April 18, 2011

Club for Growth to Trump: You're a Liberal!
Club for Growth: Trump called for massive tax hikes; is a self-described "liberal" on heatlh care

Washington, DC - The Club for Growth assailed potential presidential candidate Donald Trump today as a tax-hiking liberal whose open flirtation with single-payer health care and warm embrace of protectionism disqualifies him from consideration by conservatives.

"Donald Trump for President? You've got to be joking," said Club for Growth President Chris Chocola. "Donald Trump has advocated for massive tax increases that display a stunning lack of knowledge of how to create jobs. His love for a socialist-style universal health care system and his alarming obsession with protectionist policies are automatic disqualifiers among free-market conservatives. This publicity stunt will sputter and disappear just as quickly as the 'The Apprentice' is losing viewers."

Trump: "We must have universal healthcare": We must have universal healthcare. Our objective [should be] to make reforms for the moment and, longer term, to find an equivalent of the single-payer plan that is affordable, well-administered, and provides freedom of choice.  (Source: The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump, p.206-208 & 218)

Donald Trump favors a massive tax hike on Americans that would kill jobs and investment: I would impose a one-time, 14.25% tax on individuals and trusts with a net worth over $10 million. For individuals, net worth would be calculated minus the value of their principal residence. That would raise $5.7 trillion in new revenue, which we would use to pay off the entire national debt [and shore up the Social Security Trust Fund].  (Source: The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump, p.170-74)

Trump: The King of Protectionism:

• Trump wants a 25% tax on all Chinese imports: "Twenty-five percent tax on China, unless they behave," he told O'Reilly. "You're threatening China with a trade bill. Twenty-five percent tariff. That's big," O'Reilly retorted. "No, they're threatening us. They're going to make a three hundred billion dollar, let's call it profit, this year on the United States." (Source: Fox News, 4/1/11, http://politics.blogs.foxnews.com/2011/04/01/trump-tax-china-25-0#ixzz1JKlujJYV)

• Trump: "I'd love to have a trade war with China. If we did no business with China frankly we'd save a lot of money.": In a Fox News interview, Trump said “I’m a big free trade believer by the way.” A few minutes later he said “I’d love to have a trade war with China. If we did no business with China frankly we’d save a lot of money.” (Source: http://www.therightscoop.com/donald-trump-id-love-a-trade-war-with-china/) 

In 1999, Trump opposed NAFTA: “KING: You shared Mr. Perot and Mr. Buchanan and Mr. Nader's belief with regard to NAFTA, right? You were an opponent of NAFTA? TRUMP: I am. And the reason NAFTA looks OK now is because the economy is strong, but when the economy is not strong, which, unfortunately, will at some point happen, NAFTA is going to look like a disaster.” (Source: http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/10/08/trump.transcript/)