Without endorsing Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., billionaire Donald Trump participated in a tele-townhall fundraiser for Bachmann that led the Republican personalities to discuss a range of issues, including the U.S. relationship with China, the “sin” of the Solyndra loan guarantee, Middle Eastern policy, and Trump’s thoughts on Obama’s birth certificate.
Bachmann praised Trump as an “admired, respected” businessman, especially noting his frequent commentary on Chinese policies and OPEC, the Middle Eastern league that influences oil prices so sharply. Trump picked up on both topics almost immediately, warning that “by 2016, China will overtake us economically [and] it really is because of us,” before describing OPEC as a group of “eleven guys [who] sit around a table and raise the price of oil.” Trump said OPEC “end[s] our comeback” economically with each price increase.
Trump also criticized President Obama for the renewable energy loan program, saying that Solyndra “obviously had to be a political deal” based on the traffic of Solyndra executives to the White House. “I’ve done a lot of business with the government and I don’t walk in and out of the White House,” Trump observed, predicting the discovery of a major scandal in the program. “Billions of dollars [goes to green companies], in most cases to politically connected people,” Trump said. “It’s a sin.”
“It is a sin,” Bachmann agreed, calling the loan “the purest example of crony capitalism.”
Turning to China, Trump suggested that the United States should levy a 41 percent tariff on imports from China – in proportion, he explained, to their currency manipulation. “[But] let’s be nice and put it at 25 percent, because we’re nice people,” which he thought would allow American manufacturing to compete with China. Trump lamented that “we’re rebuilding China . . . and our country is a third world country,” to judge from “potholes” and other infrastructure weaknesses.
Trump noted that Republican candidates have not criticized OPEC and China as forcefully as he had, despite his leaving the race while first in the polls while talking about those issues and Obama’s birth certificate. “I’m very proud of [getting Obama] to do something he didn’t want to do” in releasing his birth certificate, adding that the issue warranted more “investigating.” Bachmann did not address the birtherism issue.
One questioner asked Trump if he would consider joining Bachmann on the presidential ticket, but Trump dismissed the issue graciously. “I don’t think that’s what we’re here for tonight.” He did add towards the end of the call that Bachmann is “a terrific person, a smart woman, respected by everyone” in the Republican primary. Bachmann thanked him for the praise, which she said “was very sweet.”
After Trump left the call, Bachmann invited listeners to dial into a fundraiser line to contribute to her campaign before returning to the call.
