Trump: ‘I Want to Run as a Republican; I Want to Win as a Republican’

STEPHANOPOULOS: “Let's get right to the to the man of the moment, Donald Trump joins us now by phone. Mr. Trump, thank you for joining us this morning. I'm looking at the New York Times right here. It says Trump steals the show. But we just heard you say the questions were unfair and overnight, you tweeted that Megyn Kelly and her fellow moderators were not professional. Are you worried they drew blood?”

TRUMP: “Well, look, number one, I had a great time. I guess it got, probably, record ratings. I wonder what they would have been if I wasn't in the mix. It would have been very interesting to see, frankly. But I had a great time. Some of the candidates I got to know. I never met. I didn't know and they were really great people. I really had a wonderful evening, but the questions asked of me were much, much more difficult and poignant and really unfair than other people were asked but that weigh okay. I guess that's part of the game when you're number one in the poll, I guess that's what happens.”

STEPHANOPOULOS: “Yeah, the others got tough questions, as well. But a lot of Republicans seem most bothered by your refusal to pledge your support to the nominee, if it's not you. And you've said it depends on how the party treats you. So, what I want to know if you are not the nominee, what would the Republican Party, what would the nominee have to do to convince you not to run as an independent?”

TRUMP: “Well, if I respect the nominee, which is very important to me. Again, I'm not really a politician, I mean, I'm running the opposite because –“

STEPHANOPOULOS: “Yeah, you are a politician now, aren't you?“

TRUMP: “Well, I don't view myself as a politician to be honest with you, George. I think I'm somebody that's going to try to straighten out this country and make America great again. That's what I'm looking to do. But I want to run as a Republican. I want to win as a Republican. That's the best chance of winning. But, depending on what happens, we will see and, you know, I've been treated very nicely but if I'm treated with respect which I should be, and if I like the person running, I'm not running as an independent. I want to run as a Republican. I think everyone knows that. I think the RNC knows that and that's what I'm looking to do and that's certainly the best chance of winning.”