Donald Trump weighs in on meeting with the RNC

close

Video

Donald Trump weighs in on meeting with the RNC

GOP frontrunner joins 'The O'Reilly Factor' to discuss his bid for the GOP nomination

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," March 31, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!

ERIC BOLLING, FOX NEWS HOST: Hi, I'm Eric Bolling in for Bill O'Reilly. Thanks for watching us.

Let's get right to our lead guest tonight, Donald Trump who joins us now by phone from Washington, D.C. Donald, it's been quite a day for you. Earlier today had you a surprise meeting with the RNC. First of all, tell us what that was all about.

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (on the phone): Well, it was a very good meeting. We met with Reince Priebus and the staff and they are very good people, very actually a terrific meeting, I think. And it's really a unity meeting. You know, we are leading by a lot. We have far and away the most delegates. Millions and millions of votes more than anybody else than Ted has or than, you know, Kasich has. And I think they wanted to really discuss, you know, unity and I like discussing unity, too. Theoretically and my whole life, I mean, people wouldn't sort of understand this, a lot of people. But it's been about unity. I get along with people. I get along with them very well. So, we had a very good -- we had a very good meeting with the RNC.

BOLLING: Who's called the meeting, Donald? Did you or did they call it?

TRUMP: I think it was probably mutually called. We have been talking and we have been dealing a lot. We have been tabulating up, as you know, Missouri just came in where we won Missouri. Tabulation just was finalized. We actually picked up additional votes and we had a great time in Missouri.

BOLLING: All right. No, I know, but someone had to pick up the phone or send the email or the text to the other. I'm just curious if they are the ones.

TRUMP: I'm not even sure. I'm not even sure. I think it was very mutually set up and I was in Washington because we had a foreign policy team meeting today. We have some wonderful people that we met on board. I'm setting up a board with various people having to do with foreign policy, I did that and then I go back shortly tomorrow. I'm going back to Wisconsin and I look forward to that and we just had a great PPP poll coming out, I guess I picked up quite a bit in terms of the Wisconsin vote. But nationwide we're leading big league. So, I think that's why, you know, the RNC want to do meet.

BOLLING: Yes. You know, the reason I ask, Donald, last night I told the folks right before the show, before the taping of the show I got a call from leadership at the RNC and they want me to talk about this thing that I have been talking about for a few days now is this, whether or not rules can be changed at the convention, at the RNC convention. Interestingly after the show last night, I got another call from RNC leadership and they wanted to talk about the same thing. So, and I keep trying to find out if that can happen.

So, instead of hearing it, I went and did my own homework and it turns out and I want you to weigh in on this because I think this is extremely important, especially actually to all of three of the GOP nominees. Rule 42, there are 42 rules in the RNC handbook, that rule book. Rule 42 says rules 26 through 42 are deemed temporary. Now, the problem is that 1237 rule that says the majority plus one gets the nomination falls at rule 40 B and E, so basic lead to 1237 number is a temporary rule that they can change at the convention. Did you address that with the RNC?

TRUMP: We really didn't. I think it would be very hard to discuss that, frankly and maybe to do something about that. As far as I'm concerned I think we're going to meet that number. I will say this, if we are close to that number, because we are way ahead of Cruz and we're way ahead of Kasich.

BOLLING: Donald, even if you get 1237 or 1240, they can say, you know, instead of a majority these rules committee says it's going to be a super majority and you are going to need 1600.

TRUMP: No, that won't happen. We have millions of people more than anybody else. You know, I have millions and millions of people more than anybody else. What's happening is really been a phenomena. It's been reported all over. Really one of the big stories in all of politics worldwide. The Republican count for votes is up so much since four years ago like some of the places are up over 100 percent. Lines are five blocks long. It's been amazing. So, I don't think anybody would even think about playing around with that.

BOLLING: All right. Maybe you should get Ryans and the RNC to sign a pledge.

TRUMP: Well, I will say this. I go a step further though, I think that if we get the 1237, if we break the 1237 that's fine. But I think, frankly, you know, if you look at it, we had many, many people running so that many of those early primaries we would have, you know, 10 people and seven people and six people would have a lot of people in them.

BOLLING: Yes.

TRUMP: And it's very, very hard to break that number, despite that I think I will break that number. However, if we are millions of votes ahead of everyone else and hundreds of delegates ahead of everyone else, I really think that whoever has that kind of an advantage should get it. I think it's awfully hard to take that away.

BOLLING: And this is Donald trump just post a meeting with the RNC. So, viewers take that how you will. All right. Donald, that took some of the attention away from a firestorm you set off yesterday after your interview about what should happen to women who get abortions if the procedure becomes illegal. I want to play it for our folks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHRIS MATTHEWS, MSNBC HOST, "HARDBALL": Do you believe in punishment for abortion? Yes or no, as a principle?

TRUMP: The answer is that has to be some form of punishment.

MATTHEWS: For the woman.

TRUMP: Yes, there has to be some form.

MATTHEWS: Ten years or 20?

TRUMP: That I don't know.

MATTHEWS: Why not?

TRUMP: I don't know.

MATTHEWS: You take positions on everything else.

TRUMP: I do take positions on everything else. It's a very complicated position.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLLING: Now, I know you have since clarified your point in written statements but--

TRUMP: I have clarified it, you really ought to heart whole thing. I mean, this is a long convoluted question. This was a long discussion and they just cut it out and, frankly, it was extremely -- it was really convoluted and if, in fact, abortion was outlawed the person performing the abortion, the doctor or whoever it may be that is really doing the act is responsible for the act not the woman is responsible. So, that's the way I have always felt. I have had the same -- I have had the same stance exactly as Ronald Reagan. I mean, I have had it and I have had it from the beginning. So, my stance is the exact same as Ronald Reagan's.

BOLLING: So, a lot of people are making a lot of hay out of this. Donald, I'm trying to figure out, did you misspeak or did you misunderstand the question?

TRUMP: Well, it could be that I misspoke. But this was a long, convoluted subject. We talked about Catholicism and his religion. And, you know, Chris went back and forth about that and this was a very long, convoluted discussion which, frankly, they don't want on television because it was too long.

BOLLING: Uh-hm.

TRUMP: But you know, just as I said it, and I must tell you this is the same -- my stance is the same stance as Ronald Reagan. And, if, in fact, abortion was outlined, the person performing that act is responsible, not the woman.

BOLLING: Okay. Another topic that came up last night was nuclear proliferation, nuclear, the whole nuclear idea whether or not other people should get it, how we would respond, keeping things on or off the table. Let's play it for the folks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MATTHEWS: You can tell the Middle East we are not using a nuclear weapon?

TRUMP: I would never say that. I would never take any of my cards off the table.

MATTHEWS: How about Europe?

TRUMP: I'm not going to take it off the table.

MATTHEWS: You might use it in Europe.

TRUMP: No, I don't think so.

MATTHEWS: Just say it. I would never use -- in Europe.

TRUMP: I am not taking cards off the table. I'm not going to use nukes but I'm not taking any cards off the table.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BOLLING: Okay. What's that all about?

TRUMP: Well, I don't want to take cards off the table. I would never do that. The last person to press that button would be me. Hey, I'm the one that didn't want to go into Iraq from the beginning. The last person that wants to play the nuclear card believe me is me. But you can never take cards off the table either from a moral stand -- from any standpoint and certainly from a negotiating standpoint.

BOLLING: Donald, I understand they are not taking the cards off the table for ISIS or Islamic terror. But when Chris expanded to Europe, what about that?

TRUMP: Europe is a big place. I'm not going to take cards off the table. We have nuclear capability. Now, our capability is going down rapidly because of what we're doing. It's in bad shape. The equipment is not properly maintained. There are all lot of talk about that. And that's a bad thing not a good thing. The last person to use nuclear would be Donald Trump. That's the way I feel. I think it is a horrible thing. The thought of it is horrible. But I don't want to take anything off the table. We have to negotiate. There will be times maybe when we're going to be in a very deep, very difficult, very horrible negotiation. The last person -- I'm not going to take it off the table. And I said it yesterday. And I stay with it.

BOLLING: All right. Donald, you said the other meeting or you were gathering a group of foreign policy experts. Anyone in particular we should know about? We would like to know who are they.

TRUMP: Actually tomorrow we are releasing the group. And we had some really good people today. We had some amazing discussions. And this topic of nuclear was discussed. And everybody agrees with me. You don't take it off the table. Why would we take to have the table? It's a very strong negotiating point. Hopefully we would never have to use it, even as a negotiating point. But, certainly you don't take it off the table. We had a group of very talented people. This is all they do.

And, actually, a number of them commented that what I said was absolutely correct as to nuclear. Now, they also felt I was right as to NATO. Because we're paying a disproportionate share of NATO. And NATO is largely obsolete. And it's got to be restructured and it's got to be changed. And other countries have to pay some of the bill. We owe, Eric, $19 trillion. And we can't go around being the policemen of the world and supporting a big -- I think it's 72 or 73 percent of NATO and other countries are benefiting we're paying the tab. We can't continue to do that.

BOLLING: A lot of people on the left saying you want to disband NATO. I don't understand that. But Donald before we go, we only have --

TRUMP: Just Eric, let me clarify. I never said that. I don't want to disband NATO but I don't want to pay for a vast majority of the cost of NATO, either. It's benefiting all of these countries, you have 28 countries in there. It's benefiting all of these countries. And some of them virtually nothing that pay peanuts. It's not fair. So, we have to be treated fairly. And we're not being treated fairly worldwide whether it's NATO or trade or anything else, we are not being treated fairly.

BOLLING: These meeting of foreign policy mines. We only have about 30 seconds or so. These are going to be advisors to you or just the back and forth you want to have a discussion.

TRUMP: No. These won't be advisors. These are very talented people, highly respected people, these people would be advisors.

BOLLING: All right. We're going to leave it right there, Mr. Donald Trump. Thank you very much.

TRUMP: OK. Thank you very much.

Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.