Tuesday in Waukesha, WI, NBC’s Chris Jansing conduted an impromptu interview with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Partial transcript as follows:
TRUMP: We feel great. the turnout has been fantastic, we had a poll come out last time, a pollster that called South Carolina, I wasn’t supposed to win South Carolina we won in a landslide, Chris, and we feel really good about this.
JANSING: I want to give you a chance to answer these reports that there is a lot of in fighting in your campaign, that it’s in a state somewhat of disarray.
TRUMP: I haven’t heard those we have a great campaign, I’m reports. number one by a lot. millions more votes than Cruz or anybody else. I have millions of more votes as you know. I have almost 300 more delegates, I have not heard anything about infighting. I don’t know where you hear it.
JANSING: It’s being reported and there are people within your campaign who are suggesting — you feel confident that your campaign is all working together, none of the people who have been brought in.
TRUMP: Let me ask you are we number one?
JANSING: You are number one.
TRUMP: Do we have millions nor votes than anybody else? Will we win today I can’t tell you but we will have a great turnout and I think we’re going to do very well.
JANSING: It’s not uncommon when things seem to not be doing as well as they might have been, I know you disagree with some of the assessments, a lot of people have said not your greatest week.
TRUMP: I have had worse weeks on the campaigns. I have had a couple that were worse. In one case I went up in the polls. You know, couldn’t have been so disastrous, we have a very, very good campaign going. I’m number one by a lot and, you know, the thing that nobody talks about are the votes. I’m millions of votes more than anybody else. We talk about delegates, which are by far and away number one but the votes are even more because I have — if you take a look is it close to 3 million more votes than the second place person. we’re doing really well. I had not heard anything about the in fighting of the campaign, but we have a successful campaign going and I think we will keep it going.
JANSING: Let me ask you about going on from here. How important is Wisconsin and if Ted Cruz is able to win here does it substantially make it harder for you to go into Cleveland and assure a win?
TRUMP: Well, Ted Cruz can’t win. There is no way he can get the delegates and everybody has said that, all of your friends and everybody that I’ve watched has said that it’s impossible. almost impossible for Ted Cruz to win. So he would have to get it at the convention, which I think would be highly unlikely. So he can’t win. We can win fairly easily. If we won Wisconsin that would be a big help.
JANSING: What has it meant in Wisconsin do you think that you had the radio talk show hosts, the governor, so many people who are in the, quote/unquote, establishment who have actively said that they think that you’re dangerous for their party and they want to work to make sure that you don’t win.
TRUMP: The governor has to say that because as you know I took him out. He was running for president and I was the one that took him out and I took him out rapidly and I never even asked for his endorsement or support. But I have the support of many people, Chris Christie, Ben Carson, people that ran and really ran much more successfully than he did. I have the support of many, many people. we just got the support of the 16,500 border patrol agents, which really is responsible for the border, the southern border. I mean, we have tremendous support from so many different levels, Senator Jeff Sessions who Cruz was trying to get on his camp because he is one of the most respected senators, he endorsed Donald Trump. We have tremendous support but I can understand why Governor Walker wouldn’t want to support me because I was the one that took him out of the presidential ray race and it was pretty tough. He was expected to win and ended up leaving, one of the earliest to leave. I understand that, that’s why I never even bothered to ask for his support.
JANSING: One of the toughest mountains for you seems to be with women now, in some areas you have 70% negatives with women. can you turn that around and what do you think is behind it besides obviously there were people that are concerned about your questions on abortion, concerned about the fact that you continue to support Cory Lewandowski.
TRUMP: If you look at the tape what did Cory Lewandowski do? Am I supposed to be loyal to a person because somebody filed something, because if you look at the complaint, I mean, people have — we don’t have to get into it now, but people have looked at that tape and are trying to say what did he do wrong? So I have to be loyal to people just like I will be loyal to the people of this country. When you analyze it, it’s called give me a break. as far as women are concerned nobody respects women more than I do, not even close. nobody respects women more than I do.
JANSING: Why can’t they getting that message?
TRUMP: I get a very, very unfair press having to do with women and many other things … Charlie Sykes, this guy is third rate, a third rate talent and the governor you know the story with the governor, but the women I think that I am going to do very well with women. We just had a big meeting, many women at the meeting and they like me best because they say you’re best with the military, with the borders, with security and I said I’m going to be best for women’s health issues. Much better than Hillary, much better than anybody else. So I think we’re going to do fantastically well with women.
JANSING: If you don’t win here, Donald — Mr. Trump, will it be because you misread or your campaign misread the Wisconsin electorate? Do you think that perhaps you might have come in here knowing that you beat him and not been so tough on the governor, not been to tough on a radio talk show host who is popular here and well respected.
TRUMP: The state is not doing particularly well, it’s average compared to other states surrounding, the governor has a good press, he gave me a plaque because I supported him a year ago. A year ago I was like establishment, I supported him, I gave him a lot of money because I liked him because he was a fighter, but the truth is his results are not very good, they are average, less than average in many cases. They’re losing jobs and going to other countries and I let people know and let people know, too, when I was running against him as president and I talked about what’s going on and it was something I didn’t want to do, but he had to leave the race because when I brought out the facts he was unable to answer what I said. that being said, I’ve done great in Wisconsin. I mean, the people have — you’ve seen — I’ve had rallies that have been fantastic. Yesterday we had over 8,000 people trying to get into a airplane hangar and it was in the middle — it was in an area that everyone said you couldn’t get anybody and they had thousands and thousands of people from all over Wisconsin coming. I think we’re going to do well. A poll came out last night and it was interesting because it was the same pollster that polled South Carolina that I ended up winning in a landslide, this was the poll that was the mo accurate in South Carolina and I believe also in New Hampshire which I also won. So it’s going to be interesting to see, but I think it’s going to be a great day in Wisconsin and I think we’re going to do very well. I don’t know, but i just — based on the enthusiasm — how do you think we’re going to do in which? i think we’re going to do very well. I hope so.
JANSING: Finally no changes anticipated in your campaign staff? You have full confidence in everyone within it and you see no signs of any kind of unrest or infighting within your campaign?
TRUMP: No, It’s just the media again. I get the most unfair media. This is the first time I’ve been asked this question. Nobody has called me about this. We are number one in every category, number one in delegates, number one in votes by millions, i don’t mean by two votes, but by millions and millions of votes and I’m very happy.
JANSING: And you don’t feel ill served, for example, to go to to a popular talk radio show and you said you didn’t know they had been leading an anti-Trump show.
TRUMP: I don’t mind that. You go into the enemy camp sometimes. He is not a very smart guy, not a very bright guy. If you listen to the that entire show you would have said Donald Trump totally won that debate. I was on the show for 15 minutes. Everyone said you convinced me. I had many people call me that were going to vote against me. They listened to that show. By the end of the show, and they wrote me, I have two or three letters. They wrote and tweeted and all of these, and they said by the end of that show, you have totally convinced me. I’m voting for Trump. Sometimes you go into unfriendly territory. That’s part of the game.
JANSING: Is that what you consider Wisconsin to be?
TRUMP: No, you said about a radio—
JANSING: Just the radio host?
TRUMP: That’s what I mean about the dishonest media.
JANSING: I’m asking you a question, allowing you to answer it.
TRUMP: Excuse me, you’re asking me about a show host. I said he was unfriendly territory. You say is that Wisconsin. It’s so dishonest. No, no, that’s called — you know what’s that’s called dishonest media. I think I’m going to do great.
JANSING: Going to New York and Pennsylvania, what’s the strategy?
TRUMP: I think I’m going to do great in Wisconsin. The polls are showing me doing really, really well in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut. I mean, it looks like we’re going to have tremendous victories there. But right now, I’m interested right here. we’ll see how we do tonight, and I think the results will surprise you.
JANSING: Donald Trump, thank you so much for your time, Sir.
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