Gingrich: Donald Trump ‘Is Not Like Anybody Else We’ve Seen in Politics’
VAN SUSTEREN: “Seventeen Republican candidates, all wanting to be the next President of the United States. But why is Donald Trump striking a chord with so many GOP voters?”
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TRUMP: “What I say and oftentimes its fun, it's kidding, we have a good time. What I say is what I say. … I have been challenged by so many people and I don't, frankly, have time for total political correctness. … I would be so different from what you have right now. Like the polar opposite. We have a President who doesn't have a clue. … Our leaders are stupid. Our politicians are stupid. And the Mexican government is much smarter, much sharper, and much more cunning and they send the bad ones over because they don't want to pay for them. They don't want to take care of them. Why should they when the stupid leaders of the United States will do it for them. And that's what's happening whether you like it or not. … If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even be talking about illegal immigration, Chris. You wouldn't even be talking about it.”
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VAN SUSTEREN: “But, with all the candidates vying for the nomination, how can the others break out and separate from the pack like Donald Trump? Former presidential candidate and Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich joins us. Nice to have you back on Fox News.”
GINGRICH: “Glad to be back.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Ok, so what do the other 16 have to do, the Republicans because Donald Trump is stealing the thunder? He's stealing the numbers in the polls.”
GINGRICH: “First of all, they just need to be patient. It is a long way from here to February 1st. And February 1st in Iowa is the first vote. You saw an amazing experience on Thursday, Carly Fiorina in the early debate is now judged by polls and everything else to be the biggest winner. Here she is she talked to the smallest audience, but because she was so effective, she has gotten a pretty significant balance. And has moved into a much stronger position than she had last Wednesday, so I think people got to play their game, focus on their messages. Trump is a phenomenon. Whether he is a long-term phenomenon or short-term phenomenon we don't know yet. But he is not like anybody else we have seen in politics.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “And Why? Because he is blunt, and he's got money, and he's paying for his own campaign, he says what he thinks?”
GINGRICH: “Take money, for example. Mitt Romney was moderately wealthy, Donald Trump is very wealthy. People didn't necessarily like Romney being wealthy. People who like Trump think it's terrific that is he wealthy.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Why? Why?”
GINGRICH: “I think he has captured the sense of persona. We live in an era whether it's the Kardashian's or Tom Cruise's latest movie or whatever it is. We live in an era where personalities fill up space, and Trump had a lot of experience with the Apprentice at playing reality television. So in a lot of ways what you are getting is the reality candidate, it's like it's a reality show for Trump. He comes across very aggressive. Very energetic and he is on permanent -- I have never seen anybody as capable of being on permanent offense as Donald Trump.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Eight years ago we saw the beginning of the tea party. And that seemed to be a group of people who had a little sort of anger and they were upset with Washington as it is. Is that the same sort of anger or upset that we are now seeing? I mean, the emails I get in support of Donald Trump are the people who are just mad at Washington.”
GINGRICH: “Well, I think people are more and more disgusted and they are more and more troubled. You look at flat wages. You look at the weakest recovery in 70 years economically. You look at Ferguson last night. You just go through item after item after item. The system doesn't work. The government doesn't work. We just had one of the folks that we work with applied seven weeks ago to get a passport and it finally it came through today. The Veterans Administration doesn't work.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Whose fault is this?
GINGRICH: “We are going to have to have a very major overhaul of the whole system. You look at the EPA which routinely wants to put people in jail. I'm actually writing about this tomorrow. They routinely want put businesses in jail. The EPA just created a toxic creek in Colorado, which is now in a state of emergency. And I'm writing we should be putting EPA officials in jail. They ought to be under the same standard as the private business. And people look at this stuff and they say everybody talks. Nobody gets anything done. And along comes Trump. Remember, it's not just Trump. Carly Fiorina has never held public office. Dr. Carson has never held public office. My guess is between the three of them they have at least 40 percent of the vote now.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Anyway, Newt, thank you. And I expect you back often.”
GINGRICH: “I will be back as often as I can.”
VAN SUSTEREN: “Thanks, nice to see you.”
