Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves at the crowd at the Iowa State Fair.
(AP)
(AP)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is outlining a foreign policy in which the United States would put ground troops in the fight against Daesh militants and demand money from Middle East countries supported by the US.
In a wide-ranging interview that aired Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," the billionaire businessman and former reality TV star says he would consider shutting down the federal government over funding for Planned Parenthood. He says he isn't sure whether he has donated money to the organisation in the past but adds that he would oppose providing federal funds if it continues providing abortion services.
Trump says he would ask nominees to the Supreme Court about their views on abortion and would take their views into consideration as he made a decision on whom to nominate. He says he opposes abortion except in case of rape, incest and to save the life of the mother.
Despite never having run for office before, Trump has jumped to the top of polls nationwide and in early voting states ahead of a crowded Republican presidential field that includes former and incumbent governors and senators. But he is still considered a long-shot for the Republican presidential nomination because his outspoken comments about women and Mexican immigrants raise questions about his electability.
Calling the nuclear agreement forged between Iran and world powers including the US "a bad deal," Trump says that Iran will have nuclear weapons and take over parts of the world. "And I think it's going to lead to nuclear holocaust," he said. Instead of tearing up the deal, he said he would "police" it, and he called Secretary of State John Kerry "incompetent" for negotiating the agreement.
On defeating Daesh militants, Trump said the key is to take away their wealth by taking back the oil fields under their control in Iraq. Told by "Meet the Press" host Chuck Todd that such a move could require ground troops, Trump responded, "That's OK." He said the Iraqis should be given "something" from their oil fields but, in an apparent reference to Iraq War veterans, "we should definitely take back money for our soldiers."
"We've had soldiers that were so badly hurt and killed," he said. "I want their families to get something. Wounded warriors all over the place. They got nothing. And they can't even say we had a victory."
Trump in the past has accused Saudi Arabia of being the world's biggest funder of terrorism. On Sunday, he said the Gulf nation should be paying the US because it wouldn't exist without American support. And, Trump said, the only reason the US supports Saudi Arabia is because it needs the oil.
"Now, we don't need the oil so much," he said in an apparent reference to US oil and gas production. "And if we let our people really go, we wouldn't need the oil at all. And we could let everybody else fight it out."
Trump said Saudi Arabia is going to need help fighting against the kinds of militants who have targeted neighbouring Yemen. He said he would assist the Saudis in that event, albeit reluctantly and for a price.
"We defend Saudi Arabia. We send our ships. We send our planes. Every time there's a little ruckus, we send those ships and those planes. We get nothing. Why? They're making a billion a day. We get nothing. And this is the problem with the world," he said.
Ask who he talks to for military advice, Trump said he watches the news shows and cited former US ambassador to the UN John Bolton ("a tough cookie") and retired Army Col. Jack Jacobs ("a good guy") as two examples of people who impress him.
On other issues, Trump said he:
-Doesn't think a private company should be able to fire an employee for being gay.
-Wants to keep the minimum wage at current levels. "I want to compete with the rest of the world. What I do want to do is bring in jobs so much so that people don't have to live on minimum wage."
-Would ban lobbyists from his administration for three to four years after they've left lobbying firms; he called President Barack Obama's effort to impose a ban on lobbyists "a pretty good idea."
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