Posted on 04/12/2011 12:59:33 PM PDT by TaraP
NEW YORK CITY - If nothing else, people know two things about Donald Trump: He's got a lot of money and the bravado to go with it.
The outspoken billionaire is attracting attention, as he rises in GOP polls and decides by June whether he will run for president.
In an exclusive interview with CBN News, Trump talked about his faith, his views on the Koran, gay marriage, and everything in between.
"I think people want the truth. I think they're tired of politicians. They're tired of politically correct stuff." Trump told CBN News.
A Frontrunner?
That could be one of the reasons behind his recent bold questioning of President Obama's birth certificate. Recent polls show Trump gaining against other potential presidential contenders.
"I would much prefer that Barack Obama was a great president He's one of our worst presidents ever and something has to be done, because it's only going to get worse." Trump said.
In our wide-ranging interview, "The Donald," as he is known, was in rare form, whether standing up for American business interests or discussing who gets the oil in Iraq once the U.S. leaves.
"I look at what's happening with so many other nations ripping off the United States, we're like a laughing stock." Trump said. "We won the war. We take over the oil fields."
"There's no way on my watch that we leave those oil fields and let Iran take them over," he said. "That ain't going to happen."
A Softer, Gentler Trump
That kind of talk is his public persona. But what about the softer side of Donald Trump?
CBN News spent time talking about the part of his life you might not know about, like his brother Fred who died at the age of 42.
"He had everything going, but when he went to college, for some reason he started drinking," Trump explained. "That was before the drug age, and before other things, but drinking essentially, it's all one big problem but he drank."
"And he smoked also but he drank. And he drank a lot," he continued. "And he started drinking more and more. And he ultimately died of alcoholism."
"Life is fragile but I have wonderful children and from the time they were old enough to listen to me and speak, from a very young age, I used to say no drinking, at all. No drugs. No smoking," he said.
"I even used to say no coffee. Okay? And now I add no tattoos." Trump said.
Trump on God
The iconic billionaire spoke a little bit about how he views God.
"I believe in God. I am Christian. I think the Bible is certainly, it is the book, it is the thing," he said. "First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, that's where I went to church. I'm a Protestant. I'm a Presbyterian."
"Do you actively go to church?" CBN News asked.
"Well I go as much as I can. Always on Christmas. Always on Easter. Always when there's a major occasion," he explained. "And during the Sundays. I'm a Sunday church person. I'll go when I can."
And there are no shortages of Bible's in Trump's possession.
"Well, I get sent Bibles by a lot of people," he said, adding that he keeps them all in a special place.
"There's no way I would ever throw anything to do anything negative to a Bible, so what we do is we keep all of the Bibles," he explained. "I would have a fear of doing something other than very positive."
Evangelical Attention
That's the kind of talk that will get the attention of evangelical voters. However, he will also need to build trust on some key issues like abortion.
"One thing about me, I'm a very honorable guy. I'm pro-life, but I changed my view a number of years ago," Trump told CBN News. "One of the reasons I changed, one of the primary reasons, a friend of mine, his wife was pregnant, in this case married. She was pregnant and he didn't really want the baby."
"He ends up having the baby and the baby is the apple of his eye. It's the greatest thing that's ever happened to him," he explained. "And you know here's a baby that wasn't going to be let into life. And I heard this, and some other stories, and I am pro-life."
"So those stories did change you? They came around and changed you?" CBN News asked.
"They changed me. Yeah, they changed my view as to that, absolutely." Trump said.
When it comes to the landmark Roe v. Wade, decision, Trump said he stood firmly in the pro-life camp, though was less certain on his thoughts about the law's constitutionality.
"I really don't. It's standing right now we'll see what happens, but I am pro-life and I'll defend that." Trump said.
"It's really something that will evolve. It has evolved," he said about the law. "It will keep being evolved, but I'm on the side of pro-life and I'll stick that way."
Social Issues
Trump says he is for traditional marriage but has not made up his mind about civil unions.
"Well civil unions, look. First of all, I live in New York. I know many, many gay people. Tremendous people. And to be honest with you, as far as civil unions are concerned, I haven't totally formed my opinion," he said. "But there can be no discrimination against gays. I'm against gay marriage, I took a lot of heat for that."
Regarding radical Islam, Trump explained further what he meant when he said America has a Muslim problem.
"Bill O'Reilly asked me, is there a Muslim problem? And I said absolutely, yes," he said. "In fact I went a step further. I said I didn't see Swedish people knocking down the World Trade Center."
"I'm certainly not an expert to put it mildly, but there's something there that teaches some very negative vibe" Trump said about the Koran.
"There's a lot of hatred there that's some place," he continued. "Now I don't know if that's from the Koran, I don't know if that's from some place else. But there's tremendous hatred out there that I've never seen anything like it."
Evangelicals for Trump?
Even if Trump might sound solid on many social issues, he carries the potential baggage of two failed marriages.
"I'm a very hard worker, and I've always said it's very difficult for a woman to be married to me because I work all the time," Trump said.
"Is there a lesson you learned in those two failed marriages?" David asked.
"Well, I think the lesson is, and they were both wonderful women, I think the message is you do have to devote the requisite time to your marriage," Trump said.
So is there an opening for Trump among Evangelicals?
Top strategist Ralph Reed said,"There is a nascent and growing curiosity in the faith community about Trump."
"They know how important this election is that's coming up. I think that they want to get somebody in who is going to win," Trump said. "And perhaps they look at me as somebody who can win."
In a GOP field void of a frontrunner, anything's possible.
Well, Trump is in league with millions of Americans who think that "being a Christian" is synonymous with "going to a Christian church (or one that used to be ala PCUSA), or I was born into a Christian family and my parents were Christian, so, I am a Christian too; and the I always go to church on Christmas and Easter (whenever it works out that I'm in town and now doing other things) and then there are those Sundays, yes Sunday is a good day too, I have many bibles in my home and would never throw one away.
I noticed that "the Donald" mentions God a few times but never Jesus (the first part of Jesus Christ - Christian, hint) so I'd go so far as saying Trump believes in a Creator, whom he refers to as God, but he doesn't know enough of the "code words" that Obama uses occasionally to fool the folk.
Trump "might" become a Christian if another Christian were around him to share their faith in Jesus. He's in that dangerous stage of "believing you are a Christian" then finding just after you die, you were not.
It's often hard to work with gifted people like Trump, especially those who have amassed great wealth and seemingly "have it all," unless and until he reached the point that he really needed God in his life, not to give him more but to give him Life!
“A debate between Obama and Trump would be a debate to watch”
Yes, Trump with his long form BC, grades from college, passport records and selective service registration. Obama with his COLB.
hardly....
I don’t see any perfection flawless politicians, if you know some send them my way...
No kidding. Bachmann has actual integrity. If she says something I disagree with I know she actually means it and isn’t just fishing for votes.
Because he is the only one tough enough to deal with the Democrats, the Chinese and the Saudis.
I agree with you here....If he runs for POTUS he will find out how much he will have to lean on GOD’s understanding and wisdom to tackle the most important job in the world.
I don’t think he is around many Christians who can ground him in what it really means to be a *Christian* and carry the cross....
He needs to sit and have long conversation with Billy Graham IMO...
There really has been little coverage yet of his business style and dealings. His companies and properties that have gone bankrupt have been mentioned, but wait until the details of his “deals” start to be recounted and profiled in the media.
He screws everyone he deals with and throughly as he can in cutting his “deals” that he crows so much about. There will be hundreds recounting how they got the nasty end of the stick in doing business with him — even those that thought themsleves his freinds.
The media will trot them out, four or five a week, when it is primed for them to undermine him for coverage and ratings.
I am sure he knows that and that is why he is taking his time on this issue....
IMO I think he will be an asset and by not taking any guff from the Chinese and countries in the Muslim world, he is far from being Politically Correct and that is **refreshing** because we have had *Political Correctness* shoved down to our feet and I think people are more than *Sick of it*
Whether The Donald is born again, I seriously question. However, only The Lord knows for sure. While I agree with you that, “His behavior hasn’t exactly been Christian either.” However, this scripture comes to mind:
John 8:7 So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Yes, Trump does indeed qualify as the “rich man” for whom Jesus claimed entry being more difficult than going “through the eye of a needle,” not because he was rich but rather because he believed himself to be in charge of his life and future (as it sounds as does Donald Trump.)
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