombs all over their apartment and other people see this and they don't report them, there is something wrong. Very seriously wrong.
We have an obligation to protect our citizens. We are not doing it with the president like President Obama. He doesn't -- he doesn't have a clue. He doesn't know what he's doing. The man doesn't have a clue.
VAN SUSTEREN: Your statement goes on to say complete shutdown of Muslims until our country's representatives can figure out what's going on.
What would that be until our country's representatives figure out what's going on?
TRUMP: Very simple. We have to figure out what's going on. Very simple. The hatred, the level of death, the level of violence. We have to be able to figure out what's going on. People don't understand what's happening, but we have to be able to figure it out.
Now, our political leaders are very weak and very ineffective and, frankly, some of the people running they will probably like most of them do probably come along with me in the end. Some of them are already pretty close to being there, I guess, but you have to ask them.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, some of your competitors like Governor Bush says it's unhinged. Governor Christie says it's ridiculous. Governor Kasich says it's outrageous. I mean, your competitors for the GOP nomination and I will get to --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: All of the poll numbers, all of them, they are practically zero. Bush is crashed. He's a, you know, person that frankly, you know, I called him a low key individual and I call him low energy.
Chris Christie should be worried about the George Washington Bridge because nobody would have done that, you know, when he talks about experience. How could an experienced politician have allowed the George Washington Bridge in the middle of rush hour to be closed? I mean, he should be focused on that. He should be focused on the hug he gave President Obama which might have given Obama the victory. And he should be worried about the 11 downgrades of the State of New Jersey, rendering it, frankly, one of the most unsuccessful states. I think they are ranked number 50 in the union. So, I mean, Christie should worry about that.
And Kasich is -- look, Kasich is a guy who I'm killing him in Ohio. He is one of the worst debaters I have ever seen. But, you know, it's like Kasich has nothing in the polls. If you look at some of the others, they tend to agree with me. But they will probably all come -- look, it's the safety of our country that we're talking about.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Let me switch -- let me switch to the Iowa poll. And before I go, do switch the Iowa poll, this new one by CNN.
I just want to say that Christie hug I don't think ever occurred, but that's another whole long story.
Let me go to the Iowa poll.
TRUMP: It certainly did occur. It certainly did occur. Certainly there was a great fondness that shouldn't have been, probably shouldn't have met with the president right before the election. But it was fawning. The helicopter ride, the whole thing. It was fawning and it didn't help Romney win the election. That, I can tell.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, let me go to the -- CNN has a brand new poll. You are up 8 points to 33 percent leading number two which is Senator Ted Cruz by 13 points. He's down 20 percent.
What do you attribute your numbers up 8 percent?
TRUMP: Because I think people want protection. I think they want strength. I think, Greta, people feel very, very left out in this country. They feel our political leaders don't have a clue whether it's on trade, or on security, or on the military, or taking care of our great vets.
They feel ObamaCare, which is a total disaster and which is absolutely cratering. I mean, premiums are going up 25 percent, 35 percent, 45 percent. And I'm -- you know, I'm not surprised to see how well I'm doing in Iowa. And, frankly, we have other polls where it's the same thing including all the national polls.
VAN SUSTEREN: Donald, I do know there is a packed room of people waiting for you. You are where? In South Carolina?
TRUMP: I'm in South Carolina, in the Charleston area. Beautiful. We have packed room. And I am talking to you as I'm supposed to be going on to the stage.
VAN SUSTEREN: I know. I won't hold you up anymore. Donald, thank you very much. And we will continue to watch these poll numbers, up 8 points in a month on the CNN poll. Thank you. And this is Iowa.
Thank you, Donald.
TRUMP: Thank you very much, Greta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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