The Courier - Trump Talks 2016 Run, Jobs at Texas Patriot PAC Event

News Article

By Stephen Green

When business mogul Donald Trump stepped onto the stage at The Woodlands High School auditorium Thursday, he got a rock-star welcome to his first Texas speaking event.

The packed house was eager to hear The Donald's thoughts on everything from his childhood to current politics and his possible presidential run in 2016.

At a press conference before the main-stage program, Trump made it clear that if he runs, the way the United States conducts business would be dramatically different.

"I will tell you that the reason there is this incredible amount of enthusiasm for me, people don't want to see our country be ripped off," Trump said. "We don't make good deals. Everybody looks at us like a joke."

Everybody for Trump includes China, Japan and Mexico, among others. He spent a good deal of time at the event talking about the way trade negotiations between the United States and China have harmed the national economy.

"They can't believe the things we let them get away with," Trump said. "They call me up and say, "I can't believe your government can be so stupid.' They can't believe it.

"I like (China) very much. What I don't like is what they're able to do because they're leaders are much smarter than our leader and our leaders. If I ran and I won, this country would be great again."

The event was sponsored by and benefited The Woodlands-based Texas Patriots PAC. Trump spoke onstage with Houston business icon Jim "Mattress Mac" McIngvale, who arguably had the loudest reaction.
Trump spoke about how he's always asked how he has the energy and that everyone eventually "gets to sleep for a very long time." To which McIngvale responded, "I can get you a good mattress for that."

Among some of the less political topics Trump discussed were his childhood and how he overcame several financial failures by "never giving up," advice he encouraged young people to follow.

Trump also says Mexico is quietly becoming a car-producing capital and is allowing residents to cross the border "like water, like it's a sieve." During the program, Trump joked that he'd "build the best wall" and that Mexico would pay for it and like it.

He also distanced himself from Republican candidates who have tossed their name in the ring for a 2016 presidential run.

"If you look at other candidates, all they talk about is cutting Social Security, cutting Medicare, cutting Medicaid. People pay into Social Security their whole lives and suddenly Republicans, people running for us, they want to cut it," he said. "I want to bring money back into the country, bring jobs back into the country. Take them away from China, take them away from Japan, take them away from all these countries that are ripping us."
Several candidates, including Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, have made a case for increasing the retirement age for when individuals would qualify for Social Security.

But regardless of which Republican gets the nod, Trump says the media will be the biggest challenge to overcome.

"It's much easier to be a Democrat, especially if you're a liberal Democrat," he said. "The media is very dishonest when it comes to Republicans and conservative Republicans. If a Republican did what Hillary Clinton did, that person would already be in jail."

Trump referred to reports that Clinton, who is running for president, kept emails from her time working as Secretary of State on a personal hard drive and then deleted many files. Although, Trump said the New York Times and Washington Post are doing a "surprisingly" good job of keeping Clinton accountable.

He also commented on the ongoing Baltimore riots, saying that the city's leadership should never have let the riots begin in the first place.

"The mayor and the police department should never have allowed that city to be destroyed in one night," Trump said. "Big chunks of Baltimore are destroyed and it'll be many years before it will be able to build back up. They should've never allowed that to happen.

"That's part of the leadership and that's the hard part. But they have to have hope. They don't have any hope. They have to have hope. They have to have leadership. They have to look up to somebody."

Trump said the answers to resolve situations like Baltimore and others like it are "jobs, education (and) leadership."

While he says he already has his mind made up, Trump said to expect a formal announcement in June or July.

"You will be very, very surprised at what my decision will be," he said. "But I think you'll like it."

Source