Trump: Obama Re-election Will Lead to Second Crash
Jim Meyers
In an address carried live by Newsmax via streaming video on Wednesday, Trump warned that the re-election of President Obama would lead to a huge increase in taxes, called for an end to Obamacare, and said high oil prices will lead to a “second crash."
He also said during his speech in Nashua that the U.S. should withhold all aid to Pakistan until they discard their nuclear weapons, and defended the use of enhanced interrogation tactics on terrorist suspects.
The speech at a business expo and luncheon was Trump’s first major address to the people of New Hampshire, the nation’s first primary state, and his first major public event since Obama released his birth certificate in response to Trump’s goading.
Trump did not reveal if he intends to run for the Republican presidential nomination next year. But he declared: “If I run and if I win, and that’s a big if, this country will be great again. This country will be rich again. And maybe most importantly of all, this country will be respected again.”
After he was introduced as “the man, the legend, the Donald,” Trump took to the podium and declared: “Our country is in serious trouble like it’s never been before.
“Right now this country is going to go over a cliff. I honestly believe the upcoming election, if not the [most], is one of the most important in the nation’s history.
“I can tell you if President Obama gets re-elected, I think your taxes are going to go through the roof. I do believe he’s holding them down as long as he can because he wants to get through this election.
“I honestly believe if he gets re-elected your taxes are going to go to a level they haven’t been at in a long, long time. It’s not going to be good for this country or for business. It’s going to be good for no one.”
Turning to the killing of terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, Trump said: “We had a great victory last week with the killing of bin Laden. That was great, and enhanced interrogation really led us to that.
“Enhanced interrogation. We’re so political correct. Isn’t that another word for torture?
“And you know what? The people I watched jumping off the World Trade Center, that was torture.
“Right now numerous people who used enhanced interrogation after September 11 are under investigation, and I don’t think they should be under the kind of gun they are under.
“I look at what’s going on. I look at Pakistan. Not our friend. We give Pakistan billions and billions of dollars a year. I said [before Osama’s death], tell them we’re not giving you any money unless you hand over to us Osama bin Laden.
“If anybody thinks that Pakistan, that the government, didn’t know that he was there, they’re foolish.
“The bad guys could take over Pakistan very easily, very quickly. They have nuclear weapons. They desperately need our money. I say we don’t give them any money unless they give up their nuclear weapons. To me that’s so simple
“They use that money for nuclear weapons. Let’s say they’re semi-friendly. But they might be tremendously against us soon, including Israel, because if that happens Israel is in serious trouble.
“[Pakistan has] have serious nuclear weapons. But they need our money. That’s a deal I would make and I would not veer from it because you cannot let them have those nuclear weapons.”
Trump noted that Iraq has $15 trillion in oil reserves, and the United States has already spent some $1.5 trillion there.
“I say this: At a minimum we get our money back and we pay each one of the families of those soldiers that died a couple of million dollars, and we give our badly wounded and our wounded a lot of money. It’s peanuts compared to this incredible oil reserve.
“When families of those fallen soldiers are sitting at home a couple of years from now, when Iran goes in and takes over Iraq and takes over the oil, how do you think the parents are going to feel about that, because those soldiers would have died in vain — plus all the wounded and all the money.
“What a terrible, terrible situation.”
On the subject of oil, Trump told the gathering: “If gasoline doesn’t go down dramatically we’re going to have a second crash. If oil stays over $100, we could have a real, real problem. We could have real second dip.
“You look at what OPEC’s doing to this country. I always say the worst abuser of the United States is OPEC. The second worst is China.
“I know how to deal with OPEC.
“We have a real problem, and the problem is we don’t use our best people. Negotiation is an art. It’s an absolute art and we’re not using our best people.
“I know Wall Street very well. When we negotiate against China, South Korea, against all of these countries, why aren’t we using our smartest, greatest business people? Instead we use a diplomat — a person that studies how to be nice.
“I don’t want a nice person. And that’s why I may not make it in terms of getting [elected] I’m not that nice a person.
“But I’d make this country great again, that I can tell you.”
Trump did refer to Obama’s release of his birth certificate, stating: “I took on the president. I was very strong, I said put up your birth certificate. Now whether I was right in doing that or wrong, I don’t care.
I mean, why not show it, and why did it take so long?
“I was honored that I was able to get him to do it.”
He compared Obama’s delay in releasing his birth certificate to his attempts to stall a final court decision on Obama’s healthcare reform legislation.
“We have to get rid of Obamacare. I really think the president is doing this country a tremendous disservice. Just like he should have given his birth certificate three years ago instead of making everyone wait — it’s sort of the same thing.
“We are going through all these court systems. Why doesn’t he allow it just to go to the Supreme Court? You’ll save a year and maybe more. I know people who are going absolutely crazy with their business on the assumption that Obamacare happens.
“Ultimately those people on the Supreme Court are going to be ruling on Obamacare. Wouldn’t it be good if we knew what is going to happen instead of waiting?”
Trump also said that Republican Rep. Paul Ryan’s deficit reduction plan “was early. There was no reason to put a plan forward where they are even talking about touching Medicare at this point.
“The Democrats are doing a number on that plan like I’ve never seen.
“Let Obama go first. He’s supposed to be the leader. Let him come in and put up a plan.”
Finally, the potential presidential contender referred to his status as a political outsider.
“All my life I’ve heard that very successful people cannot run for high office.
“I’m very anti-establishment, that even includes the Republicans.
“Republicans don’t like it because I’m not in the club. That club is not what is going to make us in my opinion a great country again.”
May 11, 2011