Transcript - Interview: Jay OBrien of CBS 12 News West Palm Beach Interviews Donald Trump - September 8, 2020 | Factba.se

Jay O'Brien

00:00:00 - 00:00:06 (6 sec)

Mr. President, you've been talking a lot about the possibility of a vaccine by October.

Donald Trump

00:00:06 - 00:00:06 (0 sec)

Jay O'Brien

00:00:06 - 00:00:10 (4 sec)

What are you seeing yourself, sir, what have you heard that you can share with us --

Donald Trump

00:00:10 - 00:00:10 (0 sec)

Jay O'Brien

00:00:10 - 00:00:12 (2 sec)

...That makes you think that that's a possibility?

Donald Trump

00:00:12 - 00:00:33 (21 sec)

Well, I say it publicly. I deal with the biggest companies, most prestigious companies, the best companies in the world, and they're doing, uh, vaccines right now. They're very close to having the answer and I think they'll be very safe and very effective. And I think we can do it by November 1st, sometime during October, uh, and it will be a great thing... Or, or shortly thereafter.

Donald Trump

00:00:33 - 00:00:53 (20 sec)

It will be done before the end of the year. And also therapeutics, which is also very important, and in some ways, I like it just as much or more because therapeutics, you go into the hospital, you give somebody a shot or a transfusion and they walk out two days later and they're well. So we're doing very well therapeutically and we're doing very, very well with the vaccines.

Donald Trump

00:00:53 - 00:00:55 (2 sec)

I think we can have it very soon.

Jay O'Brien

00:00:55 - 00:01:00 (5 sec)

What assurances can you give the American people that politics won't play a role in this vaccine development?

Donald Trump

00:01:00 - 00:01:21 (21 sec)

No, the only thing that plays a role is life. I want people to live. I want people to be able to get out of this nightmare. We've done a great job with the ventilators and now you'll see with the vaccines and therapeutics. But, um, most importantly to me, a great job is getting it over with. We saved millions of lives by closing and now we open. [inaudible 00:01:19] super V. You understand what a super V is?

Donald Trump

00:01:21 - 00:01:33 (13 sec)

We're setting records in jobs and so many other things. But, no, I just, this has nothing to do, politics has nothing to do with it. This is a great thing for our country and, frankly, a great thing for the world because this will go worldwide.

Jay O'Brien

00:01:33 - 00:01:40 (7 sec)

With Congress back in session, sir, do you anticipate seeing a stimulus bill or do you think we'll have to wait until after the election for one?

Donald Trump

00:01:40 - 00:01:56 (16 sec)

Well, they don't want to give a stimulus bill because they want our country, the Democrats, to do poorly because they think that helps them with their elections. See, I don't think so. I think it's bad for their election and, uh, it, it is really bad for their election. We should have one more shot, one more stimulus bill.

Donald Trump

00:01:56 - 00:02:11 (15 sec)

Uh, it should be approved by the Democrats. I don't know that they'll do it. They would like to see things be as bad as possible on November, November 3rd, election day. Uh, I actually think we're doing very well without it but we could do even better if we had it. People deserve it. It wasn't their fault.

Donald Trump

00:02:11 - 00:02:17 (6 sec)

It was China's fault. China gave us this problem. It was their fault and they are being held accountable, believe me.

Jay O'Brien

00:02:17 - 00:02:21 (3 sec)

You spoke a lot from the podium about Florida and your record in the environment --

Donald Trump

00:02:21 - 00:02:21 (0 sec)

Jay O'Brien

00:02:21 - 00:02:32 (10 sec)

...And what that means for the Sunshine State. Before you took the podium, an NBC news poll came out that showed you tied in your home state. Are you concerned about potentially losing your home state?

Donald Trump

00:02:32 - 00:02:51 (20 sec)

No. As a Republican, uh, to be tied is good. I won it last time with Hillary, who was a much more capable candidate than Biden. And, uh, this year, I think we're gonna do very well. I think I was seven points down to Hillary last time in Florida right at the beginning and right at the end, toward the end, and ended up winning it fairly easily.

Donald Trump

00:02:51 - 00:03:07 (16 sec)

I think we win this. It's my home state. Uh, I just talked about Lake Okeechobee and, and all of the things we've done with everything. I mean we have, uh, a package like nobody's ever given to Florida. We're renewing Florida. We're helping Florida. It's a great state and we want to take care of our state.

Donald Trump

00:03:07 - 00:03:11 (4 sec)

It's a precious state. And no, I think we're gonna win Florida by a lot, I hope.

Jay O'Brien

00:03:11 - 00:03:17 (6 sec)

In this state, the Democrats frequently run ads, the Biden campaign does too, saying that you're putting social security at risk.

Donald Trump

00:03:17 - 00:03:18 (1 sec)

Yeah, yeah. It's disinformation.

Jay O'Brien

00:03:18 - 00:03:19 (1 sec)

What assurances --

Donald Trump

00:03:19 - 00:03:20 (0 sec)

Jay O'Brien

00:03:20 - 00:03:22 (2 sec)

Yeah. What assurances can you give to Florida voters?

Donald Trump

00:03:22 - 00:03:36 (14 sec)

Yeah. What they do, nobody... Look, I said right, I would have done it already if I was gonna do something with social security. I've been here for almost four years. I would have played the social security card a long time ago. I'm not touching social security. They are because they'll destroy the economy of our country.

Donald Trump

00:03:36 - 00:03:56 (19 sec)

Social security will go down with everything else. If Biden got in, you'll have a stock market crash because they're gonna raise your taxes to a level that nobody's ever been raised before. You'll have a stock market crash the likes of which nobody in this country has ever seen before, the likes of 1929 or worse, and that's a very bad thing.

Donald Trump

00:03:56 - 00:04:14 (18 sec)

In fact, it's even an overhang. We have one of the best stock markets we've ever had right now. We're rounding the turn on the pandemic but we have one of the best stock markets we've ever had. And the only overhang we have is the possibility that a guy like this could get in. Because if that would ever happen, you'll have a crash the likes of which you've never seen.

Jay O'Brien

00:04:14 - 00:04:16 (3 sec)

There's not a payroll tax cut on your second term agenda?

Donald Trump

00:04:16 - 00:04:21 (4 sec)

Well, we're looking to do that. We will do it second term. We're looking to do something now if we can.

Jay O'Brien

00:04:21 - 00:04:26 (6 sec)

It, that's the concern, sir, is that seniors say that a payroll tax cut would imperil social security.

Donald Trump

00:04:26 - 00:04:27 (0 sec)

Jay O'Brien

00:04:27 - 00:04:27 (0 sec)

Is that your concern?

Donald Trump

00:04:27 - 00:04:46 (19 sec)

No, because we're taking it from the general fund. We're not taking it from social security. Comes right out of the general fund and we make up for it with the tremendous growth that we're going to experience and that we are experiencing. You will see numbers actually before the election for the third quarter which I think, I predict, will be among the biggest numbers ever that this country has ever had.

Donald Trump

00:04:46 - 00:04:52 (7 sec)

That's how well we're doing and that's despite the fact that the ge -- the, the Democrats want to continue lock downs.

Donald Trump

00:04:52 - 00:05:08 (15 sec)

In New York, in different places, they're continuing with these ridiculous lock downs. If you look at North Carolina, you look at Michigan and, and Illinois, they're locking down their states. They're not locking 'em down for any reason. They're locking 'em down because on November 4th, they'll all be opened.

Donald Trump

00:05:08 - 00:05:28 (21 sec)

They want to hurt the economy as much as possible. What they don't know is they're hurting people. With suicides and with drugs and alcohol, they're hurting people very badly with these lock downs, but they want to look as bad as possible on November 3rd. And I will say this, it'll all be open on November 4th, but what they're doing is very bad for them and it's very bad for our country.

Jay O'Brien

00:05:28 - 00:05:31 (2 sec)

Are we in a recession by your estimation?

Donald Trump

00:05:31 - 00:05:56 (26 sec)

No, I don't think so. I think we're in a, this is gonna be boom times, so don't... It's already set. Look, in the last four months we have hired and, and more people have come into the workforce than at any time in the history of our country. Think of that. And I did yearly records and monthly. Now we have over the last four months, more people have come in, over 10 million people. 10.4 million people have come in to get jobs.

Donald Trump

00:05:56 - 00:06:13 (17 sec)

Now before the China plague came in, it was the hottest... It wouldn't have even, I guess they would have had to have the election... I joke when I say that because they'll say, "We have, we have breaking news," but they would have had to have the election but I wouldn't have had to work very hard and it was going beautifully.

Jay O'Brien

00:06:13 - 00:06:16 (3 sec)

What do you mean when you say that they would have had to have the election?

Donald Trump

00:06:16 - 00:06:34 (18 sec)

Well, I will tell you. It would have been a very easy election for me to win, very easy. It was looking very easy and then the plague came in and we went back to work and we are now... Uh, now not only have we done a great job with COVID or COVID-19 as the expression goes, or the China virus, with the ventilators, with all of the things we've done.

Donald Trump

00:06:34 - 00:06:55 (22 sec)

And now, if you take a look, you'll see it very soon, the vaccines and therapeutics. But we've done an incredible job with the economy 'cause our economy now is on a record increase with jobs and growth and everything else. We had retail sales last month. We, think of this. Retail sales which set a record, retail sales in the, hopefully, the final turn of a pandemic.

Donald Trump

00:06:55 - 00:07:09 (13 sec)

So it's been incredible, I mean, uh, the strength that we have. The biggest strength possibly is on the economy. We will have an economy the likes of which we haven't seen. Even last year, Florida had the best year they've ever had last year. Next year will be even better.

Jay O'Brien

00:07:09 - 00:07:17 (9 sec)

When I heard your comments yesterday, I thought to myself that the President might want to see a vaccine by election day. Is that something that's factoring into your decision making?

Donald Trump

00:07:17 - 00:07:30 (13 sec)

I'd like to see it, but I'd like to see it more for saving lives than for politics. That, I can tell you. For saving lives and for making people safe because it's a very strong vaccine. I think it's gonna prove to be very effective based on everything we're seeing.

Jay O'Brien

00:07:30 - 00:07:32 (2 sec)

Will you vote in person here yourself in Florida?

Donald Trump

00:07:32 - 00:07:39 (7 sec)

Uh, I haven't made the determination, but I may, uh, I may do absentee or I may do that. I'd like to do it in person. I, I prefer doing it in person.

Jay O'Brien

00:07:39 - 00:07:41 (2 sec)

Will you tell us in advance where you're going? I'm just kidding.

Donald Trump

00:07:41 - 00:07:44 (3 sec)

I'll, I'll let you know. I'll let you know. You can greet me at the polling booth.

Jay O'Brien

00:07:44 - 00:07:45 (1 sec)

All right. I --