Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump stated that he doesn’t “want people to know” everything he would do on Syria, and “you have to be in a position where people have to be able to guess. They can’t have you be so consistent that they know every single move you’re going to make,” but that if Russia took out ISIS, he wouldn’t be “extremely concerned,” and Bashar al-Assad must think the US is stupid, because ISIS can’t fight him since they’re fighting the US on Monday’s “On the Record” on the Fox News Channel.
Trump was asked, [relevant exchange begins around 8:40] what he would do about Russia’s build-up in Syria. He answered, “Well, you know, I tell people all the time, that if I — you know, I’m leading in all the polls, and frankly, I don’t want people to know, I want to have a certain, I want to have the ability to do what I want to do without everybody knowing exactly what I want to do. So, I don’t want to have Putin, and all of these other people hearing what I am going to do.”
Anchor Greta Van Susteren pushed back, stating “you’re just telling us then to guess. I mean, you really need to sort of make your case as to — if this is [an] important issue. And, you know, we’re looking for solutions and we’re looking for strong leaders to solve these very important issues. You’re telling us, well, you know, just vote for me. I mean, like [the] American people want to get some idea of what you think you would do to fix this problem.”
Trump responded, “Greta, you have to have a — you have to be in a position where people have to be able to guess. They can’t have you be so consistent that they know every single move you’re going to make. For one thing, I would probably, because you can’t always guarantee it, but I would get along with Putin. I would most likely, which the president right now doesn’t. But as far as Syria is concerned. If Putin goes in there, and if he’s able to knock out ISIS, which he has a big reason to do it, because he doesn’t want him to coming into Russia, frankly, and other places, but if he goes in and knocks out ISIS, to me, that’s not the worst thing I’ve ever heard of, and I’ve told that to people, and they loved what I had to say. We’re going in, we’re fighting ISIS, on behalf of ourselves, and who are we helping? We’re helping Assad. Assad must think we are the dumbest people on earth, because ISIS wants to fight Assad, but they can’t get through us, because they’re fighting us. If Russia wants to do go in and do the job on ISIS, it would be something that I would not be extremely concerned about, that I can tell you, Greta. At the same time, I don’t want people to know all my thoughts, because I do have a good chance, and, if I’m there, I don’t want people to go back to your show and say, ‘Well, this is what he’s going to do,’ I don’t want them to be able to figure me out. You know, if General Douglas MacArthur, and if General Patton, ever heard — and some of the great generals, ever heard all of this talk, this political talk, they would be spinning in their grave. You want to go and do what you want have to do, without telling the world about it.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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