Time To Get Tough Part 7

Mitt Romney came up to Trump Tower. I had never met Mitt before and, not having met him, maybe I was inclined not to be in his corner. The fact is, when you meet him in person, he is a much different guy than he is in public. He is warm and engaging. The public has to get to know him better. He gets criticized for changing his opinions, or "flip flopping," but over a lifetime I've seen many people who don't change and they always get left behind. Smart people learn things, so they change their minds. Only stupid people never change their minds.

In the debates, Mitt has been spectacular. He's sharp, highly educated, and looks like a president. The amazing thing is, no matter how well he does, no matter who endorses him, he seems to stay at about the same numbers in the polls. So far, although he remains at the top or close to the top in the polls, he seems frozen at around 25 percent of primary voters. As other candidates drop out of the race, those numbers may break in his favor. Only time will tell.

Herman Cain is a real piece of work. He came up to my office and immediately I liked him and I believe he liked me. He's a terrific guy with a magnetic personality (he also happens to be a great singer). When Herman left Trump Tower, the press swarmed over him and I was told he said something like, "Look, I don't know if I am going to get Donald's support or endors.e.m.e.nt but I wanted to get to know him and I wanted him to like me because he's got the most vicious mouth for anybody he doesn't like and I didn't want him badmouthing me." I thought it was extremely cute and honest and I do indeed like Herman Cain. He's run an amazing campaign with very little staff. That has some advantages. There are plenty of political bloodsuckers who leech on to candidates and get millions of dollars and do nothing but give the candidates bad ideas and bad advice.

One thing I told Herman is that no matter what happens, he has elevated his stock. If he doesn't win, which is a very distinct possibility, he can run for another office and walk in. Whether it's the Senate or a governorship or even running a company, Herman has built a great resume and done it for peanuts. He didn't waste money-and I really admire that.

As this book goes to press, there are some vicious rumors swirling around Herman. These kinds of charges are to be expected in any political race, but we will see if he can weather them.

One mistake I made was with Jon Huntsman who really seems like a nice guy. He called me a number of times and I was unbelievably busy doing a deal and I didn't get back to him. Then, the time got long enough that I decided maybe I shouldn't bother him.

Jon Huntsman and his family have done an amazing job for the Wharton School of Finance, which is the best business school in the world. We both went there and I respect him and the job his family has done. Nevertheless, when all the candidates were saying they were coming up to see me, he said just the opposite. He said, "I don't have to see Donald Trump. I don't need Donald Trump. I don't want to see Donald Trump." What he didn't say was that he called me to have a meeting. While I like Jon Huntsman, he should not have said he didn't call me when he did. In fact, he left me his number and the person's name to call to set up a meeting. If you want, I can give you both. I know he won't lie if directly asked about this. I should have called him back-it wasn't polite and to him I apologize. If he ever calls again I promise to take his call and I would look forward to meeting him. With that said, for many more reasons which are fairly obvious, he can't and won't win the presidency in 2012.

One group that has already won is the Tea Party. The Tea Party has done a great service to the United States. They have made all politicians look seriously at what's wrong with our country, including America's $15 trillion of debt.

The media continuously bash the Tea Party. Nothing could be more unfair. In fact, when the Tea Party held a rally recently in Richmond, Virginia, they were forced to put up $10,000 to take care of insurance and barricades-and they gladly did it. When Occupy Wall Street marched, their gathering caused much more disturbance and disruption and they weren't asked to put up any money. The press constantly maligns, ridicules, and mocks the Tea Party folks. The fact is the Tea Party is made up of great citizens of this country. And in the end, I think the Tea Party patriots will get the last laugh because they will go down as having done more to change the country than any other group. They are terrific people, great Americans, and I am proud to have such a good relationship with them.

As for the Occupy Wall Street protesters, I am certainly not opposed to them or their concerns, some of which are legitimate. They are angry at the banks and they should be. They are angry at the government and they have every right to be. But, as I tell them all the time when they call my office, they need to move their protest over to the White House and get the community organizer out of his 747 and into the Oval Office so he can get to work making good deals with other countries and stopping other nations from ripping us off. If we could take back our jobs and money from China, OPEC, and all of the other places that are ripping us off, we wouldn't have to decimate our safety net and leave those who really need help stranded. That's a cause worth fighting for.

Of course, while there are some Occupy protesters who are serious and sincere people, there are a lot of them who are just there to meet people and have a party. And there are still others who are bad people who are involved for bad reasons. What started as a protest is becoming dangerous to the protesters. How long it will last is anyone's guess.

One thing the Tea Party folks and the Occupy Wall Street people can and should agree on is tackling the rampant problem in the Obama administration of crony capitalism. We've already seen with Solyndra and Fisker how the president's pals and big time campaign donors all got sweetheart loans and deals and stuck taxpayers with the bill. I predict we haven't heard the last of it and that the Obama administration engaged in many more cases of funneling money to companies connected to the president and his donors. Mark my word.

I love capitalism enough to protect it. There has to be a level playing field where everyone can compete fairly. The guy swinging a hammer all day shouldn't have the government reaching in his pocket and handing his taxes to Obama's big shot donors. It's wrong and unfair. Teachers, nurses, police officers, and firefighters have no business bailing out Wall Street bankers and billion-dollar companies.

Likewise, I think the Occupy people and the Tea Party can agree to get rid of the corporate welfare that gives tax subsidies to oil companies. How does that make any sense? Oil companies make billions. Why should the taxpayers have money taken out of their hard-earned paycheck to hand over to the oil companies, many of whom are in cahoots with OPEC? That's stupid and unfair as anyone can clearly see.

I believe America can restore herself to greatness. But we need the right kind of change to tap the ma.s.sive potential locked inside our great country. The so-called "ruling cla.s.s" in Washington needs to be replaced with people committed to the Const.i.tution and the values of fair play, hard work, and sparking the innovation and entrepreneurship that has made America great.

We just lost a great innovator and American entrepreneur in Steve Jobs. Like his politics or not, Jobs changed the world with his technological innovations. Interestingly, Jobs kept Washington money largely out of Apple-he wanted his company to stand and fight on its own two feet. Jobs, who was an Obama supporter, had a great idea that he offered to the president. "Put together a group of six or seven CEOs who could really explain the innovation challenges in America." But according to Walter Isaacson's biography of Jobs, once the White House officials got involved they messed it up, trying to micromanage things and turning it into a much larger event, and Steve Jobs pulled out.1 We need more innovators, dreamers, and entrepreneurs. America used to be #1 in producing all three. We can restore America and unleash the incredible potential of our great land and people. All it takes is the wisdom to return to our core principles, the resolve to keep the faith, and the willingness to get tough and innovate.

Take, for example, the X-PRIZE Foundation. This entrepreneurial group hosts compet.i.tions with cash prizes for the most innovative idea in Education, Exploration, Energy, and Life Sciences. The first $10 million reward was given in 2004 to whatever team could launch a manned s.p.a.cecraft twice in two weeks. The X-PRIZE motto is totally American: "Revolution Through Compet.i.tion."2 That's the way Americans like to think. That's the American Dream in motion. We're going to have to invent our way out of the mess our country is in. It starts with doing something I've always done, which is to think big.

Americans dream big and do hard things. It's who we are. It's what we do. When our country is unchained, we're unstoppable. But we need smart leaders, people who understand how the world works and have the guts to get tough. With proper leadership, we can rebuild the shining city on a hill we once were. When we do, we should boldly and proudly celebrate America's power and dominance in the world. The way I see it, greatness need not apologize for itself. Ever.

If we do that, we can, together, make America #1 again.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.

The team at Regnery Publishing has been terrific to work with in every way, and I'd like to thank Wynton Hall, Peter Schweizer, Marji Ross, Jeff Carneal, and Harry Crocker for doing such a great job. They've been a pleasure to work with and their professionalism was apparent from the start. At the Trump Organization I would like to thank Rhona Graff, Meredith McIver, Michael Cohen, Kacey Kennedy, and Thuy Colayco for their enthusiasm and careful work. Thanks to all for a job well done.

NOTES.

Chapter One.

1 Sara Murray, "About 1 in 7 in U.S. Receive Food Stamps," Wall Street Journal, Real Time Economics, May 3, 2011.

2 "Wholesale Prices Spike on Steep Rise in Food, Oil," a.s.sociated Press, March 16, 2011, http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory?id=13146470.

3 Tom Shanker and David E. Sanger, "U.S. to Aid South Korea With Naval Defense Plan," New York Times, May 30, 2010, http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/31/world/asia/31koreanavy.html?pagewanted=2 .

Chapter Two.

1 F. Michael Maloof, "Guess which country kicked out U.S. congressional delegation," WorldNetDaily, June 18, 2011, http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=312317.

2 GAO Report No. GAO-10-304, "Iraqi-U.S. Cost-Sharing: Iraq Has a c.u.mulative Budget Surplus, Offering the Potential for Further Cost-Sharing," Government Accountability Office, September 13, 2010; accessible text file available at: http://www.gao.gov/htext/d10304.html.

3 Jim Geraghty, "Obama: On gas prices, 'I would have preferred a gradual adjustment,'" National Review Online The Campaign Spot, June 11, 2008, http://www.nationalreview.com/campaign-spot/9477/obama-gas-prices-i-would-have-preferred-gradual-adjustment.

4 Neil King Jr. and Stephen Power, "Times Tough for Energy Overhaul," Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2008, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122904040307499791html. .

5 Posted by Ed Morrissey, "Obama: I'll make energy prices 'skyrocket,'" HotAir.com, November 2, 2008 http://hotair.com/archives/2008/11/02/obama-ill-make-energy-prices-skyrocket/.

6 Jeff c.o.x, "Gas Prices May Be Falling, But Food Keeps Going Up," CNBC.com, June 23, 2011, http://www.cnbc.com/id/43498072.

7 Lucia Graves, "Obama Says He Has No Regrets About Solyndra Loan," Huffington Post, October 3, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/obama-solyndra-loan_n_993085.html.

8 Brad Plumer, "Five myths about the Solyndra collapse," Washington Post, September 14, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/five-myths-about-the-solyndra-collapse/2011/09/14/gIQAfkyvRK_blog.html .

9 Lucia Graves, "Obama Says He Has No Regrets About Solyndra Loan," Huffington Post, October 3, 2011, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/03/obama-solyndra-loan_n_993085.html 10 Brad Plumer, "Five myths about the Solyndra collapse," Washington Post, September 14, 2011, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/five-myths-about-the-solyndra-collapse/2011/09/14/gIQAfkyvRK_blog.html.

11 "Hugo Chavez Mouthpiece Says U.S. Hit Haiti With 'Earthquake Weapon,'" FOXNews.com, January 21, 2010, http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/01/21/hugo-chavez-mouthpiece-says-hit-haiti-earthquake-weapon/.

12 Rob Hastings, "Saudi Arabia is 'biggest funder of terrorists,'" The Independent, December 6, 2010, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-is-biggest-funder-of-terrorists-2152327.html.

13 Thomas W. Evans, "Sue OPEC," New York Times, June 19, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/19/opinion/19evans.html.

14 Robert Zubrin, "Obama Covers for OPEC," op. cit.

15 Thomas W. Evans, "Sue OPEC," op. cit.

16 Ibid.

17 Khawaja Mohammad Hasan, Abu Dhabi, "Cheap, clean & green transport initiative," Khaleej Times Online, January 30, 2011, http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=/data/opens.p.a.ce/2011/January/opens.p.a.ce_January29xml§ion=opens.p.a.ce. .

18 Rob Lever, "Amid US gas boom, split over 'fracking,'" AFP, June 26, 2011, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5j_sM-PZ5NWAybKbWdOMpoXvh67ng?docId=CNG.bb9547ce35c8697828233d280f68bf54.291.

19 David Ropeik, "How Risky Is It, Really?" Psychology Today, May 31, 2010, http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-risky-is-it-really/201005/it-s-not-justabout-oil-in-the-ocean-it-s-how-it-got-there.

20 "Natural sources of marine oil pollution," GPA, http://oils.gpa.unep.org/facts/natural-sources.htm.

21 "Top 10 Proofs Obama Wants High Energy Prices," Human Events, June 20, 2011, p. 19.

Chapter Three.

1 Transcript, "The Democrats' First 2008 Presidential Debate," New York Times, April 27, 2007, http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/27/us/politics/27debate_transcripthtml?pagewanted=print. .

2 Kathy Chu, "Most Americans think China is No. 1 economy; it isn't," USA Today, February 15, 2011, http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2011-02-14-chinapoll14_ST_N.htm.

3 "The China Job Drain," Alliance for American Manufacturing, http://www.americanmanufacturing.org/china-job-loss.

4 Gideon Rachman, "Think Again: American Decline," Foreign Policy, January/ February 2011, http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/01/02/think_again_american_decline .

5 Ibid., and Graeme Wearden, "US-China trade deficit grows to record $27obn," The Guardian, February 11, 2011, http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/feb/11/us-chinese-trade-gap-grows.

6 Peter Navarro, "How China unfairly bests the U.S.," Los Angeles Times, June 21, 2011, http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/21/opinion/la-oe-navarro-trade-china-20110621.

7 Ibid.

8 John Hechinger, "U.S. Teens Lag as China Soars on International Test," Bloomberg, December 7, 2010, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-12-07/teens-in-u-s-rank-25th-on-math-test-trail-in-science-reading.html.

9 Andrew J. Rotherham, "Shanhai Surprise: Don't Sweat Global Test Data," TIME, January 20, 2011, http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,2043312,00.html .

10 Anne Flaherty, "Pentagon: China's Military Power Growing," ABC News, August 16, 2010.

11 Aprille Muscara, "Wikileak Cables Reveal China's Modernising Military Might," Global Issues, January 13, 2011, http://www.globalissues.org/news/2011/01/13/8172.

12 Bryan Krekel, "Capability of the People's Republic of China to Conduct Cyber Warfare and Computer Network Exploitation," The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Northrop Grumman Corporation, October 9, 2009, 52, http://www.uscc.gov/researchpapers/2009/NorthropGrumman_PRC_Cyber_Paper_FINAL_Approved%20Report_16Oct2009.pdf.

13 Scott Robertson, "AISI calls for China currency remedy," Metal Bulletin, April 7, 2010.

14 Ibid.

15 Alan Tonelson, "Economic Watch: It's Time to Stop Kowtowing on Yuan Manipulation," Washington Times, March 30, 2010, Section A, p. 4.

16 Patrice Hill, "Penalties sought for China over currency practices," Washington Times, September 16, 2010, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/sep/16/lawmakers-seek-penalties-for-china/.

17 Chris Isidore, "How 'The Donald' could incite a trade war," CNNMoney.com, April 18, 2011, http://money.cnn.com/2011/04/17/news/economy/trump_china_trade_war/index.htm.

18 James Bacchus, "What A Trade War With China Would Look Like," Forbes.com, February 2, 2009, http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/31/trade-wto-china-opinions-contributors_0202_james_bacchus.html.

19 "National Income and Product Accounts Gross Domestic Product, 2nd quarter 2011 (third estimate) Corporate Profits, 2nd quarter 2011 (revised estimate)," Bureau of Economic a.n.a.lysis, report released September 29, 2011, . http://www.beagov/newsreleases/national/gdp/gdpnewsrelease.htm.

20 "Weekly Address: President Obama: 'We Can Out-Compete Any Other Nation,'" WhiteHouse.gov, January 22, 2011, http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/01/22/weekly-address-president-obama-we-can-out-compete-any-other-nation.

21 Jamie Reno, "'Made in the USA' Makes a Comeback," NewsMax, November 2011, 23.

22 Ibid.

23 Ibid.

24 James Bacchus, "What A Trade War With China Would Look Like," op. cit.

25 Patrice Hill, "Penalties sought for China over currency practices," op. cit.

26 Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments (Cambridge University Press, 2002), 95.

27 "The Makings of a Trade War With China," The Daily Beast, September 27, 2010, http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/27/the-makings-of-a-trade-war-with-china.html .

28 Jacob Greber, "Krugman Says China Is Devaluing Its Currency, 'Stealing' Jobs," Bloomberg, October 23, 2009, http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aUVeLdpK4Yqg.

29 Peter Navarro, "How China unfairly bests the U.S.," op. cit.

30 Ibid.

31 Josh Kraushaar, "Nerves Show on Team Obama," National Journal Against the Grain, June 28, 2011, http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/against-the-grain/nerves-show-on-team-obama-20110628.

32 Government Press Release, "China to Boost Military Spending," INTERNATIONAL PRESS SERVICE, March 4, 2011, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=134C3E70680B7700&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=1.

33 Siobhan Gorman, August Cole, and Yochi Dreazen, "Computer Spies Breach Fighter-Jet Project," Wall Street Journal, April 21, 2009.

34 "Spies Breach Pentagon Fighter-Jet Project: Report," Agence France-Presse, April 21, 2009, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/iw-search/we/InfoWeb?p_product=AWNB&p_theme=aggregated5&p_action=doc&p_docid=127BB775B218BCD0&p_docnum=1&p_queryname=19.

35 Krekel, "Capability of China to Conduct Cyber Warfare," op. cit., 7.

36 Ibid., 52.

37 Ibid.