Fiorina Defends Record as HP CEO: ‘Tough Times’ Require ‘Tough Decisions’

‘I’ve been open about that since the day it happened; I was fired in a boardroom brawl’

TAPPER: “Let's talk about something else he said. Donald Trump had this to say specifically about you.

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TRUMP: “It takes a lot more than being glib. But - but she's not going to win. But, you know, she got fired and she ran for office and she lost in a landslide. I -- you know, I don't see that as being necessarily great credentials.”

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TAPPER: “That's him taking a whack at you. Glib. You lost in a landslide against Barbara Boxer and you got fired from Hewlett Packard. Let's just focus on the -- on the Hewlett Packard part of it. He's not the first person to criticize you for your tenure at Hewlett Packard. And the board of directors did ask for your resignation.”

FIORINA: “Yes, absolutely. Look, I led Hewlett Packard through a very tough time -- the dot-com bust, post-9/11, the worst technology recession in 25 years. And tough times, unfortunately, requires, sometimes, tough decisions. But despite those tough times, we took a company from $44 billion to almost $90 billion. We quadrupled the revenue growth rate. We quadrupled the cash flow. We tripled innovation to 11 patents a day. And we went from lagging behind in every product category and every market segment to leading. Yes, I was fired. I've been open about that since the day it happened. I was fired in a boardroom brawl. And you know why? Because I challenged the status quo. It is what leaders must do. And when you challenge the status quo, when you lead, you make enemies. It's a way so few people lead. But guess what? It is the kind of leadership we need now in the Oval Office, because the status quo of Washington, DC, which has been managed by Democrats and Republicans for way too long, isn't serving this nation any more. By the way, there are some other people who got fired because they challenged the status quo. Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney, Mike Bloomberg. I feel like I'm in pretty good company.”

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