Uncut: Donald Trump on ISIS, Netanyahu, 2016 and more
When will Donald Trump decide if he's running for president or not? Trump went 'On the Record' moments after his CPAC speech.
This is a rush transcript from "On the Record," February 27, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
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DONALD TRUMP, POTENTIAL 2016 GOP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: We have a president who's either incompetent, which I think he could be, or he's got his own agenda, which I know he does.
You need somebody, perhaps, that wrote the Art of the Deal, one of the great business books of all time I might add.
On ISIS, nobody -- I decide to run and win -- nobody would be tougher than Donald Trump, nobody.
If I run, I will tell you, the king of building buildings, the king of building walls, nobody can build them like Trump, that I can promise you. I can promise you that.
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GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, FOX NEWS HOST: And now, Donald Trump on the record just moments after walking off that CPAC stage.
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VAN SUSTEREN: Donald, nice to see you, and welcome to Washington.
TRUMP: Thank you. It's a lot of fun.
VAN SUSTEREN: You enjoyed doing your speech for CPAC?
TRUMP: I really did. It was such a nice reception and I really enjoyed doing it. What a great crowd.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, it's interesting is that a lot of cheers, and in fact, when you mentioned having possible boots on the ground if you're president for ISIS, you got cheers and you got boos.
TRUMP: Well, a little bit far more cheers. And look, a year ago, I would have never said it, but today you have to do something to stop this crazy -- you know, what's going on over there is just crazy. So if it was necessary, I'm the last one that would want to do it. But if it was necessary to do it and everybody seems to think it's necessary, you watch every general on your show, anywhere else, and they all seem to think you need that, at least in a limited way.
VAN SUSTEREN: Will you be listening, at least on television, to Prime Minister Netanyahu's speech next week?
TRUMP: I will be. I will be.
VAN SUSTEREN: What do you want to hear?
TRUMP: Well, I think he's going to say that we're being taken for suckers by Iran, and I've been saying it for a long time. Why did we take off the sanctions? Why didn't we leave the sanctions or double them up? I think he's going to be very strong on that. I think it's going to be a very interesting, very tricky situation going on in Washington with respect to that speech, and a lot of people don't like it and a lot of people love it.
But I think it's fine. He's going to say that Iran is developing nuclear weapons and we're just -- they're just tapping us along in this negotiation. The negotiation is going nowhere. The deal that I've been hearing is a very weak deal for our country. So I think he's going to probably point that out and we'll see what happens. A lot of people are going to be covering that speech. And it's pretty sad when obviously Obama doesn't like him and he doesn't like Obama, and Israel is -- I don't think being treated properly by our country.
VAN SUSTEREN: In your speech to the CPAC crowd, you said the president was incompetent. Do you mean that he has a different political ideology than you have or that he's incompetent?
TRUMP: Well, I think that he is either incompetent or he's got a totally different agenda than all of us are thinking about this country. When we think about this country, we're not thinking about his agenda. But I would say the way the country is being run there is incompetence. I mean I would -- I would stick with that statement. I would say I'll go a step further. I'd say gross incompetence.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. It seems to me -- I haven't run for office -- but that it's easy to get the base whether you're Republican or Democrat. The greater challenge is to get the independence once you get around with the general. How do you -- if you run, how do you get the independence? How can not.
TRUMP: Look. My concept would be very.
VAN SUSTEREN: Or the moderate section to say too.
TRUMP: My concept is very simple. It's -- and it either sells or doesn't sell. People will like it or they won't like it. I'm a very capable person. I'm actually a nice person. A lot of people don't think so. But you know -- but the people who know me think I'm a pretty nice guy and I help people and I am charitable and I do a lot of things, a lot of healthcare, lot of education for people that work for me. I employ over the years tens of thousands of people. And you know, I think I do a very good job. My concept is to make this country great again, and we can do it. If you look at what China is doing with our jobs, they're taking our jobs. You look at what Mexico is doing. Mexico is the new China. What they're doing -- and you know better than anybody with the sergeant who is so. ...
VAN SUSTEREN: Tahmooressi.
TRUMP: ... great and the way they treated us while he was in there for such a long period of time and I worked with you on that one and eventually but Mexico treated us so badly on that. They have no respect for our country.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why? Why don't they have respect for us?
TRUMP: You know, because they don't respect our leader.
VAN SUSTEREN: And do you think that President Obama doesn't want respect from them?
TRUMP: I don't know. I don't even know whether or not President Obama called up when the Tahmooressi thing was happening. I don't even know if he called. I mean it seemed to me that he didn't call. Now, it's inconceivable that that's true but it just seems like there was no action. There was no drive. There was no pressure put on them to release this man who really should have been released a lot sooner.
VAN SUSTEREN: You said to my colleague, Sean Hannity, that -- when he asked about whether or not you're going to run for president -- and I know you're going to be doing an interview with Sean and be on with him again at 10 tonight -- that there -- you're at 75 or 80 percent decision. That's where you are.
TRUMP: I think that's right. Yes. I think that's right.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right. Some -- he already asked it. I'm not going to ask that one, but I'm going to ask this one. When are you deciding and how do you figure that time of?
TRUMP: I would say that sometime during June, maybe even before June, but -- that would be about the timeline that I'd have, and it will be based on what my perception is of how I could do. If I think that I can't win, I don't want to hit my head against the wall. I mean I'm not that kind of a person. But I get a great response. You saw the response I had today. I mean I've always gotten a great response. I've always had the biggest audiences. If that translates into votes, I'd win. So we're going to see what happens. We're going to go around. I'm going to Iowa. I'm going to New Hampshire -- places that I've been to many times and I really like a lot and I do register with the people. I mean I have -- you know, we have good followings there. We have some terrific people working there and we'll see what happens. But I would say June, maybe before June.
VAN SUSTEREN: So who is the most like minded (inaudible).
TRUMP: It's too early to say. Really, it's too early to say. I'd like to give you an answer to that. It's just too early to say.
VAN SUSTEREN: Donald, nice to see you.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
VAN SUSTEREN: And of course, if you do run, out of respect, I'll be calling you Mr. Trump.
TRUMP: Well, that would be very good. I'll accept that.
VAN SUSTEREN: Thank you.
TRUMP: Thank you very much.
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