CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript

Interview

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LEMON: All right. So if the Donald thought that was funny, he should have told it on his face. Right now, we have Donald Trump live on the phone with us.

Mr. Trump, thank you so much for joining us. You didn't seem to like Seth's jokes that much last night.

DONALD TRUMP, POSSIBLE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE (via telephone): Well, actually, I thought the President's performance was much better. I thought that Seth had a hard time getting the words out, marbles in his mouth. He had a hard time with his speech. But I hosted "Saturday Night Live" and I understand Seth and I never got him.

But his presentation was very poor and he got some pretty poor marks. I thought the President actually did much better. I mean, the presentation certainly was a lot better.

LEMON: So you didn't really like his jokes. I understand that you thought they were too personal and they weren't political.

TRUMP: Well, they were pretty personal, but I expected that I was going to be zinged. People really weren't sure -- were they going to mention me at all or they're going to mention me a little bit. Nobody had any idea that it would take up a majority of their -- both speeches.

LEMON: Oh, come on, Donald, you knew they were going to mention you. You had to have known that.

TRUMP: Well, I didn't actually. Don, I actually didn't know that. It was very interesting.

LEMON: All right.

TRUMP: I came in and a lot of the reporters were screaming thinking, do you think they will mention you or do you think they'll mention you a lot? And I really had no idea.

I certainly as it turned out, I certainly wouldn't have thought they would have mentioned me as much as they did. But look, it is my honor. I understand it. It was a lions' pit. I was walking into it. I have been there before. And, you know, I thought it was an entertaining evening.

LEMON: I have to say this because, you know, I watched last night, Donald, but -- and I also watched the Comedy Central Roast of you. I was wondering why you weren't laughing because last night those jokes were pretty tame compared to the recent Comedy Central roast.

Let's listen to a little bit of it then we'll talk about it.

TRUMP: Ok.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Donald, as long as I have you here, it is pronounced huge not uge. And here's another one: it is pronounced "I am (EXPLETIVE DELETED) delusional" not "I am running for president."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: Ok. So at the end there we saw you laughing, it is almost the same joke that we showed you from Seth Meyers. Some people may have been watching last night and wondering where your sense of humor went.

TRUMP: Well, you know, interestingly, the Comedy Central which was a tremendous success for them and for me because I raised a lot of money for charity, they paid me a lot, which I have given to charity, so therefore I could laugh a little bit more.

I just felt -- I actually felt some of what the President said was pretty good. I thought the picture of the White House was funny. That actually got the biggest laugh of the evening. And I thought that was quite funny, myself.

I just thought that Seth's presentation was very poor, but I'm sure he's going to work on that.

LEMON: Ok. So, listen, I want to -- I've been wanting talk to you about this. And I know that you say the media keeps asking you this question, but I have to ask you this.

This is my whole thing. A lot of people say about this birther issue, the birth certificate, the question is why do you care so much? Can you retroactively go back and unmake Barack Obama the President? TRUMP: Well, Don, it is not me that cared; it was a lot of people. I was very proud of the fact that I was able to get him to get this birth certificate because if you look, Hillary and Bill Clinton couldn't get him to do it. The McCain campaign worked very hard on it. They couldn't get him to do it.

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Don, I think what is important for people to know is that my strength is jobs, the economy, making sure that China and OPEC and all of these countries that are laughing at us and ripping us off, they won't be doing it, believe me, if they have to deal with me. And this country can be rich again, it can be great again, but it is not going to be with this administration.

LEMON: Let me ask you this, I have to jump in here.

TRUMP: Now you bring up -- even now you bring up the birther. Let's get off that.

LEMON: Hang on. Hang on. In that comment of what you just said, it sounds like you are running for president. Are you running for president?

TRUMP: Well, I'm giving very, very serious thought. As you know right now, I'm not allowed to say that because I have a major show on -- a very successful show, but I will be announcing some time prior to June. I think a lot of people are going to be very, very happy with my announcement.

LEMON: And I just -- from your discussion of what you have been saying, it sounds like when you say things like that that you are definitely running for president.

Yes, we bring up that issue of the birth certificate, Mr. Trump, because people want to know why you care so much. And you realize, you realize this, that this whole issue about what exactly natural born is has never been challenged in court, so we don't even know if it would apply to President Obama if he wasn't born here. It wasn't even litigated when John McCain wasn't born in the United States and was born in Panama. So that's why people are wondering why you care so much.

TRUMP: 75 percent of the Republican Party and lots of other people thought that there was a good chance that he wasn't born here.

I want to really get on to the most important subjects, which are jobs, which are, by the way, your gasoline is going to be costing you $5 a gallon, $6 and $7. The problem I have had, Don, is that every time I go into a show, the first thing -- instead of talking about my strength, which is exactly that, and dealing with people so we become a rich country again, every time I go on they start talking about the birther issue.

Interestingly, I just watched David Axelrod on television, and he almost wasn't blaming me. He said, you know, it's not just Trump, the press kept asking the question. That's why it came to the forefront.

LEMON: I saw it that Mr. Trump. I saw that, Mr. Trump. And you know what, he brought up another issue that I would love to talk to you about, and that's race. You were talking about that this morning on "Meet The Press" right? He brought up the issue of race.

And many people are calling your racist. People were sending me tweets saying why are you having this racist guy on? Why are you giving him more attention? Do you mind if we take a quick break and then we can talk about that race issue because as an African-American, I want to ask you about that?

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Well, I really have to go, but I want to tell you I am the least racist. I am a wonderful person as far as you would be concerned as to race. And I think everybody that knows me knows that.

LEMON: Are you aware of the stereotypes about African-Americans? Are you?

TRUMP: Well, I don't know what you mean by stereotypes. Why don't you define that a little bit in greater detail?

LEMON: The stereotypes that take place in America about African- Americans, one is that they are not as smart as whites. And when you talk about someone like the President and you challenge whether or not he has an education or deserve to go to Ivy League schools, you're talking -- you're bringing up, you're promoting one of those stereotypes about African-Americans.

And as someone running for president of the country, which means everyone, then wouldn't you be sensitive to those issues in the culture?

TRUMP: It certainly does mean everyone, and it means everyone to me. As far as I'm concerned, the President is a very smart man. And I think a comment about racism is ridiculous as it applies to me. And people that know me laugh at it. They think it is so stupid. I mean it is a ridiculous statement and is certainly ridiculous as it applies to me.

LEMON: What about the comment you said when you referred to the blacks that you had a good relationship with the blacks, do you understand how some people will take that phrasing?

TRUMP: Some people do and some people don't. I mean I've heard it both ways. It is something that I said. And I think I have had many people say there was absolutely nothing wrong with that comment.

LEMON: And you don't feel there was anything wrong with it?

TRUMP: I personally don't feel there was anything wrong with it. I mean I see shows advertised positively black. I see another show advertised black agenda on MSNBC, the black agenda. And then when I say that, very few, I have to tell you, there's been very little talk about it, but every once in a while somebody will bring it up. I see absolutely nothing wrong with it.

LEMON: Those shows aren't called the blacks agenda or the gays agenda or the whites agenda.

TRUMP: You know, I really think this. I have many, many black friends who said to me, absolutely not a problem, that statement. And you know, every once in a while I hear somebody say, he should have said it a little bit differently.

The fact is I want to focus on jobs. I want to focus on the economy. I want to focus on the fact that nations are laughing at us and ripping us off and taking our money and taking our jobs. And that's what I'm best at.

LEMON: Ok, so listen, why are you -- what is it -- is this in your contract that you cannot state whether or not you are running? Your contract with NBC?

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: I think it would be -- not in my contract, I think it would be inappropriate during the run of "Celebrity Apprentice" to be discussing exactly -- to make a statement that I will run. But in my own mind I know what I'm going to be doing. The show ends on May 22nd. And some time shortly thereafter I will be making a statement.

LEMON: There have been this initiative online and again on Twitter, people are saying they want to boycott me now because I have you on. Boycott Trump. They don't want your products, hotels; they don't want you in television. They are going to boycott NBC because of your show.

What do you make of that?

TRUMP: Well, I don't think it is true. And as you know, the "Celebrity Apprentice" ratings are through the roof. We're the number one on NBC. We're doing great. I'm doing well. Any time you want to boycott me, that's ok, Don, because I don't have to do this show.

LEMON: All right. Donald Trump, so listen, thank you for coming up.

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Mr. Trump, just you know, maybe phrasing -- you can phrase things a little bit differently and --

TRUMP: Well, I have done pretty well the way I have phrased it. I have never been accused of phrasing things badly.

LEMON: I know. But when people take offense to it in the culture, maybe it is something you need to think about. That's all I'm saying. If you are running for president, running for president of the United States you have to be sensitive to all people here in the United States.

TRUMP: Well, I think I am sensitive to all people and think I have great relationships with all the people. And the word "racism" has never entered at any time any sense with respect to me and I'm very proud of that.

LEMON: Hey, Donald Trump, I do have to say, you do call back; you do come and do the interviews. If I must say something, you came on this show and many others, so I appreciate you coming on.

Thank you very much.

TRUMP: Thank you very much, Don.

LEMON: All right.

TRUMP: It is an honor.

LEMON: All right.

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