Donald Trump Doesn’t Know Anything, Makes A Complete Mess Of
Himself In Interview
To watch directly on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9puLBIX48M
Republican
presidential frontrunner Donald Trump made an absolute mess of himself in an
interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt. Hewitt, who will be part of
the team moderating CNN’s Republican presidential debate, was very nice and
accommodating to Trump, who still was clearly fumbling in the dark during the interview.
Throughout
the interview, it is as clear as day that Trump has no idea what the answers to
Hewitt’s questions are, and as he is asked about the details of international
diplomacy, Trump dismisses the questions as “gotcha” questions. The candidate
gets frustrated, telling the radio host:
“I mean, you know, when you’re asking me about who’s running this, this this, that’s not, that is not, I will be so good at the military, your head will spin.”
Asked about the Quds force, the military element in Iran, Trump began answering Hewitt about the Kurds, the group that lives and operates in northern Iraq.
HEWITT: Are you familiar with General Soleimani?
TRUMP: Yes, but go ahead, give me a little, go ahead, tell me.
HEWITT: He runs the Quds Forces.
TRUMP: Yes, okay, right.
HEWITT: Do you expect his behavior…
TRUMP: The Kurds, by the way, have been horribly mistreated by …
HEWITT: No, not the Kurds, the Quds Forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Quds Forces.
TRUMP: Yes, yes.
HEWITT: …is the bad guys.
TRUMP: Right.
HEWITT: Do you expect his behavior to change as a result…
TRUMP: Oh, I thought you said Kurds, Kurds.
HEWITT: No, Quds.
Hewitt
asked Trump about his worst business decision, which would have been a perfect
opening for Trump to address the multiple bankruptcies he’s had to claim over
the years. Instead, Trump blustered:
“Worst business decision? Well, I’ve made some business decisions where markets changed, but in virtually every case, I was able to take those decisions and make them good, and take those jobs and make them good, which I think is a great test. I mean, I’ve had buildings going up and the market crashes, which is not my fault, and I go back and I negotiate with the banks, and I negotiate tough and I negotiate hard, and I’ve taken some jobs that were, that could have been disastrous and made them better than if the market had stayed the same.”
Trump
told Hewitt that if he were asked to distinguish between Middle Eastern groups
like Hezbollah, al-Nusra, and Hamas – it would be a “gotcha” question, even
though such basic knowledge is part of what most people would consider part of
the criteria for becoming the leader of the free world.
Trump said, “But when
you start throwing around names of people and where they live and give me their
address, I think it’s ridiculous, and I think it’s totally worthless.”
Pressed
by Hewitt about not knowing the difference “between Hezbollah and Hamas,” Trump
said, “I will know more about it than you know, and believe me, it won’t take
me long.”
As
usual, Trump is clearly just making it up as he goes along. But it’s hard to
blame him for doing so. Saying simple, stupid things without backing them up
with any facts has led him to the top of the Republican field, ahead of
governors and senators. Not knowing anything is working for Trump.
Author Oliver Willis was one of the first political bloggers in the
world (since 2000), and was among the first bloggers to interview President
Obama at the White House. I am on Twitter @owillis and
write at OliverWillis.com
