Trump: ‘I Would Do Something Very Severe’ to Mexico if They Don’t Pay for the Wall

TAPPER: “Let me talk to you about that for one second. That the government of Mexico called those comments prejudicial and absurd. And I think what they're objecting to, is that the idea of the 11 million undocumented workers, illegal immigrants, whatever you want to call them, in this country, that you're painting them with a very broad brush. Rapists, criminals, when that's probably a very small percentage --”

TRUMP: “Well I always make it clear. No, no, well I don't think it's a small percentage, it's a lot. But it's not Mexicans necessarily; they're coming from all over.”

TAPPER: “You talked about building a wall, having Mexico pay for it?”

TRUMP: “Yeah.”

TAPPER: “How exactly are you going to get Mexico to pay for it?”

TRUMP: “Well the way, look, Mexico has not treated us well. Mexico treats us as though we are stupid people, which of course our leaders are. I don't blame Mexico. China is even worse.”

TAPPER: “But how do you force a country to build a wall?”

TRUMP: “No, no, you force them because we give Mexico a fortune. Mexico makes a fortune because of us a wall is a tiny little peanut compared to the kind of money –“

TAPPER: “So you would cut off business or impose tariffs unless they built the wall?”

TRUMP: “I would do something very severe unless they contributed or gave us the money to build the wall. I'd build it, I'd build it very nicely, I'm very good at building things.”