Donald Trump full interview part 2 (CNN interview with Anderson Cooper)

[0:00] I want to ask you about faith because you talked about this on Saturday at this faith and values forum and I think a lot of people haven't heard you talk about it. We're really interested in Iowa. And by the way, I was very well received. I had the biggest standing ovation, the biggest standing ovation. And it was really a great day. It was really a great day. And a lot of people didn't focus on it because they got caught up in the whole McCain thing. You said at the faith forum when asked if you've ever asked forgiveness from God, you said, I'm not sure I have. I just go on and try to do a better job from there. I don't think so. [0:30] And that surprised some some. Well, I don't think so. You know, and then I said communion. I go to communion and that's asking forgiveness. You know, in my opinion, that's that's what it's a form of asking for forgiveness. Yes. Communion. And I go to church a lot. But I'm Protestant. I'm Presbyterian. But you at the idea of asking for forgiveness. That's not a central. Is that a central tenant for you? Is that or is that something? I like to work where I don't really have to ask. I like to do the right thing where I don't have to actually ask for forgiveness. Does that make sense to you? You know, where you don't. [1:00] Make such bad things that you don't have to ask for forgiveness. I mean, I try and lead a life where I don't have to ask God for forgiveness. But I'm Protestant. I'm Presbyterian, which a lot of people are surprised to hear. I go to church. The great Norman Vincent Peale was my minister for years. The power of positive thinking was fantastic. [1:19] And so for forgiveness, that that notion of forgiveness, that's not a central. I try not to make mistakes where I have to ask for forgiveness for one thing. So when I'm asked a question like that, it's like, you know, I don't like to make a lot of mistakes. [1:33] So and I would never ask the detail, but the idea of repentance, is that something that's important to you? I think repenting is terrific. But do you feel the need to if I make a mistake? [1:44] If I make a mistake, if I make a mistake, yeah, I think it's great. But I try not to make mistakes. I mean, why do I have to, you know, repent? Why do I have to ask for forgiveness? [1:54] If you're not making mistakes, I work hard. I'm an honorable person. I have thousands of people that work for me. I've employed tens of thousands of people over the years. [2:03] You give millions to charity. I give me I built the Vietnam Memorial in lower Manhattan with a small group of people at the faith forum. [2:11] You talked about communion, the Eucharist, Lord's Supper, different faiths, right, different things. [2:16] You said that you drink my little wine and have my little cracker. We were having fun. [2:20] The room left. We were all together. But some people of faith there said that they they didn't say that at all. [2:26] Well, when I left, I saw people. I got I got the biggest ovation of the weekend. [2:32] I saw people and I saw how a couple of reporters made a big deal out of that. [2:36] We were having fun when I said I drink the wine. I drink. I eat the cracker. [2:42] But we're talking about communion. And you know what? The whole room was laughing and they're religious people and they're great people. [2:47] They're great people. But the whole room was laughing. [2:49] Eric Erickson of Red State said that based on your comments about faith on Saturday, that it's, quote, largely closed the books on evangelical support. [2:57] I don't think so, because I just saw polls in Iowa that I'm doing really well. [3:01] I mean, you know, in terms of Iowa, where it's a very big group of people, I'm doing really well. [3:06] The Quinnipiac poll in Iowa among general voters. [3:08] I don't know. You keep bringing up negative. You only want to talk about negative. Why don't you bring up the positive? [3:13] I did. I mean, you started off. Excuse me. I started off with the Washington Post poll. [3:16] You started off with the interview. No, I started off with the Washington Post poll. [3:18] You started off the interview with a poll that I didn't even know existed. [3:20] I started off with the Washington Post poll intentionally because I knew you would accuse me of that. [3:24] Sure. All I know is every poll I'm leading in. And you give me these two polls where it's different states. [3:30] They're not even a national. Check the record. I started off with the Washington Post poll where you are way out in front. [3:34] I think it's very unfair. You're talking to me a poll I never even saw. It's not even a poll. [3:38] It's today. It's not even a poll. It's on three different states. And you're hitting me with this. [3:42] Frankly, I think it's a very fair question. I think it's an extremely you start off the interview with that. [3:49] You don't say I led in the Fox poll. I'm leading in the ABC Washington Post poll. [3:54] You're leading across the board. Well, you did. I am leading across the board. [3:57] And then you hit me with this poll that I didn't even see before where, oh, gee, it's not even that kind of a poll. [4:02] All I know is I have a very big group of support. And I think one of the reasons is that you're way out of front. [4:09] Let me tell you, the people don't trust you and the people don't trust the media. [4:13] Right. And politicians. [4:14] And I understand why. You know, I've always been covered fairly accurately because it was usually a financial press. [4:18] And, you know, numbers are numbers, okay? And my numbers happen to be great. [4:21] Right. So I was always sort of treated like fair. [4:24] With the media, it's, in not all cases, some of the political media is great and really honest. [4:31] Even if they don't want to be, they're really honest. [4:33] But I find that 60, 70 percent of the political media is really, really dishonest. [4:39] And, you know, I tell the story, the American dream. I talk about the American dream in speeches. [4:46] The American dream is dead, but I'm going to make it bigger and better and stronger than ever before. [4:50] The American dream is dead, but I'm going to make it bigger and better, stronger than ever. Right? [4:54] And I go, boom. And I do it with great bravado and the audience goes crazy. [4:58] I come home and my wife is saying, oh, darling, that was so bad. [5:01] I said, what was bad? What did you say today? I said, what did I say? [5:04] The American dream is dead. Cut. [5:08] On one of the major networks. [5:10] When you're on that debate stage, one of the things I think they're going to hit you with, your opponents are going to hit you with, [5:14] not the media, the opponents, they're going to say you have flip-flopped. [5:17] You're a decisive guy in business, but you've been an independent. [5:20] You've been unaffiliated. You've been a Democrat. You've been a Republican. [5:23] Back and forth. What's up with that? Aren't you a flip-flopper? [5:26] A man named my favorite, Ronald Reagan. He was a Democrat. He became a Republican. [5:32] But you were also unaffiliated. You were independent. [5:33] By the way, I was. And I also live in New York. [5:35] You were pro-choice. Now you're not. [5:37] Excuse me. Well, if you look at that clip, I hate the concept of abortion. And I did it. [5:41] But also, it was never quite... I'm a businessman. They're talking to me as a businessman about, you know, things like abortion. [5:47] Nobody ever even asked me questions like that. But if you look at that clip and let it run, I talk about how I hate the concept. [5:55] I went on forever about it. But nobody would ask me questions. [5:59] You know, it's sort of like a question you don't ask. I build buildings. [6:02] They're not asking me about, am I pro-choice? Am I pro-life? What am I? [6:06] But, yeah, I don't use the word flip. I've evolved on a lot of different things. [6:10] The difference I have found between you and just about every other political candidate I've ever talked to is, [6:15] you don't come with a huge red in you, which surprises a lot of people. [6:18] You talk extemporaneously. Your critics say you don't know the issues enough, but you talk... [6:23] I know the issues better than anybody knows the issues. [6:25] You talk extemporaneously. Politicians are very controlled, and I think that's a huge part of your appeal. [6:29] And I think it's why people enjoy their personal interaction with you. [6:32] Even right now, we've gone way over the amount of time you said you wanted. [6:37] Nobody has given me a signal saying wrap it up. He's got to go. [6:40] So I think that's all to your credit and deserves to be pointed out. [6:43] Look, you ask me a question. I give you an answer. It's very simple. [6:46] I'm a very smart person. You know, I went to the best school. [6:49] I have very... I'm a very smart person, right? Let me just say. [6:53] So you ask me a question. I give you an answer. [6:55] I don't need pollsters like Bush and all these other people. [6:58] They don't answer a question. Hillary, she can't give you an answer without going back and checking it out. [7:04] I'm much richer than almost anybody. [7:06] I can have thousands of pollsters. I don't have any. I don't want to waste the money. [7:10] Sandra Bland is a woman, African-American woman, who was pulled over in Texas. [7:14] I saw that. It was terrible. [7:15] I'm not going to ask you specifics because you can't be expected to look at everything. [7:19] But pulled over for allegedly changing signals. Dashcam videos now have been released. [7:23] A lot of African-Americans, a lot of people are very upset about that. [7:26] To African-Americans in this country, and there's a lot of people who believe that they are treated differently by police, [7:31] do you believe that there's a problem with that? [7:34] I hope not. But I will tell you, I saw that clip on your show, by the way. [7:38] I thought it was terrible. I thought he was so aggressive. [7:40] It was a traffic signal, as I understand it. [7:43] And, you know, who gets out of a car for a traffic signal? [7:46] I haven't been pulled over in a while, actually. [7:49] But seriously, who, you know, he just looked very aggressive. [7:53] I didn't like his demeanor. I thought it was terrible, to be honest with you. [7:56] And I'm a huge fan of the police. I think the police have to be given back power. [8:00] But this guy was overly aggressive, terribly aggressive. [8:04] Do you think that happens to African-Americans more than it does to you or I? [8:10] I hope it doesn't, but it might. And, you know, I have a great relationship with African-Americans, [8:17] as you possibly have heard. I just have great respect for them. [8:21] And, you know, they like me. I like them. [8:23] The answer is it possibly does. It shouldn't. And it's very sad if the case is. [8:29] I will say, though, in this case, I watched that so closely. I watched it a few times. [8:33] He was terrible.