Donald Trump ripped into President Barack Obama today for phoning home from his Asia trip to check on the supercommittee’s progress instead of getting congressional leaders together to reach an agreement.
“Well that’s leadership, calling back: ‘Hey, how you guys doing? I’m in Asia. You know, I’m talkin’ to the Chinese that are rippin’ us off, and I’m havin’ a good time, and they’re laughing at me cause, uh, I’m a dummy,’” Trump said during an interview on “Fox & Friends.”
“This is what’s happening with our leadership, and this is what’s happening with our country. He’s in Asia, and he’s calling in, and people are saying isn’t it wonderful that he’s calling in. Our country needs a leader.”
The president should have gotten congressional leaders to reach a budget agreement during the summer, Trump said.
“We have a leader. He’s the president of the United States. He should have gotten people in a room and made a deal. There was no reason for a supercommittee,” he said.
But he mixed in some kudos with his criticism of Obama.
When “Fox & Friends” hosts asked whether he thought the president had borrowed Trump’s approach in his new tough talk on China, Trump jumped on it. “It was almost my language. I could sue him. I could sue him for plagiarism,” he said jokingly.
“He can plagiarize all he wants because frankly, I’m very happy,” Trump said.
“It’s about time he spoke up . . . A lot of people have said that it’s almost like from my playbook. And I’m very honored by that, believe me. I don’t want to take credit for it. Let him do it. It’s good for the country.”
Trump, who had considered running for the GOP nomination for president this year before opting not to, also confirmed what his wife, Melania, told HLN last week, and he has said repeatedly himself: that he might run as an independent if Republicans choose the “wrong” candidate.
The “Fox & Friends” hosts asked Trump who the “wrong” candidate might be, tossing out the name of Texas Rep. Ron Paul.
"I don't want to say anything bad about Ron Paul,” Trump said. “He's an interesting guy. He has some very interesting views.
But Trump said he is concerned that Paul might not be able to defeat Obama in 2012.
Trump said he would consider running "if they choose the wrong candidate, and by that I mean the wrong candidate or a candidate who can't beat Obama, because you have to get him out of the presidency. He is destroying America.”
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