« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

EDITOR OF REDSTATE

Why Yes, I Am Interviewing Donald Trump

By: Erick Erickson (Diary)  |  May 12th, 2011 at 04:51 PM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

He’s a blunt new voice that’s hitting our conservative establishment with the force of a wrecking ball.

The guy fascinates all of us, but let’s face it: he also raises a lot of questions.

I’ll ask Donald Trump those questions, 1-on-1, live, for a solid hour. Is this all just posturing? Is he running — or not? Let’s get answers. Who’s the real guy behind the money, flash and fast talk?

Join us. I promise you this won’t be interviews as usual. From the minute we kick off at 11AM Eastern, Tuesday May 17, this will be what everyone’s talking about. Be there.

Best of all, it’s FREE. Reserve your spot now!

Tags: ,
Get Alerts

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • johnthebaptistmoore

    Erick, I hope that you will, also, use the questions asked by others here on Red State. There are, already, some questions to ask Trump from comments left from your other page on this event.

  • aesthete

    Since you will obviously not be supporting the man for President, and since it is being done (at least in part) as an attempt to boost your national profile, I think that both you and the country would be better served by you not giving Trump a friendly interview as Rush did. Trump is a cretin of the first order, and not conservative in any sense. Your qs should be structured so as to reveal this fact.

    Ask him specifically what he intends to cut in Medicare, Medicaid, and SS.

    Hammer him on his support for tariffs and eminent domain.

    Ask him how his business failures make him qualified to run the country.

    Ask him about his foreign policy, and why he wanted to get out of Iraq.

    Lastly, ask him about his prior support for liberal democrats in NY and his support for Hillary Clinton.

  • mrpresident

    I never Vote GOP for president but will if Trump runs. I lived in China for several years and we are doomed if we don’t get a pit bull who can wrangle the Chicom’s. The Chinese are tough, smart and have np moral compass and we need one of America’s best sharks to deal with them. Believe me a world where China has the position that America has now will not be a place where values has merit. This is what we are dealing with and heck yes take the oil.
    http://21stcenturywire.com/2011/04/12/2577/

    Run Trump and you’ll get this Obama voter

  • aesthete

    but smart? They just got done with alienating every nation in SE Asia, running up their own version of our mortgage crisis, and their various policies (such as one child) are utter disasters. They’re not as dumb and bloodthirsty as Mao, but they’re definitely not geniuses: they just figured out that markets work, liberalized some of their coastal cities’ markets, and have enough growth in those areas from the easy pickings of starting industrialization to make up for their frak-ups in other areas.

  • http://www.hakubi.us/ Neil Stevens
  • http://impudent.edublogs.org/ kyle8

    If China is manipulating it’s currency in order to dump cheap subsidized goods into our market.

    Then just exactly how does it hurt Americans to be able to purchase cheap goods subsidized by the Chinese taxpayers?

    If we pay less because of another nation’s stupid policies then will not we have more money available to buy high end products made here like automobiles?

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908
  • williamjameson

    versus the party of creative endeavor. Logic wins when both parties meet on common ground, being creative has cost us trillions and created millions of wards of the state.

    Can’t say whether Trump is presidential or not because he’s got to meet the conservative standard or sell his point of view on several key issues and back off the pointless rants. Obama ranted as a candidate and never stopped, we can do better than that.

  • mrpresident

    I also lived in the far reaches of Tibet back in 2004 before the railway. I knew then that SE Asia was in trouble because the Chinese were determined to control the headwaters of major rivers and use them not only for Domestic purposes but to control the flow and use that control as a negotiating tactic to gain dominance.
    The Mekong River being just one.

    We have an enemy and read this, this is huuuuge…

    Intelligence Community Fears U.S. Manufacturing Decline

    http://blogs.forbes.com/beltway/2011/02/14/intelligence-community-fears-u-s-manufacturing-decline/

    Trump like him or not is the fire to fight the fire…..

  • aesthete

    You mean the autonomous state that the ChiComs have failed to pacify after 50+ years? Yeah — what does that have to do with us? As far as China’s rivers go, we’ll see. So far, the Chinese have had nothing close to dominance of SE Asia or the Far East: what ties they had to Vietnam have been somewhat burned as of late, and there are almost no other countries that China could consider allies when push comes to shove.

    The problem with the China fear is that, word for word, it reads exactly like the Japan scare of the 80s: somewhat authoritarian capitalist nation is gaining/is the wave of the future, the only way to save ourselves is to abandon capitalism and embrace [authoritarian system with some overtures to capitalism].

  • aesthete

    Conversely, how is it good for Americans to have to pay more for their consumer goods in the middle of a recession?

  • Ann_W

    Mr. Trump, according to the author, opined that “laziness is a trait in blacks” and said to Mr. O’Donnell: “I’ve got black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys that wear yarmulkes every day.” New York Times July 14, 1991. This was in a book written by a former executive of his. As far as I know Trump never sued him for libel about it. I think the MSM see him as popular and would save this until he’s the party’s nominee.

    If you don’t want China to pass up America’s position in the world then research what extending unemployment benefits (and the increased insurance businesses have to pay) does to unemployment levels, what high corporate tax rates do to having companies expand in your country. Look into what a government union monopoly on schools has done to the quality of education in this country. Research the true disaster in the details of Obamacare. There is quantitative evidence for what is required to keep this country strong. Learn it. Then pick an actual conservative, (plug for Herman Cain) not someone who just says things people want to hear, but is so incompetent that he’s on an allowance system from the banks that loan him money.

  • mrpresident

    Free trade in America is the policy of economics developed by American slave holding states and protectionism is a northern, manufacturing issue. Although not as animating an issue as slavery, differences in trade between the two regions contributed to the Civil War and remain a point of national difference even today.

    Historically, southern slave holding states, because of their low cost manual labor, had little perceived need for mechanization, and supported having the right to purchase manufactured goods from any nation. Thus they called themselves free traders.

    **Northern Progressives sought free trade to undermine the power base of Republicans** ? Woodrow Wilson would admit as much in a speech to Congress. A brief resurgence by Republicans in the 1920s was disastrous for them. Woodrow Wilson?s ideological understudy, Franklin Roosevelt, would essentially blame the Great Depression upon the protectionist policies exemplified by the previous Republican President, Herbert Hoover???.

    So if a ?socialist? Democrat like FDR supported free trade and was against protectionism to undermine the Republicans why is it that Republicans so staunchly support it today? Look at CATO, Heritage et al?

    trump is not a Republican/conservative??? You better check again…..He is a protectionist….

    Protectionist is the hight of being a Republican….

  • aesthete

    Whether it’s “Republican” or not (and it hasn’t been for at least 20 years), protectionism is a horrible idea that is antithetical to the most basic precepts of free markets. Your point, such as it is, is that because bad people in some place favored free trade, it must be a bad thing. Well, no: the Nazis ate food, Hitler was nice to his dog, etc. You’re just engaging in economic fallacy. FDR was 100% right about Smoot-Hawley. Too bad he didn’t repeal it when he got into office.

    As for Trump, there are many things which damn him as not being conservative — trade is merely the most glaring one, and the one on which he has focused quite a bit of time.

  • http://908StraightSt.wordpress.com/ mbecker908

    We’re not facing a secessionist movement.

    You’re an idiot.

  • Menlo

    I’ve seen the voting records and polls speaking to the issue from the time Clinton signed PNTR into law, and BOTH parties in Congress are decisively “free trade.” It’s actually about the only contentious issue on which Republicans and Democrats (and conservatives and liberals) divide along the same percentages. In the Senate, you have over 92 of them pro-China. In the House, it’s a smaller but clear majority. Given that, I’m not sure what Trump would seek to accomplish.

    That’s one question I would LOVE to see Trump asked! I also want to know why he doesn’t run for senate instead.

  • djvu

    because your post remimded me of the advice that I was given by my company when they sent me in 1948 to a Chinese lanuage school in Beijing for two years to learn Chinese. Their advice; “You are learning Chinese because you are a guest in their country. Do not try to conduct our business in Chinese because they will outsmart you every time. Conduct it in English and even then you will be handicapped.”
    Robert Palmer Smith, author of DARKEST TRUTHS OF BLACK GOLD in which he recounts his stay in the language school as well as to how the “obscenely wealthly” oil companies operated in China.

  • davesinsanantonio

    he always wants to start at the top, not “work his way up”! I think that much ego is an automatic disqualifier. It means he will not listen to anyone else, because he already knows everything, and thinks he can solve everything by doing the same things he has always done.
    The presidency is no place for beginners. And, just running a company does not automatically mean you understand huge political issues or how to solve them. Running for the Senate would have been a good move, but his arrogance would not let him admit that even to himself.
    I am not sure even a “tough” interview will bring out the truth of his thinking, We don’t really know any more about him than we did about Obummer before he was elected. And, what we do know isn’t very good.

  • dbass

    Can you make a video of the interview that can be seen after the fact? I want to see it, but may be busy. I am sure that it will be very interesting, as I like Trump.
    He is busy saving America, because his business’ are based in America, and I can not say that I blame him. He has a Proven track record of being successful, and I am all for that. . .
    Run Trump Run/

  • johnthebaptistmoore

    And make sure that other conservative websites and blogs have full access to this as well.

  • renny

    to provoke o to produce his “birth certificate” and maybe even move against OBL, whom little o had the same info about for many months.

    The media didn’t ignore Trump or trounce him like Palin and for his goading alone, Trump is owed an enormous debt by Reps. who quake in their squishies rather than actually go after the great weaknesses of the king elect.

    The interview should be no more hostile than any other. And, if he has started to develop any, Trump should be given a chance to present policies on energy, foreign affairs, and employment.

  • YnotNOW

    Republicans may have supported protectionism in the past (and some still do – although the worst protectionists these days are Democrats), that does not make it CONSERVATIVE. The Conservative policy is to maximize trade – within the country as well as with other countries. ie. maximum freedom.

  • YnotNOW

    Republicans may have supported protectionism in the past (and some still do – although the worst protectionists these days are Democrats), that does not make it CONSERVATIVE. The Conservative policy is to maximize trade – within the country as well as with other countries. ie. maximum freedom.

  • leftylurker

    My neighbor does business in china for a US electronics firm. He speaks more or less fluent mandarin now, but always does business in english, and always, always, responds to demands for hard answeres with “I cannot make that decision, I must consult my supervisor.”

    He learned that from the Chinese people he would negotiate with. After spending 3 or 4 hours hammering out a deal, they would say, this sounds fantastic, let me ask my boss, who would then cut a big slice out of his profits.

  • britishsix5ab

    I am not familiar with the reasons of Donald Trumps filing for past Bankruptcies. Many times world economic situations play a part. Change in government legislation also plays a part. So when judging a filing of Bankruptcy one must also evaluate the reasons leading to the need to file.

    In American Laws, one important function is to re-organize the organization including changing the management if necessary for the good of the ongoing business or organization.

    In my opinion until the questions of why Donal Trump filed for Bankruptcy needs to be answered before he is judged for his possible Presidential skills. That is the judgement the voters will have to determine.

    Modern law and debt restructuring

    The principal focus of modern insolvency legislation and business debt restructuring practices no longer rests on the elimination of insolvent entities but on the remodeling of the financial and organisational structure of debtors experiencing financial distress so as to permit the rehabilitation and continuation of their business.
    For private households, it is argued to be insufficient to merely dismiss debts after a certain period. It is important to assess the underlying problems and to minimise the risk of financial distress to re-occur. It has been stressed that debt advice, a supervised rehabilitation period, financial education and social help to find sources of income and to manage household expenditures better need to be equally provided during this period of rehabilitation (Reifner et al., 2003; Gerhardt, 2009; Frade, 2010). In most EU Member States, debt discharge is conditioned by a partial payment obligation and by a number of requirements concerning the debtor?s behavior. In the United States (US), discharge is conditioned to a lesser extent. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the spectrum is broad in the EU, with the UK coming closest to the US system (Reifner et al., 2003; Gerhardt, 2009; Frade, 2010). Other Member States do not provide the option of a debt discharge. Spain, for example, passed a bankruptcy law (ley concursal) in 2003 which provides for debt settlement plans that can result in a reduction of the debt (maximally half of the amount) or an extension of the payment period of maximally five years (Gerhardt, 2009); nevertheless, it does not foresee debt discharge.[4]

  • ihateliberals

    he talks big about everything and does nothing about anything. He can’t hold onto a wife. AS i write this Trump is in Financial trouble. Even though he may have money now he is not a success. he claims that his current hotel problems are linked to the economy and tht he isn’t responsible. Well who is then. Is this the answer we will get when we have problems is that he isn’t responsible. Trump is dangerous because you can’t trust him. He will go which ever way the wind is blowing. When in trouble he will start holding on to his money instead of paying his bills until things either get better or he files bankruptcy. He says he is a registered Republican yet he supports many Democratic ideas and candidates including our current president and Hilary Clinton. Trump is like Ross Perot on steroids.

  • chihank

    Before Bin Laden’s death, Trump looked like a sure thing to enter the race. But now, Trump seems to be getting cold feet. Its going to be hard for Trump to win the primary, but I hope Trump does run. He will provide entertainment to a boring primary field.

  • patriciakelley

    My fellow Republicans we are in very serious trouble. Romney has ego problems. Huckabee is a politician in preacher clothing. Paul has been trying for the Presidential spot since I was born. Gingrich has too much baggage. Palin is the awh shucks kind of women. Can you really see her negotiating with the Arabs with a grisly bear in tow? Each and everyone of these candidates will help return Obama to the White House.

    Please explain to me why not Trump? He has a terrible ego problem, granted. He is NOT a politician and or a preacher for heavens sake. That my friends is a plus. He has never tried to be a President before . He may be crude and rude as hell, but he tells it like it is!

    Our congress is composed of charletens mascarading as concerned leaders. The majority of our diplomatic corp is composed of a group of small talk cocktail “masters”. They run around the world on your dime attending parties in hopes of making nice with people in order to get “information”. These people are the very same people that eat our food and are delighted to toast to our good health. Then again they hate our guts and would kill us if given the opportunity.

    The pagan approach to diplomatic small talk is really very obsolete. We have such a sophisticated system of communication with the entire world, who needs diplomats anymore? We are a sinking ship and do not need another bottle of champagne. We need a computer and Gatorade.

    Please ask the right questions. Trump has lots of baggage, so what. Tell me who doesn’t in this day and age. He is a novice, but hell so was Obama.
    Trump tells it like it is. You may not like what you hear, but the American people deserve the truth for a change. Right now we need serious people running this country. Is he serious? He seems to be the one person that the political left is afraid of, Why?

    The only thing that he is lacking is the backing of the republican establishment. They would rather reward the honor of running for office to one of their “own”. Think of McCain for instance. He was too old to run for office, but they voted for him because he was a hero and “deserved” to run. Bull s–t!. We need new blood in the Republican party for heavens sake. Rove and Morris say “no way” can Trump win. Why? Aren’t these two men representative of the republican establishment? Why not go with an outsider? We have to take a risk? My fellow Americans. we cannot afford another four years of Obama. Right here and right now the potential candidates are down right boring!

    You have to admit Trump is not boring, Ask him sharp and tough questions. Remember, we can always fire him in 4 years!