Donald Trump on Feud With Rosie, War in Iraq
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}This is a rush transcript from "On the Record ," May 31, 2007. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
GRETA VAN SUSTEREN, HOST: Donald Trump does not hold back. We went to the world famous Trump Towers in New York City today, and Donald Trump went "On the Record."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Rosie — who could forget Rosie and you?
DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I thought you would ask that question.
VAN SUSTEREN: Yes, I knew you thought...
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}(CROSSTALK)
VAN SUSTEREN: But what's going on with that? What's the latest on that?
TRUMP: Well, nothing's happening with me. I said a long time ago, and I said it to you, that she's very self-destructive, that she wouldn't live out her term. She didn't live out her term. All she had to do is sit down for another three weeks and just do the show, and she could have gone out at a much higher level. I think she looks very, very bad and very, very foolish. And it's too bad, in a way, but she's a very self-destructive person, not a very smart person, and this is the way it happened.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Did you watch her Internet blog that she did over the weekend where she talked about her sort of departure from "The View?" Did you watch that?
TRUMP: I didn't watch it. I heard about it. And it's so foolish what she's doing. All she had to do, Greta, was sit down for a couple of more weeks, finish out her term and go on to whatever she's going to go on to.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you think she'll be picked up, though? I mean, that in the sense that, you know, sometimes making a lot of noise in television is actually helpful in an odd way to your career.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: I think she will be picked up because somebody will be foolish enough to pick her up. I think she'll do very well for the first couple of months, and unlike you and other people that do very well on television, you have a long life. She doesn't have a long life. People get tired of her stuff. And her last show was canceled because of ratings.
And I believe that, you know, she'll do well because for the first couple of months she's going to do well, but then the show will go very rapidly down in the ratings department and will be terminated just like everything else, or she'll quit.
Look, she had a magazine that failed called Rosie, failed badly. Everything she does ultimately fails. She had a Broadway show that was a total disaster. And now this whole mess at “The View.” And if you look at “The View,” her big ratings were in December and January when she and I were going at it. That was really her ratings.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Barbara Walters, what do you think of her?
TRUMP: I've lost so much confidence Barbara. I know Barbara so well and it's really very sad what happened with Barbara. People would say she wasn't exactly telling the truth when it came to me, and all you have to do is look at her face, look at her body language, as the expression goes, and you could see. But I've lost so much faith in Barbara that it's incredible. Barbara Walters is a person that I know very well. I mean, she picked me last year as one of her top 10 people of whatever it's called.
So, it's not like I dislike Barbara, but I'm disappointed in Barbara. And Rosie pushed her around like she was nothing. I have respect for Barbara, but I lost some of my respect by the way she allowed Rosie to push her around. I think the happiest person, the happiest woman in show business today is Barbara not having to deal with Rosie anymore. And then even over the last couple of days I see how she's sent letters and notes and e-mails to Rosie, it's like, give me a break. She couldn't stand Rosie.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: So then why is she doing that? Is that to create favor with the viewers?
TRUMP: No, I think it's just basically to get rid of her. She wants to be done with her. That's it. It's over.
VAN SUSTEREN: But, they are done with her. But, they are done with her.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: She wanted it to look like it went out nicely. It didn't go out nicely. Rosie is a terrible person. The way she left “The View” was a disgrace.
VAN SUSTEREN: So, what would you do at “The View” now? They've got an empty chair and of course, they'll have a second one when Elisabeth has her baby, at least for a while. What would you do at “The View?”
TRUMP: I would try and get somebody on “The View” that will get some viewers. You have people on “The View” that have absolutely no talent. I mean, you look at somebody like Joy Bahar.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Why don't you like her?
TRUMP: She's terrible.
VAN SUSTEREN: Like what?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: I don't know Joy.
VAN SUSTEREN: You must watch “The View.”
TRUMP: Just so you understand — well, I've been on The View a number of times.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: But like, do you watch it everyday?
TRUMP: No, but I see it. And sometimes I'll TiVo it if I think they're talking about me.
VAN SUSTEREN: And you think Joy is bad?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: You know, I'm like President Bush that says he doesn't watch television. If I say somebody's talking about me, if I see that or hear that I'll try and watch it. I don't even know Joy Bahar. I just think she has no talent whatsoever.
VAN SUSTEREN: Well, how do you measure talent on “The View?” I mean, what would you be looking for?
TRUMP: Well, talent is a very hard word to measure, but I just talk in terms of view and in terms of television entertainment. I don't think she has entertainment value. Now, I think Barbara Walters is an interesting woman, and I like her. I must say, I grained a tremendous amount of respect for Elisabeth Hasselbeck, even though she said I was obnoxious, but that's OK.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: But you said — actually you were not particularly flattering of her.
TRUMP: No. No. Elisabeth Hasselbeck is not, as I said, the brightest light on the planet. But, Elisabeth Hasselbeck, I gave respect because she beat Rosie up so badly it was incredible. And I've always said about Rosie, and I said to you, Rosie is not a very bright person, but Elisabeth Hasselbeck sort of proved that. But she also proved to me that she's brighter than I thought.
VAN SUSTEREN: Prior to Rosie on “The View,” and except for the times you were on “The View,” how many times do you think you've ever watched it?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: Oh, I don't watch “The View.” I don't watch it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you watch “On the Record?”
TRUMP: I was on “The View” — your show?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Yeah.
TRUMP: Absolutely.
VAN SUSTEREN: Oh good. That's the right answer.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: No, I've been on “The View” a number of times because of “The Apprentice” and because of the success of “The Apprentice,” but I don't watch “The View” at all.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VAN SUSTEREN: We went to Donald Trump's turf in New York City today. Here's more of our talk with Donald Trump.
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VAN SUSTEREN: This is Trump Towers. How many square feet are here?
TRUMP: Well, it's a million foot building and at the base we have Gucci coming in, and they're taking the entire base of the building and there's nothing like Gucci, so we're very happy about that.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: How many floors?
TRUMP: It's 68 stories total.
VAN SUSTEREN: No, this isn't the only Trump building, by any means.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: No, I have many, many Trump buildings.
VAN SUSTEREN: How many do you have in New York?
TRUMP: I don't even know. I'll add them up and I'll tell you later.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}VAN SUSTEREN: Do you love doing this?
TRUMP: I love it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you go on vacation?
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}TRUMP: I really do. And I do these little interludes with you and a couple of your friends, but I really do. I have a good time doing it.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you ever go on vacation?
TRUMP: Not often. And when I do I go on vacation to like one of my golf courses where I play, and I play my golf course and I consider it work.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you live here in this building?
TRUMP: I live in the building.
VAN SUSTEREN: What floor are you on?
TRUMP: The very top.
VAN SUSTEREN: So, you got the best one.
TRUMP: Well, I should have. I mean if I don't have the best one, I've got some problems.
VAN SUSTEREN: Walking into this building — obviously you live here, but when you walk into this building and see how the magnificent building — you see your name all over it. Fun, a thrill or just business to you?
TRUMP: Well, I don't think about it. You know, I don't like to sit back and gloat, because the world is fragile. Life is fragile, so I never really gloat. But it's a pretty great thing.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, if you hadn't gone into real estate, what do you think you would have done? What was your second wish?
TRUMP: I would have made movies. And I almost did that. I would have made movies.
VAN SUSTEREN: Not too late, you can still do that.
TRUMP: Well, I guess I probably can. Now I can do it much easier.
VAN SUSTEREN: Yeah, you can spend your own money.
TRUMP: But I probably would have done that. I always liked that — the concept of entertainment and making movies. Not that it's a great business, although it can be. But I probably would have done that.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why didn't you?
TRUMP: Ultimately I decided I liked real estate better.
VAN SUSTEREN: So, what do you do during the day, in terms of real estate? I mean, do you look at properties, look at plans? I mean, what do you actually do?
TRUMP: Everything you think I do. I build buildings. I'm building a lot of buildings and build a lot of buildings and I rent buildings and sell buildings, and just do a lot of things.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, we're sitting in the bar at the Trump Towers. Did you have to do with, for instance, the design of it? Do you look at that, or do you like, delegate that?
TRUMP: I have everything to do with it.
VAN SUSTEREN: So, you're a hands-on guy?
TRUMP: Yeah, totally.
VAN SUSTEREN: And picking out the marble or...
TRUMP: It's all me.
VAN SUSTEREN: You pick that out?
TRUMP: I did everything.
VAN SUSTEREN: Any regrets in this building?
TRUMP: No. From the day I built it, it's been a success, literally. Everybody in this building, I mean, they love it. They have fun in it. We're sitting in the Trump Tower bar, which has been a great success. Everything I've done in this building has just worked. It's been a success from the day I built it.
VAN SUSTEREN: All right, if I wanted to buy this building how much do you think it cost?
TRUMP: You don't have the money.
VAN SUSTEREN: I know I don't have the money. I'm just curious, I take it...
TRUMP: I don't want to talk about that. But you don't have the money.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have a horse in the presidential race?
TRUMP: Well, I think you have a lot of talented people. I think Hillary is very talented. I think Rudy Giuliani is very talented. I think they're all talented. I mean, who's making a big — Mitt Romney is making a big impression. John McCain is very talented. You have a lot of very good people running in this election. But, you know, I think that Hillary on one side and Rudy on the other looks to me like they're doing the best.
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you have a single issue that make the most difference to you when you vote next time around?
TRUMP: Yes.
VAN SUSTEREN: Which is?
TRUMP: Get out of Iraq.
VAN SUSTEREN: How soon?
TRUMP: How about yesterday? We shouldn't have been there. We shouldn't have been there. It's ridiculous. We're overseeing a revolution. There's nothing we can do. Our soldiers were incredible. They won the war in one day. That was their job. Win the war. They're not policemen and they're acting as policemen, and they're getting killed acting as policemen. Get out of Iraq, and get out of it now.
VAN SUSTEREN: Were you one of those who thought we never should never gone in or after we went in, at some point you thought, we need to get out.
TRUMP: We never should have gone in.
VAN SUSTEREN: And you thought that from the beginning?
TRUMP: From the beginning.
VAN SUSTEREN: How do we get out? Just walk out at this point?
TRUMP: Just get out. Just get out. Our soldiers won the war. Get out.
VAN SUSTEREN: Why do you think the president won't get out?
TRUMP: He's stubborn — very stubborn guy.
VAN SUSTEREN: You ever met him?
TRUMP: No, not really. I mean, I've seen him, I've been in rooms — but not really.
VAN SUSTEREN: So his stubbornness is why.
TRUMP: He's a very stubborn guy and he's got people around him who I think are very poor, whether it's Rumsfeld and whoever. I mean, I could tell you lots of things about the people, but he's got some people around him that are very, very poor. Rumsfeld did a terrible disservice to this country by leading us in. Cheney, I don't know, it's just a very sad situation. But we should be out of Iraq, and be out of Iraq as soon as possible.
VAN SUSTEREN: Would Giuliani do that or Hillary Clinton do that?
TRUMP: Well, I know Hillary will do it. I think Rudy will do it eventually, too. I think Rudy will do it. I mean, Rudy's saying something that is what he believes, but I believe that ultimately Rudy gets us out and Hillary gets us out. I think they both get us out.
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