Political positions of Donald Trump

Trump speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in 2015

Donald Trump is an American businessman, politician, actor, television personality, author, and current President-elect of the United States.

Trump's proposals include elements from across the political spectrum. For example, he has proposed sizable income tax cuts and deregulation consistent with conservative (Republican Party) policies, along with significant infrastructure investment and protection for entitlements for the elderly, typically considered liberal (Democratic Party) policies. His anti-globalization policies of trade protectionism and immigration reduction cross party lines.[1] Trump has said that he is "totally flexible on very, very many issues."[2] Trump's "signature issue" is illegal immigration,[3] and in particular building or expanding a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.[4] As of October 2016, Trump's campaign had posted fourteen categories of policy proposals on his website.[5] During October 2016, Trump outlined a series of steps for his first 100 days in office.[6]

Trump's political positions, and his descriptions of his beliefs, have frequently changed,[7][8][9][10][11] and often been vague or contradictory.[12][13] Politico has described his positions as "eclectic, improvisational and often contradictory."[14] According to an NBC News count, over the course of his campaign Trump made "141 distinct shifts on 23 major issues."[15] In July 2016, PolitiFact counted 17 times when Trump said one thing and then denied having said it.[16]

Political philosophy

In his own words

Trump registered as a Republican in Manhattan in 1987 and since that time has changed his party affiliation five times. In 1999, Trump changed his party affiliation to the Independence Party of New York. In August 2001, Trump changed his party affiliation to Democratic. In September 2009, Trump changed his party affiliation back to the Republican Party. In December 2011, Trump changed to "no party affiliation" (i.e., independent). In April 2012, Trump again returned to the Republican Party.[17]

In a 2004 interview, Trump told CNN's Wolf Blitzer: "In many cases, I probably identify more as Democrat," explaining: "It just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats than the Republicans. Now, it shouldn't be that way. But if you go back, I mean it just seems that the economy does better under the Democrats ... But certainly we had some very good economies under Democrats, as well as Republicans. But we've had some pretty bad disaster under the Republicans."[18] In a July 2015 interview, Trump said that he has a broad range of political positions and that "I identify with some things as a Democrat."[17]

During his 2016 campaign for the presidency, Trump has consistently described the state of the United States in bleak terms, referring to it as a nation in dire peril that is plagued by lawlessness, poverty, and violence, constantly under threat, and at risk at having "nothing, absolutely nothing, left."[19][20] In accepting the Republican nomination for president, Trump said that "I alone can fix" the system,[21] and pledged that if elected, "Americanism, not globalism, will be our credo."[20] He has described himself as a "law and order" candidate and "the voice" of "the forgotten men and women."[22]

As described by others

Trump's political positions are widely viewed as populist.[23][24] Among academics, political writers, and pundits, Trump and his politics have been classified in greater detail, but in varying ways. Politicians and pundits alike have referred to Trump's populism, anti-free trade and anti-immigrant stances as Trumpism.[25][26]

Liberal economist and columnist Paul Krugman disputes that Trump is a populist, arguing that his policies favor the rich over those less well off.[27] Harvard Kennedy School political scientist Pippa Norris has described Trump as a "populist authoritarian" analogous to European parties such as the Swiss People's Party, Austrian Freedom Party, Swedish Democrats, and Danish People's Party.[28] Columnist Walter Shapiro and political commentator Jonathan Chait describe Trump as authoritarian.[29][30] Conservative commentator Mary Katharine Ham characterized Trump as a "casual authoritarian," saying "he is a candidate who has happily and proudly spurned the entire idea of limits on his power as an executive and doesn't have any interest in the Constitution and what it allows him to do and what does not allow him to do. That is concerning for people who are interested in limited government."[31] Charles C. W. Cooke of the National Review has expressed similar views, terming Trump an "anti-constitutional authoritarian."[32] Libertarian journalist Nick Gillespie, by contrast, calls Trump "populist rather than an authoritarian".[33]

Legal experts spanning the political spectrum, including many conservative and libertarian scholars, have suggested that "Trump's blustery attacks on the press, complaints about the judicial system and bold claims of presidential power collectively sketch out a constitutional worldview that shows contempt for the First Amendment, the separation of powers and the rule of law."[34] Law professors Randy E. Barnett, Richard Epstein, and David G. Post, for example, suggest that Trump has little or no awareness of, or commitment to, the constitutional principles of separation of powers and federalism.[34] Law professor Ilya Somin believes that Trump "poses a serious threat to the press and the First Amendment," citing Trump's proposal to expand defamation laws to make it easier to sue journalists and his remark that Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos will "have problems" if he is elected president.[34] Anthony D. Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, wrote in an op-ed published in the Washington Post in July 2016 that "Trump's proposed policies, if carried out, would trigger a constitutional crisis. By our reckoning, a Trump administration would violate the First, Fourth, Fifth and Eighth amendments if it tried to implement his most controversial plans."[35]

Republican opinion journalist Josh Barro terms Trump a "moderate Republican," saying that except on immigration, his views are "anything but ideologically rigid, and he certainly does not equate deal making with surrender."[36] MSNBC host Joe Scarborough says Trump is essentially more like a "centrist Democrat" on social issues.[37] Journalist and political analyst John Heilemann has characterized Trump as liberal on social issues,[38] while conservative talk radio host and political commentator Rush Limbaugh says that Heilemann is seeing in Trump what he wants to see.[39]

John Cassidy of the New Yorker writes that Trump seeks to make the Republican Party "into a more populist, nativist, avowedly protectionist, and semi-isolationist party that is skeptical of immigration, free trade, and military interventionism."[40]Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt and College of the Holy Cross political scientist Donald Brand describe Trump as a nativist.[41][42] Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review, instead calls Trump an "immigration hawk" and supports Trump's effort to return immigration levels to a historically average level.[43] Trump is a protectionist, according to free-market advocate Stephen Moore and conservative economist Lawrence Kudlow.[44]

Although he is the Republican nominee, Trump has signaled that the official party platform, adopted at the 2016 Republican National Convention, diverges from Trump's own views.[45]

Scales and rankings

Crowdpac

In 2015, Crowdpac gave Trump a ranking of 0.4L out of 10L. In 2016, Crowdpac gave Trump a ranking of 5.1C out of 10C, shifting him more to the conservatism spectrum.[46]

On the Issues

The organization and website On the Issues has classified Trump in a variety of ways over time: as a "moderate populist" (2003);[47] a "liberal-leaning populist" (2003–2011);[48] a "moderate populist conservative" (2011–2012);[49] a "libertarian-leaning conservative" (2012–2013);[50] a "moderate conservative" (2013–2014);[51] a "libertarian-leaning conservative" (2014–2015);[52] a "hard-core conservative" (2015);[53] a "libertarian-leaning conservative" (2015–2016);[53][54] and a "moderate conservative" (2016–present).[55]

Economic policy

Overview

Trump's signature economic policies are the raising of tariffs, across-the-board tax cuts, the dismantling of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the repeal of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), and opposition to changing entitlement programs such as Social Security and Medicare. Trump unveiled his economic plan on August 8, 2016, with a revised tax proposal.[56] The plan was widely described as light on details,[57][58][59][60] with Trump insisting "In the coming weeks, we will be offering more detail on all of these policies".[56]

Early economic plan

On the federal personal income tax, Trump has proposed collapsing the current seven brackets (which range from 10% to 39.6%) to three brackets of 10%, 20%, and 25%; increasing the standard deduction; taxing dividends and capital gains at a maximum rate of 20%; repealing the alternative minimum tax; and taxing carried interest income as ordinary business income (as opposed to existing law, which provides for preferential treatment of such income).[61][62] With respect to business taxes, Trump has proposed reducing the corporate tax rate to 15%; limiting the top individual income tax rate on pass-through businesses such as partnerships to no more than 15%; repealing most business tax breaks as well as the corporate alternative minimum tax; imposing a "deemed repatriation tax" of up to 10% of accumulated profits of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies on the effective date of the proposal, payable over 10 years; and taxing future profits of foreign subsidiaries of U.S. companies each year as the profits are earned (i.e., ending the deferral of income taxes on corporate income earned in other countries).[61][62] Trump has also called for the repeal of the federal estate tax and gift taxes and for capping the deductibility of business interest expenses.[61][62]

Detailed analyses by both two nonpartisan tax research organizations, the conservative Tax Foundation and centrist Tax Policy Center, concluded that Trump's tax plan would "boost the after-tax incomes of the wealthiest households by an average of more than $1.3 million a year" and significantly lower taxes for the wealthy.[61][63] The Tax Policy Center "calculated the average tax cuts for the rich and the very rich" under Trump's plan as "$275,000 or 17.5 percent of after-tax income for the top 1 percent, and $1.3 million or nearly 19 percent for the top 0.1 percent (those making over $3.7 million)."[64]

An analysis by Citizens for Tax Justice found that under Trump's plan, the poorest 20% of Americans would see a tax cut averaging $250, middle-income Americans would see a tax cut averaging just over $2,500, and the best-off 1% of Americans would see a tax cut averaging over $227,000.[62] CTJ determined that 37% of Trump's proposed tax cuts would benefit the top 1%.[64]

Trump's claims that his tax plan would be "revenue neutral" have been rated "false" by PolitiFact, which found that "Free market-oriented and liberal groups alike say Trump's tax plan would lead to a $10 trillion revenue loss, even if it did create economic growth."[65] An analysis by the Tax Foundation indicated that Trump's tax proposal would increase economic growth by 11% and wages by 6.5%, and create 5.3 million jobs, while decreasing revenue by $10 trillion over a decade.[66] Prominent anti-tax activist Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform called Trump's tax proposal a "pro-growth, Reaganite plan";[67] as of May 2016, Trump has not signed Norquist's no-new-taxes pledge, but has indicated that he will in the future.[68]

Trump has pledged to balance the budget in ten years; not cut Social Security or Medicare; increase defense spending; and enact tax cuts that would lose $9.5 trillion of revenues over the next decade. Economist Jared Bernstein notes that it is mathematically impossible to fulfill all of these pledges, writing: "Trump would need to cut spending outside the Social Security, Medicare, and defense by 114 percent to make his budget balance, which is, of course, impossible."[69] The fact-checking website PolitiFact similarly concluded: "Trump's tax plan means either unprecedented spending cuts or increased federal borrowing. But Trump has released no details about the gap, all the while vowing to protect Social Security and Medicare, two of the largest line items on the federal budget."[64]

An analysis of Trump's campaign proposals by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (CRFB) showed that Trump's key proposals would increase the debt by between $11.7 and $15.1 trillion to the U.S. national debt over the next 10 years, with the U.S.'s debt-to-GDP ratio rising from 115% to 140% of GDP. The CRFB analysis showed that "growth would have to be roughly 5 times as large as projected, and twice as high as the fastest growth period in the last 60 years (which was between 1959 and 1968)" in order to balance the budget under Trump's plan, which is "practically impossible."[70][71]

Trump has vowed "tremendous cutting" of budgets for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Education if elected.[72] However, Trump has "proposed large spending increases in certain areas," which the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities states would mean "even deeper cuts to other programs" if such spending increases are to be offset.[73]

On May 9, 2016, Trump said on Meet the Press: "The thing I'm going to do is make sure the middle class gets good tax breaks. For the wealthy, I think, frankly, it's going to go up. And you know what, it really should go up." The following day, Trump backtracked on his comment on taxation of the wealthy, "saying he had been referring to potential adjustments to his own tax policy proposal" and did not support an increase in taxes of the wealthy from current levels.[68][74] Trump's has frequently throughout his presidential campaign changed his view as to whether the wealthy should see tax cuts or increases.[15]

Effect on economic growth

Economic forecast scenarios from 2016-2026. President-elect Trump's policies (orange line) are compared to the current law baseline (green line). The orange line is a scenario referred to as “Trump Lite” by Moody's Analytics, in which more moderate versions of Trump’s policies are implemented.[75]

Trump's campaign claimed that the combination of income tax cuts, deregulation, trade protectionism, and additional spending for defense and infrastructure would significantly increase economic growth and job creation.[5] However, several organizations have reported that the results may not be so positive. For example:

Under the scenario in which all his stated policies become law in the manner proposed, the economy suffers a lengthy recession and is smaller at the end of his four-year term than when he took office (see Chart). By the end of his presidency, there are close to 3.5 million fewer jobs and the unemployment rate rises to as high as 7%, compared with below 5% today. During Mr. Trump's presidency, the average American household's after-inflation income will stagnate, and stock prices and real house values will decline. Under the scenarios in which Congress significantly waters down his policy proposals, the economy will not suffer as much, but would still be diminished compared with what it would have been with no change in economic policies.[75][76][77]
The Trump campaign disputed Moody's analysis, arguing that the report was based on flawed assumptions about proposals that have not been fully fleshed out and that Trump's tax cuts and deregulation proposals would help stimulate the economy. A Trump adviser also asserted that the costs of Trump's trade and immigration proposals had been overweighted in the analysis by not factoring in how current policies have depressed the wages of U.S. workers.[77]

Effect on budget deficit and debt

In September 2016, Trump advisors Wilbur Ross and Peter Navarro asserted that the increased economic growth stimulated by Trump's proposed income tax cuts and additional military and infrastructure spending would offset much or all of the increased budget deficits caused by these tax cuts and spending increases.[88] However, several organizations have reported that such actions would significantly increase the budget deficit and national debt relative to a 2016 policy baseline. For example:

Advisors

As of August 2016, Trump's economic advisors included Steve Roth, the founder and chairman of Vornado Realty Trust; oil and gas tycoon Harold Hamm; Vector Group President and CEO Howard Lorber; Steven Mnuchin, Trump's national finance director and chairman/CEO of Dune Capital; top fundraiser Tom Barrack, the founder and chief executive at Colony Capital; Stephen M. Calk, chairman and CEO of The Federal Savings Bank; John Paulson, president and CEO of investment firm Paulson & Co.; Andy Beal, a banker, businessman and poker player; and Steve Feinberg, co-founder and CEO of Cerberus Capital Management.[91][92] Trump advisers David Malpass, Peter Navarro, Stephen Moore and Dan DiMicco are also on the list, led by Stephen Miller, the national policy director, and deputy policy director Dan Kowalski.[91][92] Only one of Trump's advisors, Peter Navarro, has a PhD in economics.[93] Navarro has, however, never met or talked to Trump despite being listed as one of his advisors.[94] Five of the advisors are major donors to Trump's presidential campaign.[95]

Fiscal policy (taxes, spending, and budget)

Taxation

On August 8, 2016, Trump outlined a new economic plan that involved significant income tax cuts at all levels of income.[56] The day before, Trump removed his previous tax plan from his website.[96] Trump stated that he would flesh out these ideas in more detail in the ensuing days.[56]

He proposed to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three, and replace the rates ranging from 10% to 39.6% with 12%, 25% and 33%.[56] He proposed to cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%.[56] The Washington Post notes that a 15% corporate tax rate would be put the United States near the bottom of the "major industrialized nations", where the average is about 25 percent.[56] He proposed to repeal the estate tax, which applies to inheritance for estates valued at $5.45 million for individuals and $10.9 million for couples, or roughly the wealthiest 0.2 percent of Americans.[56][58][97][98] Trump also said he would eliminate the carried interest loophole.[56] Trump's plan would also "eliminate the alternative minimum tax and the 3.8 percent net investment income tax, which was levied on high-income households to help fund Medicare expansion under the Affordable Care Act."[99]

Trump has repeatedly stated that the United States is the "highest-taxed nation in the world". His statement has been fully dismissed as false by the Associated Press and PolitiFact,[100][101] The Associated Press noted that the individual tax burden in the U.S. is one of the lowest in the OECD economies.[100] According to the Tax Foundation, the U.S. general corporate tax rate amounts to 39%, the third highest in the world.[102] The nominal corporate tax rate of 35% is higher than any other OECD nation; however, many companies pay far below this amount by taking advantage of loopholes. The average company in the S&P 500 paid 26.9% in federal, state, local and foreign taxes each year from 2007-2015.[103]

An analysis by Lily L. Batchelder of New York University School of Law estimated that Trump's new tax plan would cost more than $5 trillion over ten years and would raise taxes for lower and middle income families with children. The research found that the plan would result in gains on standard deduction, but losses on individual deduction.[104][105] According to the Tax Policy Center, Trump's economic plan would raise taxes on many families.[106] For instance, families with head-of-household filing status making between $20,000 and $200,000, including many single parents, would pay more under Trump’s plan than under current tax law.[106] The Tax Center's analysis was based on a static model rather than a "dynamic scoring" model.[107] Another study by the Wharton School of Business found that Trump's tax plan would create economic growth of 1.12% above the baseline and create 1.7 million jobs in 2018, although there would be a much larger loss of jobs and economic growth by 2027 and further by 2040.[107] The Tax Foundation assessed that by 2025 the Trump tax plan would increase the long-run size of the economy by 6.9% to 8.2%, but by adding $2.6 trillion and $3.9 trillion to federal debt.[108] This growth would lead to an increase in wages of 5.4% to 6.3%, an increase in capital stock of 20.1% to 23.9%, and the creation of 1.8 to 2.2 million jobs.[108][109][110][111]

Before Trump declared his candidacy for president in 2015, he regularly shamed and criticized others for not paying their fair share of taxes.[112] However, in the September 2016 presidential debate, Trump said that using loopholes to avoid paying income taxes in the 1970s "makes me smart."[113] In October 2016, the New York Times reported that Trump declared a $916 million loss on his 1995 income tax returns, a tax deduction so substantial it could have allowed him to legally avoid paying any federal income taxes for up to 18 years.[113][114] The Trump campaign did not challenge the accuracy of the tax returns or correct the claim that Trump might not have paid income taxes for 18 years.[113][115][116] Trump also chastised Mitt Romney in 2012 for delaying on releasing his tax returns.[112] Trump has, however, not released his tax returns.[113]

National debt

Projected effect of Trump's plans on the debt-to-GDP ratio over ten years, as calculated Moody's Analytics (light blue line) and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (orange line). The black line is the projection under current policy (as calculated by the Congressional Budget Office), which is similar to the CRFB's projection for the policies of Trump's rival, Clinton.[70]

In 1999 Trump proposed a massive one-time "net worth tax" on the rich to wipe out the national debt.[117] Elizabeth Warren and Paul Krugman initially agreed with Trump's early positions on taxing the wealthy,[118][119] but not his published positions going into the election, which dramatically reduced taxes for the wealthy. Paul Krugman wrote in May 2016: "Last fall Mr. Trump suggested that he would break with Republican orthodoxy by raising taxes on the wealthy. But then he unveiled a tax plan that would, in fact, lavish huge tax cuts on the rich. And it would also, according to non-partisan analyses, cause deficits to explode, adding around $10 trillion to the national debt over a decade."[120] In 2011 Trump called for a balanced budget amendment,[121] but it was not part of his campaign website policies.[5]

Economist Mark Zandi estimated that if Trump's tax cuts and spending increases were fully implemented as proposed, the national debt trajectory would worsen considerably, with debt held by the public rising from 76% GDP in 2016 to 135% GDP in 2026, considerably above a current policy baseline that rises to 86% GDP in 2026. If only some of Trump's policies were implemented under an alternative scenario of more moderate changes, the debt figure would rise to 111% GDP by 2026.[75] In May 2016, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget placed the 2026 debt figure under Trump's policies between 111% GDP and 141% GDP, versus 86% under the current policy baseline.[70]

In two interviews in May 2016, Trump suggested that he would "refinance" the U.S. federal debt as a means to relieve the debt.[122][123] Trump said that he would not seek to renegotiate the bonds,[122] but rather would seek to buy the bonds back at a discount.[122][124][125] Economists and other experts variously described Trump's debt proposal as incoherent,[122] fanciful,[124] and reckless,[125] stating that the proposal, if carried into effect, "would send interest rates soaring, derail economic growth and undermine confidence in the world's most trusted financial asset."[125] Tony Fratto, a former U.S. Treasury Department who served under George W. Bush, termed Trump's suggestion to refinance the U.S. debt "an insane idea" that "would cause creditors to rightly question the 'full faith' commitment we make."[125] The New York Times reported that: "Repurchasing debt is a fairly common tactic in the corporate world, but it only works if the debt is trading at a discount. If creditors think they are going to get 80 cents for every dollar they are owed, they may be overjoyed to get 90 cents. Mr. Trump's companies had sometimes been able to retire debt at a discount because creditors feared they might default... However, the United States simply cannot pursue a similar strategy. The government runs an annual deficit, so it must borrow to retire existing debt. Any measures that would reduce the value of the existing debt, making it cheaper to repurchase, would increase the cost of issuing new debt. Such a threat also could undermine the stability of global financial markets."[126]

Social Security and Medicare

Trump has called for allowing Medicare to negotiate directly with prescription-drug companies to get lower prices for the Medicare Part D prescription-drug benefit, something currently prohibited by law. Trump has claimed on several occasions that this proposal would save $300 billion a year. Glenn Kessler, the fact-checker for the Washington Post, gave this statement a "four Pinocchios" rating, writing that this was a "truly absurd" and "nonsense figure" because it was four times the entire cost of the Medicare prescription-drug system.[127]

Unlike his rivals in the 2016 Republican primary race, Trump opposes cuts in Social Security and Medicare benefits.[128][129] This is a departure from Trump's earlier views; in his book published in 2000, Trump called Social Security a "Ponzi scheme" and said it should be privatized.[129] Trump previously proposed raising the Social Security retirement age to 70 from 67, but he backed away from this stance in 2015, instead claiming that Social Security should be funded by canceling foreign aid to anti-American countries.[129]

Monetary policy

Federal Reserve

Trump supports proposals that would grant Congress the ability to audit the Federal Reserve's decisionmaking and take power away from the Federal Reserve.[130][131][132]

Trump has at times said that he favors the monetary policy currently followed by Janet Yellen, Chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System,[130] and at other times said that the Federal Reserve has created a "very false economy" and that interest rates should change.[133] Trump said in September 2016 that Yellen should be "ashamed" of herself for keeping interest rates low, but earlier that year Trump said that low interest rates were "the best thing we have going for us" and that any increase could be "scary."[134] Trump has at other times accused Yellen of being "highly political" and of doing President Obama's bidding,[130] and at other times complimented her on having "done a serviceable job" though he "would be more inclined to put other people in" the Federal Reserve.[131] He reiterated the critique of the Federal Reserve as an arm of the Democratic Party at the September 2016 Presidential Debate, an accusation which The New York Times found to be "extraordinary", "backed by no evidence" and "plows across a bipartisan line". The accusation is rejected both by Federal Reserve officials and independent expert observers.[135]

Gold standard

Trump favors returning to the gold standard, saying "Bringing back the gold standard would be very hard to do, but, boy, would it be wonderful. We'd have a standard on which to base our money."[136][137] Few economists support a return to the gold standard; Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research notes that the proposal is considered a fringe idea among economists.[137]

Financial regulation and other regulations

In May 2016, Trump said that if elected president he would dismantle "nearly all" of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, a financial regulation package enacted after the financial crisis.[138] Trump called Dodd-Frank "a very negative force."[138] Trump told Reuters that he will release his own financial regulation plan in the beginning of June 2016.[139]

Trump promised to roll back existing regulations and impose a moratorium on new regulations, with a specific focus on undoing environmental rules that he said curtail job creation.[56][140] The Wall Street Journal noted that, "It isn’t clear how such a moratorium would apply to financial regulators, whose agencies enjoy greater independence from the executive branch" and that he "made no mention of past calls to repeal or replace parts of the Dodd-Frank financial-regulatory overhaul."[140] In October 2016, Trump proposed to eliminate as many as 70 percent of federal agency regulations.[141]

Income inequality

In September 2016, Trump said: "We reject the pessimism that says our standard of living can no longer rise, and that all that's left to do is divide up and redistribute our shrinking resources."[142] However, U.S. household and non-profit net worth has approximately doubled from 2000 to 2016, from $44 trillion to $89 trillion, a record level.[143] In addition, the Congressional Budget Office reported in June 2016 that federal income taxes are progressive, which reduces after-tax income inequality. For example, the top 1% received approximately 15% of before-tax income but 12% of after-tax income during 2013.[144] Economist Mark Zandi wrote in June 2016 that due to the sizable income tax cuts, "[t]he tax code under Mr. Trump's plan will thus be much less progressive than the current tax code."[75]

Economic history

In October 2016, after it was revealed that Trump reported $916 million losses during the 1990s, Trump asserted that the 1990s were "one of the most brutal economic downturns in our country's history", "an economic depression" and that the only period coming close it was the Great Depression.[145] Those assertions are false.[145] For instance, the Great Recession, which began in 2007, had lasted far longer and had far worse economic consequences than the recession of the early 1990s.[145]

Trump has repeatedly claimed to have predicted the Great Recession.[146] However, Trump in the years preceding the Great Recession said precisely the opposite, namely that “the economy continues to be fairly robust,” “real estate is good all over,” “the real estate market is going to be very strong for a long time to come,” “I’ve been hearing about this bubble for so many years … but I haven’t seen it,” and “this boom is going to continue.”[146]

Student loans

During the 2016 Republican National Convention Trump said, "We’re going to work with all of our students who are drowning in debt to take the pressure off these young people just starting out their adult lives".[147] The Trump's Campaign has not put forth an official higher education plan.[148] However, In May 2016 Trump's campaign co-chair, Sam Clovis stated that the ideas being prepared by the campaign included getting government out of student lending; requiring colleges to share in risk of loans; discouraging borrowing by liberal arts majors; and moving the Office of Civil Rights from the Education Department to Justice Department.[149] In an October 2016 speech, Trump said that he favored having student loans repayment capped at 12.5 percent of borrowers' income, with forgiveness of any remaining debt after fifteen years of payments.[148][150]

Trump has criticized the federal government for earning a profit from federal student loans.[151] Trump's campaign stated that all colleges should have "skin in the game" and share the risk associated with student loans. The campaign does opposes Hillary Clinton's proposal for debt-free public higher education, Bernie Sanders's plan for free public higher education and President Obama's proposals for a state-federal partnership to make community college free for new high school graduates, citing federal budget concerns.[149]

Infrastructure

Trump supports investment in American infrastructure to help create jobs.[152][153][154][155] He wrote in his 2015 book Crippled America that "Our airports, bridges, water tunnels, power grids, rail systems—our nation's entire infrastructure is crumbling, and we aren't doing anything about it." Trump noted that infrastructure improvements would stimulate economic growth while acknowledging "on the federal level, this is going to be an expensive investment, no question about that."[154][155] In an October 2015 interview with the Guardian, Trump stated: "We have to spend money on mass transit. We have to fix our airports, fix our roads also in addition to mass transit, but we have to spend a lot of money."[156] In a Republican primary debate in December 2015, Trump said: "We've spent $4 trillion trying to topple various people. If we could've spent that $4 trillion in the United States to fix our roads, our bridges and all of the other problemsour airports and all of the other problems we've hadwe would've been a lot better off."[154]

On the campaign trail, Trump has decried "our airports, our roads, our bridges," likening their state to that of "a Third World country."[157][158] Trump has on some occasions overstated the proportion of U.S. bridges that are structurally deficient.[157] Unlike many of his Republican opponents,[156] Trump has expressed support for high-speed rail, calling the U.S.'s current rail network inferior to foreign countries' systems.[153][156]

Trump proposes he would spend $800 to a trillion dollars to repair and improve the nation's infrastructure. His plan to raise said capital, is to create an infrastructure fund that would be supported by government bonds that investors and citizens could purchase, similar to Build America Bonds.[159] When Trump was asked on Fox & Friends about supporting Russia's idea on a Bering Strait tunnel project, he replied: "I wouldn't be opposed to any idea that can create jobs."[160][161]

Employment

CBO explanation for shortfall in employment of 2.5 million relative to a theoretical full employment level.[162]

During an economic speech on September 15, 2016, Trump proposed tax cuts, infrastructure investment, reduced regulations, and revised trade agreements which he claimed would create 25 million jobs over ten years. Trump also stated: "Right now, 92 million Americans are on the sidelines, outside the workforce, and not part of our economy. It's a silent nation of jobless Americans."[142] However, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the U.S. was approximately 2.5 million jobs below full employment as of December 2015, primarily as a result of a labor force participation rate among prime working-aged persons (aged 25–54 years) that remains moderately below pre-crisis (2007) levels. The overall labor force participation rate has been falling since 2000, as the country ages.[162]

Trump has repeatedly questioned official employment numbers, suggesting at different times that the actual unemployment rate could be as high as 18–20%, 24% or 42%.[163][164] Fact-checkers note that these claims are false; the Washington Post fact-checker called them "absurd" and gave them "Four Pinocchios," its lowest rating for truthfulness, while PolitiFact gave the statement its "Pants on Fire" rating, noting that even the broadest measure of unemployment and underemployment was far below Trump's claimed figures.[164][165] As of August 2016, the unemployment rate (U-3) was 4.7%. A wider measure of unemployment (U-6) that includes those working part-time for economic reasons and marginally attached workers, was 9.7%. The December 2007 (pre-crisis) levels were 5.0% and 8.8% for these two measures, respectively.[166]

Minimum wage

Trump's comments about the minimum wage have been inconsistent.[167][168]

In August 2015, in a televised interview, Trump said "Having a low minimum wage is not a bad thing for this country."[169] On November 10, 2015, speaking at a Republican debate, Trump said he opposed increasing the U.S. minimum wage, saying that doing so would hurt America's economic competitiveness.[170][171] At the same debate, Trump said in response to a question about the minimum wage and the economy as a whole: "...taxes too high, wages too high, we’re not going to be able to compete against the world. I hate to say it, but we have to leave it the way it is."[172]

On May 5, 2016, two days after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee, Trump said in an interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer that he was "actually looking at" raising the minimum wage, saying, "I'm very different from most Republicans."[173] Three days later, in an interview on This Week with George Stephanopoulos: "... I haven't decided in terms of numbers. But I think people have to get more." He acknowledged his shift in position since November, saying "Well, sure it's a change. I'm allowed to change. You need flexibility ..."[174][175]

Later on May 8, on Meet the Press, he said "I would like to see an increase of some magnitude. But I'd rather leave it to the states. Let the states decide."[176][177] Asked if the federal government should set a floor (a national minimum wage), Trump replied: "No, I’d rather have the states go out and do what they have to do."[178]

On July 26, 2016, Trump said "There doesn't have to be [a federal minimum wage]," but that "I would leave it and raise it somewhat. You need to help people." Host Bill O'Reilly then asked "Ten bucks?" Trump agreed: "I would say 10. I would say 10." He added "But with the understanding that somebody like me is going to bring back jobs. I don't want people to be in that $10 category for very long. But the thing is, Bill, let the states make the deal."[179]

Unions and right-to-work laws

In February 2016, Trump said on a radio program: "My position on unions is fine, but I like right to work. My position on right to work is 100 percent."[180]

Trump has frequently spoken in favor of deregulation, and if elected president is viewed as likely to oversee an Occupational Safety and Health Administration that conducts "less enforcement and practically no rulemaking" on issues of workplace safety and health.[181]

Other economic topics

Bank bailout

Trump supported the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), a $700 billion emergency bailout fund that rescued banks after the subprime mortgage crisis. On September 30, 2008, days before the bailout bill passed, Trump told CNN's Kiran Chetry that he supported the legislation, saying that while the situation was "more complicated than sending rockets to the moon" and nobody was sure what the result would be, it was "worth a shot" and a "probable positive."[182] The following year, when asked by Larry King what he viewed of the Obama administration, Trump stated: "I do agree with what they're doing with the banks. Whether they fund them or nationalize them, it doesn't matter, but you have to keep the banks going."[182]

Child care

Trump first addressed childcare costs in August 2016,[183] when he proposed allowing parents to "fully deduct the average cost of childcare spending from their taxes."[56] At the time of the announcement, it was unclear "how such a tax break might be structured, how it would complement existing credits and whether it would be available to tens of millions of families that don't pay income taxes because they have lower incomes."[140] A tax deduction of the kind that Trump proposes (as opposed to a tax credit) would primarily benefit high-income people; families who pay no federal income taxesthe families most likely to be unable to afford child carewould not benefit from this plan.[56][57][184][185][186][187][188]

In September 2016, Trump presented additional details regarding his proposal, which was influenced by his daughter Ivanka Trump.[189] Under Trump's plan, taxpayers who earn up to $250,000 individually or $500,000 as couples would be able to deduct the cost of childcare up to the average cost of childcare in their state, while lower-income families would receive spending rebates up to $1,200 annually through the Earned Income Tax Credit. Under the plan, mothers whose employers don't offer paid maternity leave would receive six weeks of partially paid maternity leave, to be paid for through unemployment insurance. Trump also proposes a new dependent-care savings account, which would be tax-deductible for savings up to $2,000 annually; lower-income families that contribute up to $1,000 would receive a match up to $500 from the federal government.[190]

Trump's plan applies to mothers only, and would not allow families to transfer the benefit from mothers to fathers.[189] Legal scholar Ilya Somin argues that providing maternity leave but not paternity leave would be unconstitutional under Craig v. Boren, in which the Supreme Court held that laws discriminating on the basis of sex are presumptively invalid.[191]

Health care

According to a report by the RAND Corporation, Trump's proposed health-care policy proposals, depending on specific elements implemented, would result in between 15 and 25 million fewer people with health insurance and increase the federal deficit in a range from zero to $41 billion in 2018. This was in contrast to Clinton's proposals, which would expand health insurance coverage for between zero and 10 million people while increasing the deficit in a range from zero to $90 billion in 2018.[192][193] According to the report, low-income individuals and sicker people would be most adversely affected by his proposed policies, although it was pointed out that not all policy proposals have been modeled.[193]

Affordable Care Act and health-care reform

This chart illustrates several aspects of the Affordable Care Act, including coverage, cost, and public opinion.

As the 2016 campaign unfolded, Trump stated that he favors repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare")which Trump refers to as a "complete disaster"[194]and replacing it with a "free-market system."[195] On his campaign website, Trump says, "on day one of the Trump Administration, we will ask Congress to immediately deliver a full repeal of Obamacare."[196][197] Trump's campaign has insisted that the candidate has "never supported socialized medicine."[195]

Trump has cited the rising costs of premiums and deductibles as a motivation to repeal the Affordable Care Act.[198] However, according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, the after-subsidy premium costs to those with insurance coverage via the Affordable Care Act's exchanges did not change significantly on average from 2016 to 2017, as increases in the subsidies offset pre-subsidy insurance premium increases. For example, after-subsidy costs for a popular "silver plan" remained around $200/month in 2016 and 2017.[199] An estimated 70% of persons on the exchanges could purchase a plan for $75/month after subsidies.[200] Further, in the employer market, health insurance premium cost increases from 2015-2016 were an estimated 3% on average, low by historical standards. While deductibles rose 12% on average from 2015-2016, more workers are pairing higher-deductible plans with tax-preferred health savings accounts (HSAs), offsetting some of the deductible increase (i.e., lowering their effective deductible).[201]

The Congressional Budget Office reported in March 2016 that there were approximately 23 million people with insurance due to the law, with 12 million people covered by the exchanges (10 million of whom received subsidies to help pay for insurance) and 11 million made eligible for Medicaid.[202] The CBO also reported in June 2015 that: "Including the budgetary effects of macroeconomic feedback, repealing the ACA would increase federal budget deficits by $137 billion over the 2016–2025 period."[203] CBO also estimated that excluding the effects of macroeconomic feedback, repeal of the ACA would increase the deficit by $353 billion over that same period.[203]

In the early part of his campaign, Trump responded to questions about his plan to replace the ACA by saying that it would be "something terrific!"[194][204] Trump subsequently said at various points that he believes that the government should have limited involvement of health care, but has also said that "at the lower end, where people have no money, I want to try and help those people," by "work[ing] out some sort of a really smart deal with hospitals across the country."[204] and has said "everybody's got to be covered."[194] At a February 2016 town hall on CNN, Trump said that he supported the individual health insurance mandate of the ACA, which requires all Americans to have health insurance, saying "I like the mandate. So here's where I'm a little bit different [from other Republican candidates]."[205][206] In March 2016, Trump reversed himself, saying that "Our elected representatives must eliminate the individual mandate. No person should be required to buy insurance unless he or she wants to."[207]

In March 2016 Trump released his health care plan, which called for allowing health-insurance companies to compete across state lines and for making Medicaid into a block grant system for the states. He also called for elimination of the individual mandate for health insurance, for allowing health insurance premiums to be deducted on tax returns, and for international competition in the drug market. In the same document, Trump acknowledged that mental health care in the U.S. is often inadequate but offered no immediate solution to the problem, instead stating that "there are promising reforms being developed in Congress."[207] Trump also emphasized the removal of market entry barriers for drug providers and improved access to imported medication corresponding to safety standards.[208]

Explaining how he would address the problem of ensuring the people that would lose their insurance coverage if Obamacare were repealed, Trump said, "We have to come up, and we can come up with many different plans. In fact, plans you don't even know about will be devised because we're going to come up with plans, -- health care plans -- that will be so good. And so much less expensive both for the country and for the people. And so much better."[209] His plan has been criticized by Republican health experts as “a jumbled hodgepodge of old Republican ideas, randomly selected, that don’t fit together” (Robert Laszewski)[210] providing nothing that "would do anything more than cover a couple million people,” (Gail R. Wilensky).[211]

In 1999, during his abortive 2000 Reform Party presidential campaign, told Larry King: "I believe in universal health care."[195] In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump reiterated his call for universal health care and focused on a Canadian-style single-payer health care system as a means to achieve it.[195] Though he characterized the Canadian health-care system as "catastrophic in certain ways" in October 2016 during the second presidential debate, the Trump campaign website wrote in June 2015 about his support for "a system that would mirror Canada’s government-run healthcare service" under the title "What does Donald Trump believe? Where the candidate stands on 10 issues".[212][213] In 2015, Trump also expressed admiration for the Scottish health-care system, which is single payer.[195]

Trade policy

When announcing his candidacy in June 2015, Trump said that his experience as a negotiator in private business would enhance his ability to negotiate better international trade deals as President.[214][215]

The U.S. Current Account or Trade Deficit represents imports greater than exports. The U.S. has a trade deficit in goods partially offset by a trade surplus in services. The trade deficit with China was $367 billion in 2015.

Trump identifies himself as a "free trader,"[216] but has been widely described as a "protectionist".[217][218][219][220][221] Trump has described supporters of international trade as “blood suckers.”[222] According to the New York Times, since at least the 1980s, Trump has advanced mercantilist views, "describing trade as a zero-sum game in which countries lose by paying for imports."[223] On the campaign trail in 2015 and 2016, Trump has decried the U.S.-China trade imbalancecalling it "the greatest theft in the history of the world"and regularly advocates tariffs.[223] Economists dispute the idea that a trade deficit amounts to a loss or "theft", as a trade deficit is simply the difference between what the United States imports and what it exports to a country.[224][225] Trump shares some views on trade with Bernie Sanders, at least in the sense that they both are skeptical of free trade.[215] When asked why the clothes in the Donald J. Trump collection were not made in the United States, Trump answered that "They don't even make this stuff here," a claim found to be false by FactCheck.org.[226]

Trump's views on trade have upended the traditional Republican policies favoring free trade.[217][227] Binyamin Appelbaum, reporting for the New York Times, has summarized Trump's proposals as breaking with 200 years of economics orthodoxy.[223][228] American economic writer Bruce Bartlett writes that Trump's protectionist views have roots in American history,[229] and Canadian writer Lawrence Solomon describes Trump's position on trade as similar to that as of pre-Reagan Republican presidents, such as Herbert Hoover (who signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act) and Richard Nixon (who ran on a protectionist platform).[230]

Some economists and free-market proponents at groups such as the Institute of Economic Affairs, American Enterprise Institute, Peterson Institute for International Economics, Adam Smith Institute, Cato Institute, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Club for Growth have been harshly critical of Trump's views on trade, viewing them as likely to start trade wars and harm consumers.[228][231][232][233][234][235][236][237][238][239] According to economists consulted by the Los Angeles Times, recent U.S. experience with imposing tariffs on goods has had little to no positive impact on the protected industries and harmed consumers through higher prices.[240]

NAFTA

In a 60 Minutes interview in September 2015, Trump condemned the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying that if elected president, "We will either renegotiate it, or we will break it."[241][242] A range of trade experts have said that pulling out of NAFTA as Trump proposed would have a range of unintended consequences for the U.S., including reduced access to the U.S.'s biggest export markets, a reduction in economic growth, and increased prices for gasoline, cars, fruits, and vegetables.[243] The Washington Post fact-checker furthermore noted that a Congressional Research Service review of the academic literature on NAFTA concluded that the "net overall effect of NAFTA on the U.S. economy appears to have been relatively modest, primarily because trade with Canada and Mexico accounts for a small percentage of U.S. GDP."[225]

Trade with China

In January 2016, Trump proposed a 45 percent tariff on Chinese exports to the United States to give "American workers a level playing field."[216][223] According to an analysis by Capital Economics, Trump's proposed tariff may hurt U.S. consumers by driving U.S. retail price of Chinese made goods up 10 percent, because of few alternative suppliers in key product classes that China sells to the U.S.[244] The goods trade deficit with China in 2015 was $367.2 billion.[245] The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) reported in December 2014 that "Growth in the U.S. goods trade deficit with China between 2001 and 2013 eliminated or displaced 3.2 million U.S. jobs, 2.4 million (three-fourths) of which were in manufacturing." EPI reported these losses were distributed across all 50 states.[246]

Trump has vowed to label China as a currency manipulator on his first day in office.[227] Washington Post fact-checker Glenn Kessler, citing experts such as C. Fred Bergsten, found that "Trump's complaints about currency manipulation are woefully out of date," noting that "China has not manipulated its currency for at least two years."[247]

Trump has pledged "swift, robust and unequivocal" action against Chinese piracy, counterfeit American goods, and theft of U.S. trade secrets and intellectual property; and has condemned China's "illegal export subsidies and lax labor and environmental standards."[227] When asked about potential Chinese retaliation to the implementation of tariffs, such as sales of U.S. bonds, Trump deemed the Chinese unlikely to retaliate, "They will crash their economy... They will have a depression, the likes of which you have never seen if they ever did that."[248] In a May 2016 speech, Trump responded to concerns regarding a potential trade war with "We're losing $500 billion in trade with China. Who the hell cares if there's a trade war?"[249]

Trade with Mexico

Trump has vowed to impose tariffs — in the range of 15 to 35 percent — on companies that move their operations to Mexico.[250] He has specifically criticized the Ford Motor Co.,[223] Carrier Corporation,[223] and Mondelez International.[223][250][251] Trump has pledged a 35% tariff on "every car, every truck and every part manufactured in [Ford's Mexico plant] that comes across the border."[228] Tariffs at that level would be far higher than the international norms (which are around 2.67 percent for the U.S. and most other advanced economies and under 10 percent for most developing countries).[232] In August 2015, in response to Oreo maker Mondelez International's announcement that it would move manufacturing to Mexico, Trump said that he would boycott Oreos.[251]

According to economic experts canvassed by PolitiFact, the tariffs could help create new manufacturing jobs and lead to some concessions from the U.S.'s foreign trading partners, but consumer costs and production costs would almost certainly rise, the stock market would fall, interest rates could rise, and trade wars could occur.[252] PolitiFact noted that lower-income consumers in the United States would be hurt the most.[252]

Trans-Pacific Partnership

Trump opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying "The deal is insanity. That deal should not be supported and it should not be allowed to happen ... We are giving away what ultimately is going to be a back door for China."[253] Trump has asserted that the TPP will "be even worse than... NAFTA... We will lose jobs, we will lose employment, we will lose taxes, we will lose everything. We will lose our country."[254] In September 2016, Trump said that he would only support TPP as President if it were "phenomenal" for the U.S.[255]

World Trade Organization

Trump has called the World Trade Organization (WTO) a "disaster".[256] When informed that tariffs in the range of 15 to 35 percent would be contrary to the rules of the WTO, he answered "even better. Then we're going to renegotiate or we're going to pull out."[250]

Immigration

Donald Trump speaking at a rally in Fountain Hills, Arizona, on March 19, 2016

Illegal immigration was a signature issue of Trump's presidential campaign, and his proposed reforms and controversial remarks about this issue have generated headlines.[3] Trump has also expressed support for a variety of "limits on legal immigration and guest-worker visas,"[3][257] including a "pause" on granting green cards, which Trump says will "allow record immigration levels to subside to more moderate historical averages."[258][259][260] Trump's proposals regarding H-1B visas have frequently changed throughout his presidential campaign, but as of late July 2016, he appears to oppose to the H-1B visa program.[15]

Trump has questioned official (and widely accepted) estimates of the number of illegal immigrants in the United States (between 11 and 12 million), asserting that the number is actually between 30 and 34 million.[261] PolitiFact ruled that his statement was "Pants on Fire," citing experts who noted that no evidence supported an estimate in that range.[261] For example, the Pew Research Center reported in March 2015 that the number of illegal immigrants overall declined from 12.2 million in 2007 to 11.2 million in 2012. The number of illegal immigrants in the U.S. labor force ranged from 8.1 million to 8.3 million between 2007 and 2012, approximately 5% of the U.S. labor force.[262]

Birthright citizenship

Trump opposes birthright citizenship (the legal principle set forth by the Citizenship Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that all persons born on U.S. soil are citizens). Trump has asserted that the Fourteenth Amendment does not apply to children of illegal immigrants (whom Trump refers to as "anchor babies").[263][264] The mainstream view of the Fourteenth Amendment among legal experts is that everyone born on U.S. soil, regardless of parents' citizenship, is automatically an American citizen. Trump's view "is held by only a handful of legal scholars." However the issue is not considered completely settled, since the amendment does not discuss illegal immigration and the matter has not been addressed by the Supreme Court.[264]

Border security

Trump has emphasized U.S. border security and illegal immigration to the United States as a campaign issue.[265][266] During his announcement speech he stated in part, "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems.... They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."[267] On July 6, 2015, Trump issued a written statement[268] to clarify his position on illegal immigration which drew a reaction from critics. It read in part:

The Mexican Government is forcing their most unwanted people into the United States. They are, in many cases, criminals, drug dealers, rapists, etc. This was evident just this week when, as an example, a young woman in San Francisco was viciously killed by a 5-time deported Mexican with a long criminal record, who was forced back into the United States because they didn’t want him in Mexico. This is merely one of thousands of similar incidents throughout the United States. In other words, the worst elements in Mexico are being pushed into the United States by the Mexican government. The largest suppliers of heroin, cocaine and other illicit drugs are Mexican cartels that arrange to have Mexican immigrants trying to cross the borders and smuggle in the drugs. The Border Patrol knows this. Likewise, tremendous infectious disease is pouring across the border. The United States has become a dumping ground for Mexico and, in fact, for many other parts of the world. On the other hand, many fabulous people come in from Mexico and our country is better for it. But these people are here legally, and are severely hurt by those coming in illegally. I am proud to say that I know many hard working Mexicans—many of them are working for and with me...and, just like our country, my organization is better for it."[269]

A study published in Social Science Quarterly in May 2016 tested Trump's claim that immigrants are responsible for higher levels of violent and drug-related crime in the United States.[270] It found no evidence that links Mexican or undocumented Mexican immigrants specifically to violent or drug-related crime.[270] It did however find a small but significant association between undocumented immigrant populations (including non-Mexican undocumented immigrants) and drug-related arrests.[270]

In addition to his proposals to construct a border wall (see below), Trump has called for tripling the number of Border Patrol agents.[271]

U.S.–Mexico border wall proposal

Trump speaking about his immigration policy in Phoenix, Arizona, August 31, 2016.

Trump has repeatedly pledged to build a wall along the U.S.'s southern border, and has said that Mexico would pay for its construction through increased border-crossing fees and NAFTA tariffs.[272] In his speech announcing his candidacy, Trump pledged to "build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words."[214][273] Trump also said "nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively."[273] The concept for building a barrier to keep illegal immigrants out of the U.S. is not new; 670 miles of fencing (about one-third of the border) was erected under the Secure Fence Act of 2006, at a cost of $2.4 billion.[273] Trump said later that his proposed wall would be "a real wall. Not a toy wall like we have now."[274] In his 2015 book, Trump cites the Israeli West Bank barrier as a successful example of a border wall.[275] "Trump has at times suggested building a wall across the nearly 2,000-mile border and at other times indicated more selective placement."[276] After a meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on August 31, 2016, Trump said that they "didn't discuss" who would pay for the border wall that Trump has made a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.[277] Nieto contradicted that later that day, saying that he at the start of the meeting "made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall".[278] Later that day, Trump reiterated his position that Mexico will pay to build an "impenetrable" wall on the Southern border.[279]

John Cassidy of the New Yorker wrote that Trump is "the latest representative of an anti-immigrant, nativist American tradition that dates back at least to the Know-Nothings" of the 1840s and 1850s.[280] Trump says that "it was legal immigrants who made America great",[281] that the Latinos who have worked for him have been "unbelievable people", and that he wants a wall between the U.S. and Mexico to have a "big, beautiful door" for people to come legally and feel welcomed in the United States.[282]

According to experts and analyses, the actual cost to construct a wall along the remaining 1,300 miles of the border could be as high as $16 million per mile, with a total cost of up to $25 billion, with the cost of private land acquisitions and fence maintenance pushing up the total cost further.[276] Maintenance of the wall cost could up to $750 million a year, and if the Border Patrol agents were to patrol the wall, additional funds would have to be expended.[276] Rough and remote terrain on many parts of the border, such as deserts and mountains, would make construction and maintenance of a wall expensive, and such terrain may be a greater deterrent than a wall in any case.[276] Experts also note that on federally protected wilderness areas and Native American reservations, the Department of Homeland Security may have only limited construction authority, and a wall could cause environmental damage.[276]

Critics of Trump's plan question whether a wall would be effective at stopping unauthorized crossings, noting that walls are of limited use unless they are patrolled by agents and to intercept those climbing over or tunneling under the wall.[276] Experts also note that approximately half of illegal immigrants in the U.S. did not surreptitiously enter, but rather "entered through official crossing points, either by overstaying visas, using fraudulent documents, or being smuggled past the border."[276]

Mass deportation

Foreign born in US labor-force 1900-2015. Approximately 8 million of the foreign-born in the labor force were illegal immigrants in 2012.

Trump has proposed the mass deportation of illegal immigrants.[283][284][285] During his first town hall campaign meeting in Derry, New Hampshire, Trump said that if he were to win the election, then on "[d]ay 1 of my presidency, illegal immigrants are getting out and getting out fast."[286]

Trump has proposed a "Deportation Force" to carry out this plan, modeled after the 1950s-era "Operation Wetback" program during the Eisenhower administration.[285][287] Historian Mae Ngai of Columbia University, who has studied the program, has said that the military-style operation was both inhumane and ineffective.[285][287] The Eisenhower-era program was ended following a congressional investigation.[287] Trump has said of his proposal: "We would do it in a very humane way."[284] According to the New York Times, Trump seemed by August 2016 to be softening on the use of a deportation force.[272] However, on August 31, 2016, Trump reiterated that all illegal immigrants are "subject to deportation" and all those seeking legalization would have to go home and re-enter the country legally.[279]

According to analysts, Trump's mass-deportation plan would encounter legal and logistical difficulties, since U.S. immigration courts already face large backlogs.[284] Such a program would also impose a fiscal cost; the fiscally conservative American Action Forum policy group estimates that deporting every illegal immigrant would cause a slump of $381.5 billion to $623.2 billion in private sector output, amounting to roughly a loss of 2% of U.S. GDP.[288] Doug Holtz-Eakin, the group's president, has said that the mass deportation of 11 million people would "harm the economy in ways it would normally not be harmed."[284]

In June 2016, Trump stated on Twitter that "I have never liked the media term 'mass deportation' -- but we must enforce the laws of the land!"[289][290] Later in June, Trump stated that he would not characterize his immigration policies as including "mass deportations."[291]

In late August 2016, Trump hinted he might soften his call for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants, and his campaign manager said his position on the issue was "to be determined".[272][292][293] However, in a major speech on August 31, Trump laid out a 10-step plan reaffirming his hardline positions, including the deportation of "anyone who has entered the United States illegally," with priority given to undocumented immigrants who have committed significant crimes and those who have overstayed visas. He also repeated his proposal for a deportation task force.[294] According to a Washington Post analysis, if Trump's criteria for immediate deportation as of September 2016 are met, the number of individuals prioritized for removal by ICE agents would range between about 5.0 and 6.5 million.[295]

Muslim immigration ban

Trump's proposal to ban Muslim immigration to the United States has been revised frequently throughout his presidential campaign.[15] In late July 2016, NBC News characterized his position as: "Ban all Muslims, and maybe other people from countries with a history of terrorism, but just don't say 'Muslims.'"[15]

Trump proposed a temporary ban on foreign Muslims entering the United States (approximately 100,000 Muslim immigrants are admitted to the U.S. each year)[296] "until we can figure out what's going on" in December 2015.[297][298][299][300] In response to the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, Trump released a statement on "Preventing Muslim Immigration" and called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country's representatives can figure out what the hell is going on."[301] Trump clarified how this would work in an interview with Willie Geist on in December 2015:

Geist: "Would airline representatives, customs agents or border guards ask a person's religion?"
Trump: "They would say: 'Are you Muslim?'"
Geist: "And if they said, 'yes,' they would not be allowed in the country?"
Trump: "That's correct."[302]

Trump cited President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's World War II use of the Alien and Sedition Acts to issue presidential proclamations for rounding up, holding, and deporting German, Japanese, and Italian alien immigrants, and noted that Roosevelt was highly respected and had highways named after him.[303][304][305][306] Trump stated that he did not agree with Roosevelt's internment of Japanese Americans, and clarified that the proposal would not apply to Muslims who were U.S. citizens or to Muslims who were serving in the U.S. military.[307][308] The measure proposed by Trump would be temporary,[298] until better screening methods are devised,[299] although the proposal had also been phrased in more controversial ways.[300] Following his election, the Supreme Court decision in Korematsu has been cited as offering possible support for implementing his policies targeting Muslims. In light of changing attitudes since that decision and subsequent revelations, however, and notably the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 in which the Congress apologized for the Nation and made reparations for internment of Japanese Americans, constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein has argued that history has overturned the Korematsu decision in effect, even if the Supreme Court has not explicitly done so.[309]

In May 2016, Trump retreated slightly from his call for a Muslim ban, calling it "merely an idea, not a proposal."[310] On June 13, 2016, he reformulated the ban so that it would be geographical, not religious, applying to "areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies."[310] Two hours later, he claimed that ban was only for nations "tied to Islamic terror."[310] In June 2016, he also stated that he would allow Muslims from allies like the United Kingdom to enter the United States.[310] In May 2016, Trump said "There will always be exceptions" to the ban, when asked how the ban would apply to London's newly elected mayor Sadiq Khan.[311] A Khan spokesman said in response that Trump's views were "ignorant, divisive and dangerous" and play into the hands of extremists.[312]

In June 2016, Trump expanded his proposed ban on Muslim immigration to the United States to also encompassing immigration from areas with a history of terrorism.[313] Specifically, Trump stated, "When I am elected, I will suspend immigration from areas of the world when there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe, or our allies, until we understand how to end these threats."[313] According to lawyers and legal scholars cited in a New York Times report, the president has the power to carry out the plan but it would take an ambitious and likely time-consuming bureaucratic effort, and make sweeping use of executive authority.[314] Immigration analysts also noted that the implementation of Trump's plan could "prompt a wave of retaliation against American citizens traveling and living abroad."[314] In July 2016, he described his proposal as encompassing "any nation that has been compromised by terrorism."[315] Trump later referred to the reformulation as "extreme vetting".[316]

When asked in July 2016 about his proposal to restrict immigration from areas with high levels of terrorism, Trump insisted that it was not a "rollback" of his initial proposal to ban all Muslim immigrants.[256] He said, "In fact, you could say it's an expansion. I'm looking now at territory."[256] When asked if his new proposal meant that there would be greater checks on immigration from countries that have been compromised by terrorism, such as France, Germany and Spain, Trump answered, "It's their own fault, because they've allowed people over years to come into their territory."[317][318]

In August 2016, Trump suggested that "extreme views" would be grounds to be thrown out of the U.S., saying he would deport Seddique Mateen, the father of Omar Mateen (the gunman in the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting), who has expressed support for the Taliban.[319][320][321]

Other proposals

Trump has proposed making it more difficult for asylum-seekers and refugees to enter the United States, and making the e-Verify system mandatory for employers.[271]

Syrian refugees

Trump has on several occasions expressed opposition to allowing Syrian refugees into the U.S.saying they could be the "ultimate Trojan horse"[322]and has proposed deporting back to Syria refugees settled in the U.S.[323][324] By September 2015, Trump had expressed support for taking in some Syrian refugees[323][325] and praised Germany's decision to take in Syrian refugees.[326]

On a number of occasions in 2015, Trump asserted that "If you're from Syria and you're a Christian, you cannot come into this country, and they're the ones that are being decimated. If you are Islamic ... it's hard to believe, you can come in so easily." PolitiFact rated Trump's claim as "false" and found it to be "wrong on its face," citing the fact that 3 percent of the refugees from Syria have been Christian (although they represent 10 percent of the Syrian population) and finding that the U.S. government is not discriminating against Christians as a matter of official policy.[327]

In May 2016 interview with Bill O'Reilly, Trump stated "Look, we are at war with these people and they don't wear uniforms. … This is a war against people that are vicious, violent people, that we have no idea who they are, where they come from. We are allowing tens of thousands of them into our country now." Politifact ruled this statement "pants on fire", stating that the U.S. is on track to accept 100,000 refugees in 2017, but there is no evidence that tens of thousands of them are terrorists.[328]

Social issues and civil liberties

Abortion

Trump's views on abortion have changed significantly between 1999 when he was "very" pro-choice and would neither ban abortion nor "partial-birth abortion", and his 2016 presidential campaign where he repeatedly described himself as pro-life (more specifically "pro-life with exceptions"), suggested that women who have abortions should face some sort of punishment (a view he quickly retracted), and pledged to appoint pro-life justices to the Supreme Court.[329][330][331][332][333][334][335]

While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Trump stated "I'm pro-life and I've been pro-life a long time" and acknowledged that he had "evolved" on the issue.[330] CNN reported that Trump "dodged questions testing the specificity of those views."[330] In August 2015, Trump said that he supported a government shutdown over federal funding for Planned Parenthood (which receives federal funding for the health services it provides to 2.7 million people annually, but is barred by federal law from using federal funds for abortion-related procedures).[336] In March 2016, Trump said that Planned Parenthood should not be funded "as long as you have the abortion going on," but acknowledged that "Planned Parenthood has done very good work for many, many -- for millions of women."[337] Planned Parenthood said in a statement that "Trump presidency would be a disaster for women" and criticized Trump's claim that "he'd be great for women while in the same breath pledging to block them from accessing care at Planned Parenthood."[337]

In an interview later that month, Trump acknowledged that there must be "some form" of punishment for women if abortion were made illegal in the U.S. Trump issued a statement later that day reversing his position from earlier by saying, "the doctor or any other person performing this illegal act upon a woman would be held legally responsible, not the woman."[334][338][339] Trump has said that abortion should be legal in cases involving "rape, incest or the life of the mother being at risk."[331]

In May 2016, when asked if he would appoint Supreme Court justices who would overturn Roe v. Wade, Trump stated: "Well, they'll be pro-life. And we'll see about overturning, but I will appoint judges that will be pro-life." In the same interview, Trump stated of the anti-abortion cause: "I will protect it, and the biggest way you can protect is through the Supreme Court."[333] The Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, praised Trump's list of potential Supreme Court nominees as "exceptionally strong," while the abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America called the candidates on the list "a woman's worst nightmare."[340] Short of overturning Roe, Trump has pledged to sign legislation from Congress banning abortion at the 20-week mark (Roe protects a woman's right to an abortion before a fetus is viable, which anti-abortion activists contend is at the 20-week mark).[341]

In his first interview following his designation as president-elect, Trump affirmed his pledge to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices. He said that if Roe v. Wade were overturned, the issue would be returned to the states, and that if some states outlawed abortion, a woman seeking an abortion might "have to go to another state".[342]

In October 1999 Trump said "I am very pro-choice" and "I believe in choice."[332] He said that he hated the "concept of abortion," but would not ban abortion or the procedure sometimes called "partial-birth abortion."[332] Later that year, Trump gave interviews stating "I'm totally pro-choice" and "I want to see the abortion issue removed from politics. I believe it is a personal decision that should be left to the women and their doctors."[329]

Christianity

Trump has on several occasions suggested that Christians are being discriminated against, for instance, stating that "Christianity is under tremendous siege."[343] He has vowed to end an IRS rule that prohibits tax-exempted non-profits from campaigning on behalf of candidates, believing the rule undermines Christian influence in U.S. politics: "we have more Christians than we have men or women in our country and we don’t have a lobby because they’re afraid to have a lobby because they don’t want to lose their tax status... So I am going to work like hell to get rid of that prohibition and we’re going to have the strongest Christian lobby and it's going to happen."[344][345] Trump has suggested that he is being audited by the IRS "maybe because of the fact that I'm a strong Christian."[346] He has suggested that he would have an easier time getting a ban on Christian immigrants passed than one on Muslims.[343]

Trump has been critical of department stores that do not greet their customers with "merry Christmas" anymore, stating that things will change if he gets elected president: "I'll tell you one thing: I get elected president, we're going to be saying 'merry Christmas' again. Just remember that."[343]

First Amendment and defamation law

Trump has called for police to arrest those who protest at his rallies, saying that fear of an "arrest mark" that would "ruin the rest of their lives" would be a deterrent and that then "we're not going to have any more protesters, folks."[347] Geoffrey R. Stone, a professor at the University of Chicago Law School, notes that opponents and disruptive individuals may be removed from Trump rallies consistent with the First Amendment, but opponents have a First Amendment right to protest Trump outside the venue.[348] Stone writes that it is unclear whether it would be consistent with the First Amendment for Trump to "order the removal of those who oppose his candidacy from his political rallies if he does not announce in advance that they are open only to his supporters," noting that the answer to this question depends not on the First Amendment, but on the nature of open invitations in the law of trespass.[348]

Trump has said that if elected, he would loosen defamation laws so that when journalists write "purposely negative and horrible and false articles, we can sue them and win lots of money." The Associated Press reported that this proposal to weaken the First Amendment protections for the press is at odds with "widely held conceptions of constitutional law." The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and other First Amendment advocates condemned Trump's proposal, which would make it easier to win lawsuits accusing newspapers of libel.[349]

Trump has expressed support for adopting English-style defamation laws in the U.S.; under UK law, it is easier for plaintiffs to sue newspapers and other media outlets.[350][351] In 2016, the American Bar Association (ABA)'s committee on media law created a report that was critical of Trump's support for expansive defamation laws and his use of libel suits in the past. The committee concluded that Trump was "a 'libel bully' who had filed many meritless suits attacking his opponents and had never won in court."[352] The ABA's leadership blocked the report from being issued; the organization did not contest the committee's conclusions, but expressed concern about the possibility of being sued by Trump.[352]

On the campaign trail in 2015 and 2016, Trump has frequently "railed against" the press, referring to the media as "the most dishonest people" and "absolute scum."[353] The Trump campaign has barred reporters (from Politico, The New York Times, The Des Moines Register, The Huffington Post, and Univision, among others) from its campaign events, "often in the wake of critical coverage."[353] In October 2016, NBC News reportedly held off on airing a video of Trump making lewd and disparaging remarks about women due to concerns that Trump would sue the network.[354]

Rights of the accused

In a 1989 interview with Larry King, Trump stated: "The problem with our society is the victim has absolutely no rights and the criminal has unbelievable rights" and that "maybe hate is what we need if we're gonna get something done."[355]

In 2016, Trump decried the fact that Ahmad Khan Rahami, a U.S. citizen charged in connection with the bombings in New York and New Jersey, would be provided with medical treatment and the right to counsel, calling this "sad."[356][357]

At the second presidential debate, which took place in October 2016, Trump said that if he was "in charge of the law of our country," rival presidential contender Hillary Clinton would "be in jail."[358] In the same debate, Trump also pledged that if elected, he would direct his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to "look into" Clinton.[358] Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook called the remark "chilling" and said: "Trump thinks that the presidency is like some banana republic dictatorship where you can lock up your political opponents."[358] The remark was viewed as part of "a litany of statements [Trump] has made during the campaign that many legal specialists have portrayed as a threat to the rule of law."[359] The remark was condemned by a number of prominent Republican lawyers, such as Paul K. Charlton, Marc Jimenez, and Peter Zeidenberg,[360] as well as David B. Rivkin and Michael Chertoff.[359] Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said that the "jail" comment was merely "a quip."[360]

Later that October, Trump spoke fondly of the "Lock her up" chants at his rally, saying “Lock her up is right.”[361] He also said that Clinton's legal representatives "have to go to jail".[362]

Trying U.S. citizens in military tribunals

In August 2016, Trump said that he "would be fine" with trying U.S. citizens accused of terrorism in military tribunals at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.[363] Under current federal law (specifically, the Military Commissions Act of 2006), trying U.S. citizens at military commissions is illegal; only "alien unlawful enemy combatants" may be tried in such commissions.[363][364]

LGBT issues

Rea Carey, the executive director of the National LGBTQ Task Force, has described Trump's public statements on LGBT issues as "confusing and conflicting."[365] During his campaign for the presidency, Trump did not emphasize the issue and at times gave ambiguous answers.[366][367] Within the Republican Party, Trump was viewed as having a more accepting view of LGBT people.[366] Trump said that he was a supporter of "traditional marriage" but that the decision on whether to allow same-sex couples to marry should be determined state by state.[368] At one point in the campaign, Trump said that "he would 'strongly consider' appointing Supreme Court justices who would overturn same-sex marriage," but Trump subsequently "held a rainbow flag onstage and presented himself as gay friendly."[365] Soon after his election, Trump said that the law on same-sex marriage was settled "and I'm fine with that."[368]

LGBT anti-discrimination laws

In a February 2000 interview with The Advocate, Trump said he supported amending the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to include the category of sexual orientation and supported federal hate crime legislation that would cover sexual orientation.[369]

Trump has offered qualified support for the First Amendment Defense Act, which aims to protect those who oppose same-sex marriage based on their religious beliefs from action by the federal government, such as revocation of tax-exempt status, grants, loans, benefits, or employment.[370] Trump said, "If Congress considers the First Amendment Defense Act a priority, then I will do all I can to make sure it comes to my desk for signatures and enactment."[371][372]

In July 2016, Trump expressed support for North Carolina House Bill 2, which eliminates all private employment and public accommodation anti-discrimination laws not covered by statewide law, and legislates that in government buildings, individuals may only use restrooms and changing facilities that correspond to the sex on their birth certificates.[373][374][375] Trump said, "The state, they know what's going on, they see what's happening and generally speaking I’m with the state on things like this. I’ve spoken with your governor, I’ve spoken with a lot of people and I’m going with the state."[373][374] The bill is controversial because it prevents transgender people who do not or cannot alter their birth certificates from using the restroom consistent with their gender identity.[376][377][378][379] In April 2016, Trump criticized the bill, saying: "North Carolina did something that was very strong and they're paying a big price. ... You leave it the way it is. There have been very few complaints the way it is. People go, they use the bathroom they feel is appropriate, there has been so little trouble, and the problem with what happened in North Carolina is the strife, and the economic punishment that they're taking."[380][381] Trump stated: "I fully understand if they [North Carolina] want to go through, but they are losing business and they are having a lot of people come out against."[382] Later that April, Trump took the position that states have the right to enact such legislation and that the federal government should not become involved.[374] He did not express an opinion on whether the law was right or wrong.[382]

LGBT hate crime laws

In a February 2000 interview with The Advocate, Trump stated in response to the murder of Matthew Shepard and James Byrd that he wanted a more "tolerant society" and he would "absolutely" support hate crime legislation on the basis of their race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation.[383]

LGBT military service

In an October 1999 appearance on Meet the Press, Trump said gays openly serving in the military was "not something that would disturb me."[332] At a rally in October 2016, Trump called the open military service of transgender Americans a result of a "political correct military" and said that he would "very strongly" defer to the recommendations of top military officers on the issue of transgender military personnel.[384]

Same-sex marriage

In 2000, Trump stated "he believes that marriage is between a man and a woman."[366] During his 2016 campaign for the presidency, he said that he supported "traditional marriage"[385] and opposed same-sex marriage.[386]

In June 2015, when asked about the Obergefell v. Hodges ruling, he said: "I would have preferred states, you know, making the decision and I let that be known. But they made the decision. ... So, at a certain point you have to be realistic about it."[387] Later, in the run up to the Iowa caucuses on February 1, 2016, Trump stated that if elected he would strongly consider appointing Supreme Court justices that would overturn Obergefell.[388][388][389] When asked if gay couples should be able access the same benefits as married couples, Trump said that his "attitude on it has not been fully formed."[390] The Advocate, an American LGBT-interest magazine, characterized Trump's Supreme Court picks as "LGBT-unfriendly," noting that "not all have ruled in LGBT rights cases, but those who have are largely unsympathetic, and some have the backing of anti-LGBT activists."[391]

In November 2016, shortly after the presidential election, Trump told Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes that his personal view on same-sex marriage was "irrelevant" and that he was "fine with" same-sex marriage, stating that the issue was "settled" in the Obergefell decision.[368][392]

Other statements

Trump is the first Republican presidential nominee to mention the LGBT community at a Republican National Convention acceptance speech,[393] saying in his acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention: "As your president, I will do everything in my power to protect our LGBTQ citizens from the violence and oppression of a hateful foreign ideology"a reference to fundamentalist Islam.[394]

Pornography

Trump signed a pledge in July 2016 that he would work to combat both legal pornography and illegal pornography, such as child pornography.[395] In the pledge, he promised to "give serious consideration to appointing a Presidential Commission to examine the harmful public health impact of Internet pornography on youth, families and the American culture and the prevention of the sexual exploitation of children in the digital age."[395]

Race relations

Trump has criticized the Black Lives Matter movement and accuses President Obama of "dividing America."[396] Trump has said that if elected president, he might direct his Attorney General to look into the Black Lives Matter movement.[397] When asked if he believes there to be a racial divide in America, Trump answered, "Sadly, there would seem to be...and it's probably not been much worse at any time."[398] When asked if he believes police treat African Americans differently than whites, Trump answered, "It could be."[398] Trump describes the police killings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile as "tough to watch" and criticized the "terrible, disgusting performance" by police.[396] Trump said that he could relate to the systemic bias African Americans faced against whites, saying, "even against me the system is rigged when I ran ... for president." When asked if he could understand the experience of being African American, Trump replied, "I would like to say yes, but you really can't unless you are African American. You can't truly understand what's going on unless you are African American. I would like to say yes, however."[399]

Surveillance of American Muslims

On November 19, 2015, a week after the November 2015 Paris attacks, when asked if he would implement a database system to track Muslims in the United States, Trump said: "I would certainly implement that. Absolutely. There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases. We should have a lot of systems."[400] On November 21, Trump expanded on his stance, saying that he would order "surveillance of certain mosques" to combat "Islamic extremism" after the Paris attacks.[401][402] Trump's support for a database of American Muslims "drew sharp rebukes from his Republican presidential rivals and disbelief from legal experts."[403] Trump justified his proposals by repeatedly saying that he recalled "thousands and thousands of people ... cheering" in Jersey City, New Jersey, when the World Trade Center towers fell on September 11, 2001.[402][404] PolitiFact noted that this statement was false, giving it a "Pants on Fire" rating and reporting that it was based on debunked and unproven rumors.[403][405][406] Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop called Trump's claim "absurd" and said that Trump "has memory issues or willfully distorts the truth."[407]

Privacy, encryption, and electronic surveillance

On National Security Agency (NSA) surveillance, Trump says that he "tends to err on the side of security" over privacy. Trump supports bringing back now-expired provisions of the Patriot Act to allow for the NSA to collect and store bulk telephone metadata.[408][409] Trump said: "I assume that when I pick up my telephone, people are listening to my conversations anyway."[409]

In February 2016, Trump urged his supporters to boycott Apple Inc. unless the company agrees to build a custom backdoor for the FBI to unlock the password-protected iPhone connected to one of the perpetrators of the 2015 San Bernardino shooting, a move that Apple argues would threaten the security and privacy of its users.[410] Trump himself still uses his iPhone to send out tweets.[411]

Voter fraud, voter ID laws, and allegations of "rigged elections"

Trump opposes same-day voter registration, supports voter identification laws, asserted that Obama won in 2012 due to voter fraud, has charged that the election system would be rigged against him in the 2016 race, and has equivocated on whether he would accept the outcome of the 2016 election.

Trump has asserted that America's "voting system is out of control," alleging that "you have people, in my opinion, that are voting many, many times," even though the number of cases of voter fraud in the U.S. is minuscule.[412] Trump opposes same-day voter registration, alleging that this allows non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections and that voting laws should prevent people from "[sneaking] in through the cracks."[413] PolitiFact ruled Trump's claim about voter fraud false, noting that according to experts, "there is no additional risk of noncitizens casting ballots in states with same-day voter registration, nor is there any evidence that this occurs."[413]

While he has repeatedly charged during his candidacy that the election system is rigged against him, Trump's statements became bolder and more specific in August 2016.[414] He alleged that the only way he would only lose Pennsylvania if "cheating goes on", and that voters will cast their ballots "15 times" for Clinton without voter ID laws.[414] The Wall Street Journal notes that several voter ID laws that have been struck down in several states recently, with courts ruling that they unfairly discriminate against minority voters, and that "there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud occurring in recent U.S. elections."[414] According to Dartmouth political scientist Brendan Nyhan, Trump's rhetoric "threatens the norms of American elections and could provoke a damaging reaction among his supporters."[415]

In the September 2016 presidential debate, when asked if he would honor the outcome of the election, Trump said that he "absolutely" would.[416][417] Four days later, Trump appeared to have reconsidered his statement from the debate, saying "We’re going to have to see. We’re going to see what happens. We’re going to have to see."[416][417] In early- and mid-October 2016, Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was rigged, alleging media coordination with the Clinton campaign, citing Saturday Night Live as an example of the aforementioned rigged media, and alleging that "The election is absolutely being rigged... at many polling places" even though no polling places had opened.[418][419] That same month, Trump asserted that the federal government was allowing illegal immigrants to come into the U.S. so they can vote.[420] Later that October, Trump attacked Republicans who disagreed with his assertion that the election was rigged, saying "Of course there is large scale voter fraud happening on and before election day. Why do Republican leaders deny what is going on? So naive!"[421] PolitiFact found Trump's claim of "large scale voter fraud" false, giving it a "Pants-on-fire" rating.[422]

Trump has claimed that "dead people voted for President Obama" and that "dead voters... helped get President Obama elected."[423][424][425] On election night 2012, Trump expressed skepticism about Obama's victory, saying, among other things, "This election is a total sham and a travesty. We are not a democracy!"[426][427][428]

Women in the military

In 2013, Trump questioned the wisdom of allowing women to serve, linking gender-integrated forces with higher rates of sexual assault "26,000 unreported sexual assults in the military-only 238 convictions. What did these geniuses expect when they put men & women together?"[429][430][431][432][433][434] In 2014, Trump stated that it was "bedlam" to bring women into the army.[432] In August 2015, Trump said he would support women in combat roles "because they're really into it and some of them are really, really good."[435]

Domestic policy

Trump signs the Republican loyalty pledge: If Trump does not become the Republican Party nominee for the 2016 general election he pledges to support whomever the nominee may be, and to not run as a third-party candidate.
Trump and supporters at a rally in Muscatine, Iowa, January 2016. Multiple supporters hold up signs stating "The silent majority stands with Trump."

Campaign finance

While Trump has repeatedly expressed support for "the idea of campaign finance reform,"[436][437] he has not outlined specifics of his actual views on campaign-finance regulation.[436][438][439] For example, Trump has not said whether he favors public financing of elections or caps on expenditures of campaigns, outside groups, and individuals.[436]

During the Republican primary race, Trump on several occasions accused his Republican opponents of being bound to their campaign financiers, and asserted that anyone (including Trump himself) could buy their policies with donations.[440] He called super PACs a "scam" and "a horrible thing".[436][441] In October 2015, he said, "All Presidential candidates should immediately disavow their Super PAC's. They’re not only breaking the spirit of the law but the law itself."[442]

Having previously touted the self-funding of his campaign as a sign of his independence from the political establishment and big donors, Trump reversed course and started to fundraise in early May 2016.[443][444][445] While Trump systematically disavowed pro-Trump super PACs earlier in the race, he has not done so since early May 2016.[442]

Civil servants

According to Chris Christie (leader of Trump's White House transition team), Trump would, if elected President, seek to purge the federal government of officials appointed by Obama and could ask Congress to pass legislation making it easier to fire public workers.[446]

Disabled Americans

Trump has provided "little detail regarding his positions on disability-related policies," and his campaign website makes no mention of disabled people.[447][448][449] As of June 1, 2016, Trump had not responded to the issue questionnaire of the nonpartisan disability group RespectAbility.[447] Trump attracted criticism for mocking the physical disability of New York Times investigative reporter Serge Kovaleski, who suffers from arthrogryposis.[450] Trump has denied mocking Kovaleski's disability and has claimed that he did not know of the reporter's disability; fact-checkers, however, have found Trump's claims to be implausible or false.[451][452][453]

District of Columbia statehood

In August 2015, Trump said that if he were president, he would consider the possibility of statehood for the District of Columbia, and would favor "whatever's best for them."[454] In an interview with the Washington Post in March 2016, Trump said that though he didn't yet have a position on statehood, it would be something that "I don’t think I’d be inclined to do". He also said that "having representation would be okay".[455]

Education

Trump has stated his support for school choice and local control for primary and secondary schools. On school choice he's commented, "Our public schools are capable of providing a more competitive product than they do today. Look at some of the high school tests from earlier in this century and you’ll wonder if they weren't college-level tests. And we’ve got to bring on the competition—open the schoolhouse doors and let parents choose the best school for their children. Education reformers call this school choice, charter schools, vouchers, even opportunity scholarships. I call it competition—the American way."[456]

Trump has blasted the Common Core State Standards Initiative, calling it a "total disaster".[457][458] Trump has asserted that Common Core is "education through Washington D.C.", a claim which Politifact and other journalists have rated "false", since the adoption and implementation of Common Core is a state choice, not a federal one.[457][458]

Trump has stated that Ben Carson will be "very much involved in education" under a Trump presidency.[459] Carson rejects the theory of evolution, believes that "home-schoolers do the best, private schoolers next best, charter schoolers next best, and public schoolers worst", and wants to "take the federal bureaucracy out of education."[460]

Trump has proposed redirecting $20 billion in existing federal spending to block grants to states to give poor children vouchers to attend a school of their family's choice (including a charter school, private school, or online school).[461][462] Trump did not explain where the $20 billion in the federal budget would come from.[461] Trump stated that "Distribution of this grant will favor states that have private school choice and charter laws."[461]

Eminent domain

Trump has called eminent domain "wonderful" and repeatedly asked the government to invoke it on his behalf during past development projects.[463][464]

Family leave

In October 2015, Trump stated that "you have to be careful with" paid family leave as it could impact keeping "our country very competitive".[465]

Food safety regulations

In September 2016, Trump posted a list on his web site of regulations that he would eliminate. The list included what it called the "FDA Food Police" and mentioned the Food and Drug Administration's rules governing "farm and food production hygiene" and "food temperatures".[466] The factsheet provided by Trump mirrored a May report by the conservative Heritage Foundation.[467] It was replaced later that month and the new factsheet did not mention the FDA.[466]

Gender pay gap

According to the Chicago Tribune, Trump has not addressed the gender pay gap in his 2016 presidential bid (as of July 2016).[183] According to the Tribune, "Trump's past statements on women in the workplace have included calling pregnancy "an inconvenience" and telling a voter in New Hampshire last year that women will receive the same pay as men "if they do as good a job.""[183]

Native Americans

Colman McCarthy of the Washington Post wrote in 1993 that in testimony given that year to the House Natural Resources subcommittee on Native American Affairs, Trump "devoted much of his testimony to bad-mouthing Indians and their casinos," asserted that "organized crime is rampant on Indian reservations" and that "if it continues it will be the biggest scandal ever." Trump offered no evidence in support of his claim, and testimony from the FBI's organized crime division, the Justice Department's criminal division, and the IRS's criminal investigation division did not support Trump's assertion.[468] Representative George Miller, a Democrat who was the chairman of the Natural Resources Committee at the time, stated: "In my 19 years in Congress, I've never heard more irresponsible testimony."[468]

Trump bankrolled in 2000 a set of anti-Indian gaming ads in upstate New York that featured "a dark photograph showing hypodermic needles and drug paraphernalia," a warning that "violent criminals were coming to town," and an accusation that the St. Regis Mohawks had a "record of criminal activity."[469] The adaimed at stopping the construction of a casino in the Catskills that might hurt Trump's own Atlantic City casinos[470]was viewed as "incendiary" and racially charged, and at the time local tribal leaders, in response, bought a newspaper ad of their own to denounce the "smear" and "racist and inflammatory rhetoric" of the earlier ad.[469] The ads attracted the attention of the New York Temporary State Commission on Lobbying because they failed to disclose Trump's sponsorship as required by state lobbying rules.[469][470][471] Trump acknowledged that he sponsored the ads and reached a settlement with the state in which he and his associates agreed to issue a public apology and pay $250,000 (the largest civil penalty ever levied by the commission) for evading state disclosure rules.[469][470][471]

In 2015, Trump defended the controversial team name and mascot of the Washington Redskins, saying that the NFL team should not change its name and he did not find the term to be offensive.[472][473] The "Change the Mascot" campaign, led by the Oneida Indian Nation and National Congress of American Indians, condemned Trump's stance.[474]

While campaigning in 2016, Trump has repeatedly belittled Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts by calling her "Pocahontas" (a reference to Warren's claim, based on family lore, of Native American ancestry, which she has been unable to document).[475] Trump's comments were criticized by a number of public figures as racist and inappropriate.[476][477] Gyasi Ross of the Blackfeet Nation, a Native American activist and author, criticized Trump's "badgering of Elizabeth Warren as 'Pocahontas'" as "simply the continuation of his pattern of racist bullying."[478]

Questioning Obama's citizenship

For several years Trump promoted "birther" conspiracy theories about Barack Obama's citizenship.[479][480][481]

In March 2011, during an interview on Good Morning America, Trump said he was seriously considering running for president, that he was a "little" skeptical of Obama's citizenship and that someone who shares this view shouldn't be so quickly dismissed as an "idiot." Trump added: "Growing up no one knew him"[482]a claim ranked "Pants on Fire" by Politifact.[483] Later, Trump appeared on The View repeating several times that "I want him (Obama) to show his birth certificate" and speculating that "there's something on that birth certificate that he doesn't like."[484] Although officials in Hawaii certified Obama's citizenship, Trump said in April 2011 he would not let go of the issue, because he was not satisfied that Obama had proved his citizenship.[485]

After Obama released his long-form birth certificate on April 27, 2011, Trump said: "I am really honored and I am really proud, that I was able to do something that nobody else could do."[486] Trump continued to question Obama's birth certificate in the following years, as late as 2015.[487][488] In May 2012, Trump suggested that Obama might have been born in Kenya.[489] In October 2012, Trump offered to donate five million dollars to the charity of Obama's choice in return for the publication of his college and passport applications before the end of the month.[490] In a 2014 interview, Trump questioned whether Obama had produced his long-form birth certificate.[487] When asked in December 2015 if he still questioned Obama's legitimacy, Trump said that "I don't talk about that anymore."[491]

On September 14, 2016, Trump declined to acknowledge whether he believed Obama was born in the United States.[492] On September 15, 2016, Trump for the first time acknowledged that Obama was born in the United States.[492] He gave a terse statement, saying, "President Barack Obama was born in the United States, period."[492] He falsely accused Hillary Clinton of having started the "Birther" movement.[492][493][494] He also asserted that he 'finished' the birther controversy, apparently referring to Obama's 2011 release of his long-form birth certificate, despite the fact that he continued to question Obama's citizenship in the years that followed.[487][493][495] The next day, Trump tweeted a Washington Post story with the headline "Donald Trump's birther event is the greatest trick he's ever pulled".[496][497] The "greatest trick" of the headline referred to the fact that cable networks aired the event live, waiting for a "birther" statement, while Trump touted his new hotel and supporters gave testimonials.[498] In October 2016, Trump appeared to question the legitimacy of Barack Obama’s presidency, referring to him at a rally as the “quote ‘president.'’'[499]

Veterans' affairs

Trump has been critical of the ways in which veterans are treated in the United States, saying "the vets are horribly treated in this country... they are living in hell."[500] Trump favors getting rid of backlogs and wait-lists which are the focus of the Veterans Health Administration scandal. He has claimed that "over 300,000 veterans have died waiting for care."[501] In a statement, he said he believes that Veterans Affairs facilities need to be upgraded with recent technology, hire more veterans to treat other veterans, increase support of female veterans, and create satellite clinics within hospitals in rural areas.[502] Trump's proposed plan for reforming the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs includes provisions for allowing veterans to obtain care at any doctor or facility that accepts Medicare, increasing funding for PTSD and suicide prevention services, and providing ob/gyn services at every VA hospital.[503] Trump's plan calls for greater privatization of veterans’ care.[504] Trump's plan makes no reference directly to letting veterans get health care outside the VA system but Trump adviser Sam Clovis in May said the candidate was looking into such plans.[504] The Wall Street Journal notes that "such a plan is counter to recommendations from major veterans groups, the VA itself and from the Commission on Care, an independent body established by Congress that last week made recommendations for VA changes."[504] Trump's plan calls "for legislation making it easier to fire underperforming employees, increasing mental-health resources and adding a White House hotline so veterans can bypass the VA and bring problems directly to the president."[504] Trump opposes the current G.I. Bill.[505][506]

Trump skipped a televised Republican debate in January 2016 to host a rally to raise money for veterans. In early February, the Wall Street Journal reported that many veterans' groups began to get their checks only after the Journal asked the Trump campaign why they had not.[507] In April, the Journal reported that the funds had yet to be fully distributed.[508]

Trump caused a stir in July 2015 when he charged that Senator John McCain with having "done nothing to help the vets," a statement ruled false by PolitiFact and the Chicago Tribune[500][509] Trump added that McCain is "not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured."[510]

Law and order

Gun regulation

In his 2000 book The America We Deserve, Trump wrote that he generally opposed gun control, but supported the ban on assault weapons and supported a "slightly longer waiting period to purchase a gun."[511][512][513][514] In his book, Trump also criticized the gun lobby, saying: "The Republicans walk the N.R.A. line and refuse even limited restrictions."[514] In 2008, Trump opposed hunting-education classes in schools and called the "thought of voluntarily putting guns in the classroom... a really bad plan."[515]

Trump has since reversed some of his positions on gun issues, and while campaigning for the presidency in 2015 and 2016 has called for the expansion of gun rights.[514] Trump has proposed eliminating prohibitions on assault weapons, military-style weapons and high-capacity magazines (which Trump described as "scary sounding phrases" used by gun control advocates "to confuse people"), as well as making concealed carry permits valid nationwide, rather than on the current state-to-state basis.[511] Trump has said that concealed carry "is a right, not a privilege."[511] He has called for an overhaul of the current federal background check system, arguing that "Too many states are failing to put criminal and mental health records into the system."[511][516]

On the campaign trail, Trump has praised the National Rifle Association (NRA),[517] and received the group's endorsement after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee.[518] Trump has described himself as a staunch advocate of the Second Amendment.[512][519] Trump has asserted that the presence of more guns in schools and public places could have stopped mass shootings such as those in Paris, San Bernardino, California, and Umpqua Community College.[517][520] In June 2016, Trump stated that, "it would have been a beautiful, beautiful sight" to see Omar Mateen shot in the head by an armed patron in the Pulse nightclub shooting, reiterating his stance that more people should be armed in public places.[521] A few days later, after two top officials of the NRA challenged the notion that drinking clubgoers should be armed, Trump reversed his position, saying that he "obviously" meant that additional guards or employees should have been armed in the nightclub.[522][523]

In January 2016, Trump said: "I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools, and — you have to — and on military bases... My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There's no more gun-free zones."[524] Trump could not eliminate gun-free school zones by executive order, however, since such zones were created by a federal law that can only be reversed by Congress.[514] In May 2016, Trump made ambiguous comments on guns in classrooms, saying: "I don't want to have guns in classrooms. Although, in some cases, teachers should have guns in classrooms."[525] In May 2016, Trump accused Hillary Clinton of lying when she claimed that "Donald Trump would force schools to allow guns in classrooms on his first day in office."[526] According to the Washington Post fact-checker, Clinton's statement was accurate.[527]

Trump supports barring people on the government's terrorist watch list from purchasing weapons, saying in 2015: "If somebody is on a watch list and an enemy of state and we know it's an enemy of state, I would keep them away, absolutely."[514] This is one position where Trump departs from the position of gun-rights groups and most of his Republican rivals for the presidency and supports a stance backed by Senate Democrats.[514]

In 2015, Trump said that he holds a New York concealed carry permit[511][528] and that "I carry on occasion, sometimes a lot. I like to be unpredictable."[528] A 1987 Associated Press story said that he held a handgun permit at that time.[511]

Security personnel and other staffers at a number of Trump's hotels and golf courses told ABC News that patrons are not permitted to carry guns on the property. A Trump spokesman denied this, saying that licensed persons are permitted to carry guns on the premises.[529]

At a rally on August 9, 2016, Trump accused his opponent of wanting to "essentially abolish the Second Amendment", and went on: "By the way, and if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don't know." These comments were interpreted by critics as suggesting violence against Clinton or her appointees, but Trump's campaign stated that he was referring to gun rights advocates' "great political power" as a voting bloc.[530]

Judiciary

According to the New York Times, many of Trump's statements on legal topics are "extemporaneous and resist conventional legal analysis," with some appearing "to betray ignorance of fundamental legal concepts."[34]

Supreme Court

Trump has stated that he wants to replace Antonin Scalia on the U.S. Supreme Court with "a person of similar views and principles".[531] He has released a list of eleven potential picks to replace Scalia.[532] The jurists are widely considered to be conservative.[532][533][534][535] All are white, and eight of the eleven are men.[533] The list includes five out of the eight individuals recommended by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.[536] Trump had previously insisted that he would seek guidance from conservative groups such as the Federalist Society and the Heritage Foundation when it came to picking Supreme Court candidates.[533] Several of the judges listed by Trump have questioned abortion rights.[533] Six of the eleven judges have clerked for conservative Supreme Court justices.[533]

Trump has claimed that he "would probably appoint" justices to the Supreme Court who "would look very seriously" at the Hillary Clinton email controversy "because it's a criminal activity."[537] However, under the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court justices "are neither investigators nor prosecutors."[34]

Trump has criticized Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts, a George W. Bush appointee, as a "nightmare for conservatives," citing Roberts' vote in the 2015 decision in King v. Burwell, which upheld provisions of the Affordable Care Act.[538] He has also blamed Roberts for the June 2015 Supreme Court ruling legalizing same-sex marriage, apparently in error, since in that case Roberts actually dissented from the majority opinion.[539]

In February 2016, Trump called on the Senate to stop Obama from filling the vacant seat on the Supreme Court.[540]

An analysis by FiveThirtyEight shows that, under the assumption that Scalia's vacant seat on the Court will not be filled, and taking account of the advanced age of three of the sitting justices, that a Trump presidency would move the Supreme Court "rightward toward its most conservative position in recent memory".[541]

Capital punishment

Trump has long advocated for capital punishment in the United States.[542] In May 1989, shortly after the Central Park jogger case received widespread media attention, Trump purchased a full-page ad in four New York City newspapers with the title "BRING BACK THE DEATH PENALTY!" Five defendants (the "Central Park Five") were wrongfully convicted in the case and were subsequently exonerated.[542][543][544][545] By October 2016, Trump still maintained that "Central Park Five" were guilty.[546]

In December 2015, in a speech accepting the endorsement of the New England Police Benevolent Association, Trump said that "One of the first things I do [if elected President] in terms of executive order if I win will be to sign a strong, strong statement that will go out to the country, out to the world, that ... anybody killing a police officer—death penalty. It's going to happen, O.K.?"[547][548][549][550] However, under the current U.S. legal system, these prosecutions usually take place in state court under state law, and the president has no authority over such cases.[542][551] Furthermore, 19 states have abolished the death penalty, and mandatory death sentences are unconstitutional, as held by the Supreme Court in Woodson v. North Carolina (1976).[542][551]

Criminal justice

As of May 2016, Trump's campaign website makes no mention of criminal justice reform, and Trump rarely talks specifics.[552][553] Trump has stated that he would be "tough on crime" and criticized Barack Obama's and Hillary Clinton's criminal justice reform proposals.[554] When asked about specific criminal justice reforms, Trump reportedly often changes the subject back to supporting police or vague answers about needing to be "tough."[553] In January 2016, Trump said that along with veterans, "the most mistreated people in this country are police."[555]

Trump supports the use of "stop and frisk" tactics, of the kind once used in New York City.[556][557] In 2000, Trump also rejected as elitist and naive the arguments of criminal justice reformers that the U.S. criminal justice system puts too many criminals in jail.[552] Trump is in favor of at least one mandatory sentence, where using a gun to commit a crime results in a five-year sentence.[553][558]

Trump has on several occasions asserted that crime is rising in the United States.[552][559][560][561][562][563] Trump's assertion that crime is rising is false; in fact, both violent crime and property crime have been consistently declining in the U.S. since the early 1990s.[564] Trump's claim that "inner-city crime is reaching record levels" received a "pants-on-fire" rating from PolitiFact.[560]

In May 2016, Trump stated that the cities of Oakland and Ferguson are "among the most dangerous in the world".[565] In response, CBS News in San Francisco reported that the murder rates in Oakland and Baghdad are comparable,[566] but PolitiFact rated Trump's claim false given that "homicide rates alone are not enough to gauge whether a city is dangerous or not".[567]

On November 22, 2015, Trump retweeted a graphic with purported statisticscited to a nonexistent "Crime Statistics Bureau"which claimed that African Americans were responsible for 81% of the homicides of White Americans and that police were responsible for 1% of black homicides compared to 4% of white homicides. Trump's retweet earned PolitiFact's "Pants on Fire" rating and was called "grossly inaccurate" by FactCheck.org the next day.[568][569] Blacks were actually responsible for only 15% of white homicides according to FBI data for 2014.[568] The breakdown of the racial differences in police killings in Trump's retweet was also inaccurate. Based on the percentages, the number of whites killed by police would be almost 4 times greater than the number of blacks. Data from the Washington Post for 2009 to 2013 showed a ratio of 1.5 white deaths by police for each black death.[568] A separate estimate by Peter Moskos, associate professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice attributed 10% of white homicides to police and 4% to police for blacks.[569] When asked about the statistics, Trump maintained that the statistics came "from sources that are very credible."[569]

Drug policy

Trump's views on drug policy have shifted dramatically over time.[570]

At a luncheon hosted by the Miami Herald in April 1990, Trump told a crowd of 700 people that U.S. drug enforcement policy was a "a joke," and that: "We're losing badly the war on drugs. You have to legalize drugs to win that war. You have to take the profit away from these drug czars."[571][572]

In his campaign for the presidency in 2015 and 2016, however, Trump adopted "drug warrior" positions[571] and has sought advice on the issue from William J. Bennett, who served as the U.S. first "drug czar" in the 1980s "and has remained a proponent of harsh 1980s-style drug war tactics."[573] Trump told Sean Hannity in June 2015 that he opposes marijuana legalization and that "I feel strongly about that."[571] Trump also claims to have personally never used controlled substances of any kind.[571]

Trump has voiced support for medical marijuana,[571] saying that he is "a hundred percent in favor" because "I know people that have serious problems... and... it really, really does help them."[574] When asked about Colorado (where recreational use of marijuana is legal), Trump softened his previously expressed views and essentially said that states should be able to decide on whether marijuana for recreational purposes should be legal.[571][575]

Video game violence

Trump has voiced his opposition to video game violence. After it was reported that the Sandy Hook shooter frequently played violent video games, Trump tweeted, "Video game violence & glorification must be stopped—it is creating monsters!"[576][577]

Term limits and ethics regulations

In October 2016, Trump said that he would push for a constitutional amendment to impose term limits on members of Congress, so that members of the House of Representatives could serve for a maximum of six years and Senators for a maximum of twelve years. Trump also pledged to re-institute a ban on executive branch officials from lobbying for five years after leaving government service and said that he supported Congress instituting a similar five-year lobbying ban of its own, applicable to former members and staff.[578][579][580][581] Under current "cooling-off period" regulations, former U.S. Representatives are required to wait one year before they can lobby Congress, former U.S. Senators are required to two years, and former executive-branch officials "must wait either two years or one year before lobbying their former agency, depending on how senior they were."[581]

Science and technology

See also Climate change and pollution, above.

A 2016 report in Scientific American graded Trump and three other top presidential candidatesHillary Clinton, Gary Johnson, and Jill Steinon science policy, based on their responses to a twenty-question ScienceDebate.org survey. Trump "came in last on all counts" in grading, with scientists and researchers faulting him for a lack of knowledge or appreciation of scientific issues.[582]

Space

As of October 2016, one of Trump's policy advisors declared that, under Trump, NASA would recreate National Space Council, pursue a goal of “human exploration of the solar system by the end of the century,” to drive technology developments to a stronger degree than a manned mission to Mars. Other goals would include shifting budget to deep space exploration from Earth science and climate research, pursuit of small satellites and hypersonic technology.[583] A possibility of China joining International Space Station is also considered.[583] A stronger role of manned Lunar exploration is possible in NASA's quest for a manned mission to Mars.[583] Prior to that statement, the Trump campaign appeared to have little to no space policy at all.[584]

Technology and net neutrality

As of June 2016, Trump has published no tech policy proposals.[585] On the campaign trail, Trump has frequently antagonized Silicon Valley figures,[586] using his Twitter account to lambast tech leaders such as Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Tim Cook of Apple, and Brian Chesky of Airbnb over a series of months.[585] He is particularly concerned about the social breakdown of American culture caused by technology, and said, "the Internet and the whole computer age is really a mixed bag."[587][588]

Trump is opposed to net neutrality, asserting that it is "Obama's attack on the internet" and saying that it "will target the conservative media."[589]

The tech publication Recode reports that Trump has made no public statements on the issues of patent reform or broadband access.[586]

The Free Press Action Fund, a group of tech policy activists, rated Trump the worst 2016 presidential candidate for "citizens' digital lives," citing his positions opposing reforming the Patriot Act, favoring Internet censorship, and opposing net neutrality.[590]

Public health

Ebola

In 2014, after a New York physician returned from treating Ebola patients in West Africa and showed symptoms of the disease, Trump tweeted that if the doctor had Ebola, "Obama should apologize to the American people & resign!"[591] When the doctor was later confirmed to have developed ebola in New York, Trump tweeted that it was "Obama's fault" and "I have been saying for weeks for President Obama to stop the flights from West Africa. So simple, but he refused. A TOTAL incompetent!"[592] Trump also criticized President Obama's decision to send 3,000 U.S. troops to affected regions to help combat the outbreak (see Operation United Assistance).[593]

As Dr. Kent Brantly returned to the U.S. for treatment, Trump tweeted that U.S. doctors who went abroad to treat Ebola were "great" but "must suffer the consequences" if they became infected and insisted that "the U.S. must immediately stop all flights from EBOLA infected countries or the plague will start and spread inside our 'borders.'"[594] When an Ebola patient was scheduled to come to the U.S. for treatment, Trump tweeted, "now I know for sure that our leaders are incompetent. KEEP THEM OUT OF HERE!"[595]

Trump's suggestion on the Ebola crisis "would go against all the expert advice being offered," with doctors warning "that isolating West Africa would only make the Ebola outbreak much worse, potentially denying help and supplies from getting in," and possibly destabilizing the countries and contributing to the disease's spread outside West Africa.[593]

Zika

On August 3, 2016, Trump called the Zika virus outbreak in Florida "a big problem".[596] He expressed his support for Florida Governor Rick Scott's handling of the crisis, saying that he's "doing a fantastic job".[596] When asked if Congress should convene an emergency session to approve Zika funding, Trump answered, "I would say that it's up to Rick Scott."[596] On August 11, 2016, Trump said that he was in favor of Congress setting aside money to combat the Zika virus.[597]

Vaccines

Trump believes that childhood vaccinations are related to autism, a hypothesis which has been repeatedly debunked.[598][599] The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Autism Speaks patient-advocacy group have "decried Trump's remarks as false and potentially dangerous."[599]

In 2010, the Donald J. Trump Foundation donated $10,000 to Generation Rescue, Jenny McCarthy's nonprofit organization that advocates the incorrect view that autism and related disorders are primarily caused by vaccines.[600]

Environmental and energy policy

Trump has not released plans to combat climate change or how he would approach energy issues.[601]

In May 2016, Trump asked U.S. Representative Kevin Cramer, Republican of North Dakotadescribed by Reuters as "one of America's most ardent drilling advocates and climate change skeptics"to draft Trump's energy policy.[602][603]

According to Reuters, four sources close to Trump's campaign say that Trump is considering nominating Oklahoma oil and gas mogul Harold Hamm as energy secretary if elected President.[603] According to Reuters, Hamm would be the first-ever U.S. Secretary of Energy "drawn directly from the oil and gas industry."[603] Hamm has called for expanded drilling, criticized environmental regulations for limiting oil production, and called for less dependence on Middle Eastern oil producers.[603]

California drought

On May 2016, Trump said that he could solve the water crisis in California.[604] He declared that "there is no drought," a statement which the Associated Press noted is incorrect.[604] Trump accused California state officials of denying farmers of water so they can send it out to sea "to protect a certain kind of three-inch fish."[604] According to the AP, Trump appeared to be referring to a dispute between Central Valley farming interests and environmental interests; California farmers accuse water authorities of short-changing them of the water in their efforts to protect endangered native fish species.[604]

Climate change and pollution

Trump rejects the scientific consensus on climate change,[605][606][607] repeatedly contending that global warming is a "hoax."[385][608] He has said that "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive," a statement which Trump later said was a joke.[609] Trump criticized President Obama's description of climate change as "the greatest threat to future generations" for being "naive" and "one of the dumbest statements I've ever heard."[610][611] According to a report by the Sierra Club, Trump would, if elected President, be the only head of state in the world to contend that climate change is a hoax.[612]

Although "not a believer in climate change," Trump has stated that "clean air is a pressing problem" and has said: "There is still much that needs to be investigated in the field of climate change. Perhaps the best use of our limited financial resources should be in dealing with making sure that every person in the world has clean water."[613]

In May 2016, during his presidential campaign, Trump issued an energy plan focused on promoting fossil fuels and weakening environmental regulation.[605] Trump promised to "rescind" in his first 100 days in office a variety of Environmental Protection Agency regulations established during the Obama administration to limit carbon emissions from coal-fired power plants, which contribute to a warming global climate.[605] Trump has specifically pledged to revoke the Climate Action Plan and the Waters of the United States rule, which he characterizes as two "job-destroying Obama executive actions."[614]

Trump has said "we're practically not allowed to use coal any more," a statement rated "mostly false" by PolitiFact.[615] Trump has criticized the Obama administration's coal policies, describing the administration's moves to phase out the use of coal-fired power plants are "stupid."[605] Trump has criticized the Obama administration for prohibiting "coal production on federal land" and states that it seeks to adopt "draconian climate rules that, unless stopped, would effectively bypass Congress to impose job-killing cap-and-trade."[614] Trump has vowed to revive the U.S. coal economy, a pledge that is viewed by experts as unlikely to be fulfilled because the decline of the coal industry is driven by market forces, and specifically by the U.S. natural gas boom.[605] An analysis by Scientific American found that Trump's promise to bring back closed coal mines would be difficult to fulfill, both because of environmental regulations and economic shifts.[616]

Trump wrote in his 2011 book that he opposed a cap-and-trade system to control carbon emissions.[617]

According to FactCheck.org, over at least a five-year period, Trump has on several occasions made incorrect claims about the use of hair spray and its role in ozone depletion. At a rally in May 2016, "Trump implied that the regulations on hairspray and coal mining are both unwarranted" and incorrectly asserted that hairspray use in a "sealed" apartment prevents the spray's ozone-depleting substances from reaching the atmosphere.[618]

Opposition to international cooperation on climate change

Trump pledged in his May 2016 speech on energy policy to "cancel the Paris climate agreement"[605] adopted at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (in which 170 countries committed to reductions in carbon emissions).[138][605] Trump pledged to cancel the agreement in his first hundred days in office.[614][619] This pledge followed earlier comments by Trump, in which he said that as president, he would "at a minimum" seek to renegotiate the agreement and "at a maximum I may do something else."[620] Trump characterizes the Paris Agreement "one-sided" and "bad for the United States,"[620] believing that the agreement is too favorable to China and other countries.[138] In his May 2016 speech, Trump inaccurately said that the Paris Agreement "gives foreign bureaucrats control over how much energy we use on our land, in our country"; in fact, the Paris Agreement is based on voluntary government pledges, and no country controls the emissions-reduction plan of any other country.[605]

Once the agreement is ratified by 55 nations representing 55 percent of global emissions (which has not yet occurred), a four-year waiting period goes into effect for any country wishing to withdraw from the agreement.[605] A U.S. move to withdraw from the Paris Agreement as Trump proposes is viewed as likely to unravel the agreement;[605] according to Reuters, such a move would spell "potential doom for an agreement many view as a last chance to turn the tide on global warming."[620]

In Trump's May 2016 speech on energy policy, he declared that if elected president, he would "stop all payment of U.S. tax dollars to global warming programs."[605] This would be a reversal of the U.S. pledge to commit funds to developing countries to assist in climate change mitigation and could undermine the willingness of other countries to take action against climate change.[605]

In August 2016, 375 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, including 30 Nobel laureates, issued an open letter warning that Trump's plan to unilaterally withdraw from the Paris Agreement would have dire effects on the fight against climate change.[621][622] The scientists wrote, in part:

[I]t is of great concern that the Republican nominee for President has advocated U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Accord. A "Parexit" would send a clear signal to the rest of the world: "The United States does not care about the global problem of human-caused climate change. You are on your own." Such a decision would make it far more difficult to develop effective global strategies for mitigating and adapting to climate change. The consequences of opting out of the global community would be severe and long-lasting – for our planet's climate and for the international credibility of the United States.[622]

Energy policy

In his May 2016 speech on energy policy, Trump stated : "Under my presidency, we will accomplish complete American energy independence. We will become totally independent of the need to import energy from the oil cartel or any nation hostile to our interest."[605] The New York Times reported that "experts say that such remarks display a basic ignorance of the workings of the global oil markets."[605]

Environmental regulation

In January 2016, Trump vowed "tremendous cutting" of the budget for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency if elected.[72] In an October 2015 interview with Chris Wallace, Trump explained, "what they do is a disgrace. Every week they come out with new regulations."[623] When Wallace asked, "Who's going to protect the environment?", Trump answered "we'll be fine with the environment. We can leave a little bit, but you can't destroy businesses."[623]

Trump has charged that the "U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service abuses the Endangered Species Act to restrict oil and gas exploration."[614] In 2011, Trump said that would permit drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in northeastern Alaska.[624]

In July 2016, Trump suggested that he was in favor of state and local bans on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), saying, "I’m in favor of fracking, but I think that voters should have a big say in it. I mean, there's some areas, maybe, they don’t want to have fracking. And I think if the voters are voting for it, that's up to them... if a municipality or a state wants to ban fracking, I can understand that."[625][626]

Keystone XL pipeline

Main article: Keystone Pipeline

Trump has promised to construct the Keystone XL pipeline, a proposed project to bring Canadian petroleum to the U.S.[605] Trump pledged that if elected, he would ask TransCanada Corp. to renew its permit application for the project within his first hundred days in office.[614] Trump has claimed that Keystone XL pipeline will have "no impact on environment" and create "lots of jobs for U.S."[627]

Dakota Access Pipeline

Trump has financial ties to Energy Transfer Partners and Phillips 66 who are both directly involved in the controversial project. The CEO of Energy Transfer Partners is a campaign donor for Donald Trump.[628]

Renewable energy

In his 2015 book Crippled America, Trump is highly critical of the "big push" to develop renewable energy, arguing that the push is based on a mistaken belief that greenhouse gases contribute to climate change.[629] He writes, "There has been a big push to develop alternative forms of energy--so-called green energy--from renewable sources. That's a big mistake. To begin with, the whole push for renewable energy is being driven by the wrong motivation, the mistaken belief that global climate change is being caused by carbon emissions. If you don't buy that—and I don't—then what we have is really just an expensive way of making the tree-huggers feel good about themselves."[629]

Despite criticizing wind farms in the past (calling them "ugly"), Trump has said that he does not oppose the wind production tax credit, saying: "I'm okay with subsidies, to an extent."[630] Trump has criticized wind energy for being expensive and for not working without "massive subsidies".[631] He added, "windmills are killing hundreds and hundreds of eagles. One of the most beautiful, one of the most treasured birds — and they're killing them by the hundreds and nothing happens,"[631] a claim rated as "mostly false" by PolitiFact since best estimates indicate that about one hundred golden eagles are killed each year by wind turbine blades.[632]

In his official platform, Trump claims that he will reduce bureaucracy which would then lead to greater innovation.[614] His platform mentions "renewable energies", including "nuclear, wind and solar energy" in that regard but adds that he would not support those "to the exclusion of other energy".[614]

Trump supports a higher ethanol mandate (the amount of ethanol required by federal regulation to be blended into the U.S. gasoline supply).[633] Trump vowed to protect the government’s Renewable Fuel Standard and the corn-based ethanol.[634]

Wildlife conservation

In October 2016, the Humane Society denounced Trump's campaign, saying that a "Trump presidency would be a threat to animals everywhere" and that he has "a team of advisors and financial supporters tied in with trophy hunting, puppy mills, factory farming, horse slaughter, and other abusive industries"[635]

Defense and foreign policy

Overview

In a New York Times interview in July 2016, Trump "repeatedly defined American global interests almost purely in economic terms," with the nation's "roles as a peacekeeper, as a provider of a nuclear deterrent against adversaries like North Korea, as an advocate of human rights and as a guarantor of allies' borders" being "quickly reduced to questions of economic benefit to the United States."[636]

Trump unveiled a list of foreign policy advisors in April 2016: Joseph E. Schmitz, Walid Phares, J. Keith Kellogg Jr., Carter Page,[637] Bert Mizusawa, Gary Harrell, Chuck Kubic and George Papadopoulos.[638][639] Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn is also a Trump foreign policy advisor (and was reportedly on Trump's shortlist for running mate).[640][641][642] Politico noted that several of those cited on the list "are complete unknowns; others have mixed reputations among GOP national security pros."[643] According to Duke political science professor Peter Feaver, the list "looks more like an ad hoc coalition of the willing than any deliberate effort to reflect a particular candidate's vision of America's role in the world."[644] After it was reported that Carter Page was being investigated for allegedly meeting with Kremlin officials over the summer of 2016, a Trump campaign spokesman denied that Page had ever been part of the campaign, except as an “informal adviser”.[645]

Two of the advisors on the list "view Islamic Sharia law within the U.S. as a dire threat — even though many conservatives consider the issue a fringe obsession."[643] One of the advisors "has accused the State Department's top official for Ukraine and Russia, Victoria Nuland, of "fomenting" the 2014 revolution that overthrew Ukraine's government."[643] According to a former colleague, Flynn has argued for a more aggressive approach to U.S. interests around the world.[640][641] A review of Flynn's book The Field of Fight by Will McCants of the Brookings Institution describes Flynn's vision as a combination of neoconservatism (his insistence on destroying what he sees an alliance of tyranny, dictatorships, and radical Islamist regimes) and realism (support for working with "friendly tyrants").[646] However, like Trump, Flynn has been a critic of the U.S.'s military involvement in Iraq[647] and Libya[648] as well as its support for the Syrian opposition, and has advocated for closer ties with Russia.[649] Flynn has said that Trump's strategic approach is to "start really, really high and really, really hard, OK? And then, be prepared to get down to where you think you can actually negotiate." Flynn also disputed the notion that Trump would order the military to kill the families of terrorists and complimented Trump's ability to surround himself with good people.[641]

Previously when asked about who he was consulting with on foreign policy during an interview on MSNBC's Morning Joe, Trump responded with "I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I've said a lot of things".[650] Some of Trump's foreign policy ideas have been met with opposition by the GOP foreign policy establishment.[651] The Economist Intelligence Unit placed a Trump victory in the presidential election fifth in their list of ten global risks for 2016, citing his foreign policy positions which increase the risk of trade war, him being used as a potent recruitment tool for jihadi group and weakened efforts to contain Russia's expansionist tendencies.[652]

U.S. military and defense spending

Trump stated in a December 2015 Republican primary debate that "Our military is a disaster," and in a July 2016 radio appearance described the U.S. military as "depleted and in horrible shape."[653][654]

In July 2016, retired U.S. Marine Corps General John R. Allen, who supports Trump's opponent Hillary Clinton gave a forceful speech against Trump at the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[655] Trump responded by calling the four-star military leader "a failed general" and saying that he had never met him.[656][657]

Trump has stated on a number of occasions that if elected president, he "would increase [spending] on the military."[658] Trump claims that the U.S. military will be "funded beautifully" if elected President.[659] While Trump has not offered specifics on defense spending under a Trump presidency, he has repeatedly called for a U.S. military buildup and has criticized President Obama's military spending strategy.[660][661][662] Trump has criticized the decline in the numbers of active-duty armed forces, Navy ships and Air Force planes since the end of the Cold War.[660] Trump has pledged to rein in wasteful spending in the military.[661]

In an interview with Fox News in June 2015, Trump claimed: "There's nobody bigger or better at the military than I am."[663] In an interview with the Washington Post, Trump said that he would not reveal his military plans for fear of informing the enemy: "I don't want them to know what I'm thinking, does that make sense? I want people to be guessing ... I don't want people to figure it out. I don't want people to know what my plan is. I have plans. I have plans! But I don't want to do it."[664]

Diplomacy and U.S. allies

Trump has stated his intention to provide presidential leadership with strong diplomacy to restore "respect" for the United States around the world and he supports a robust national defense.[152][267][665] In an interview with O'Reilly, Trump claimed that he had a proven record in negotiating with foreign countries. "I've made a fortune with foreign countries."[663]

Trump has stated, "We Americans are laughed at around the world for losing a hundred and fifty billion dollars year after year, for defending wealthy nations for nothing, nations that would be wiped off the face of the earth in about 15 minutes if it weren’t for us. Our ‘allies’ are making billions screwing us."[666] Trump has called for allied countries, including Germany, Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea to pay the United States for helping protect their nations.[667][668][669][670]

Action against terrorists' families

In an interview, Trump stated "You have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. ... When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families." When pressed on what "take out" meant, Trump said the U.S. should "wipe out their homes" and "where they came from."[671] The intentional targeting of non-combatants is a violation of the Geneva Convention and other aspects of the international law of war.[672]

Middle East and Africa

Afghanistan

On October 6, 2015, Trump stated that the United States "made a terrible mistake getting involved [in Afghanistan] in the first place."[673] When asked again about Afghanistan on October 20, 2015, Trump reversed his position, claiming to have never characterized U.S. entry into Afghanistan as a mistake.[673] Trump stated that the Afghanistan War was necessary and that he supported keeping a limited number of troops there.[673]

Egypt

On February 10, 2011, the day prior to the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak, Trump stated that he had no sympathy for Mubarak and expressed optimism that events in Egypt will not affect the world economy.[674] At the time, Trump offered neither criticism nor praise for how President Obama dealt with the Egyptian crisis, saying it was out of Obama's hands.[674] Later, in August 2011, Trump criticized the Obama administration for not helping former Mubarak keep power, citing Mubarak's positive relationship with Israel and the negative effect that Mubarak's removal would have on other allies' faith in the United States.[675][676] In 2012, Trump reiterated his criticisms of the Obama administration's handling of Mubarak and asserted that "Egypt is now our enemy" and that "Israel is in trouble."[677]

In September 2016, Trump described the President of Egypt, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as a "fantastic guy", praising his handling of the Egyptian coup d’etat of 2013 that removed former President Mohamed Morsi from power.[678] Trump said that there was a "good feeling between [them]".[678]

Iran

In June 2016, Trump maintained that "Iran is now the dominant Islamic power in the Middle East and on the road to nuclear weapons."[254] Trump opposes the international nuclear agreement with Iran (negotiated with the U.S. and five other world powers) that was made in 2015, calling it "terrible" and saying that the Obama administration negotiated the agreement "from desperation."[679] Trump has claimed that he has "studied this issue in great detail... actually greater by far than anybody else."[680] Trump opposed the sanctions relief in the agreement, saying: "we're giving them billions of dollars in this deal, which we shouldn't have given them. We should have kept the money."[679] Trump has claimed that the U.S. gives Iran $150 billion as part of the Iran deal, a statement rated false by FactCheck.org.[681] FactCheck.org notes that the Iranian assets that were unfrozen as part of the deal were held mostly by banks and other financial institutions outside the U.S. and that the value of the assets is estimated to be between $25 billion and $56 billion.[681] Trump has claimed that "when those restrictions expire (in the Iran nuclear deal), Iran will have an industrial-size military nuclear capability ready to go," a statement rated "false" by PolitiFact.[680] Trump was critical of State Department officials as they negotiated the Iran deal, saying that "It's a one-day deal. This whole thing should have taken a day."[682]

In July 2015, when explaining his opposition to the Iran agreement, Trump cited four American prisoners being held prisoner in the country.[679] When the four prisoners were released in January 2016, after the agreement went into effect, Trump claimed credit for the release, an assertion that was termed "dubious" by CBS News.[683]

In August 2015, Trump had said that despite opposing the content of the deal, he would attempt to enforce it rather than abrogate it.[684] In a speech to AIPAC in March 2016, however, Trump said that his "number-one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran."[685] In July 2016, Trump foreign policy adviser Walid Phares claimed Trump would not "get rid of" the Iran deal and instead seek to "renegotiate" it.[686]

In September 2015, Trump told CNN that he believed the agreement would compel the U.S. to side with Iran in the event of war: "There's something in the Iran deal that people I don't think really understand or know about, and nobody's able to explain it, that if somebody attacks Iran, we have to come to their defense. So if Israel attacks Iran, according to that deal, I believe the way it reads [...] that we have to fight with Iran against Israel."[687] Trump's statement is based on his interpretation of a provision in the agreement that "the U.S. and other partners are prepared, as appropriate, to cooperate with training to strengthen Iran's ability to protect against and respond to nuclear security threats, including sabotage." PolitiFact rated Trump's statement "false" and the Obama administration disagrees with Trump's interpretation.[688]

During an interview with Bill O'Reilly, Trump was asked whether he would negotiate a new deal with Iran. Trump responded that, with the current deal, "Iran is doing nuclear. They're going nuclear." He would "put on the sanctions big league. I'd double and triple up the sanctions and make a deal from strength."[663] According to Trump, nuclear weapons, not global warming, is the world's biggest problem.[663] Trump said that any deal with Iran should stipulate that inspectors have 24-hour-a-day access immediately to all nuclear sites and made reference to U.S. nationals imprisoned the country.[679]

In the September 2016 Presidential Debate, Trump said that the Iran deal should have contained provisions that Iran "do something with respect to North Korea. And they should have done something with respect to Yemen and all these other places."[689]

In October 2016, it was reported that despite Trump's denouncement of Iran as a "big enemy" and assertions that donations from foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation charity amounted to evidence of corruption, the Trump Organization did business with one of Iran’s largest state-controlled banks from 1998 to 2003.[690] The Trump Organization kept the bank on as a tenant for four more years after the U.S. Treasury Department designated the bank in 1999 as being controlled by the Iranian government.[690] U.S. authorities also alleged that the bank had been used between 2002 and 2006 to funnel money to a unit of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard that has sponsored terrorist attacks — a period that overlapped with the time the bank rented office space from Trump.[690]

Syrian Civil War, Iraq and ISIL

Trump's positions on defeating ISIL have frequently changed throughout his presidential campaign.[15] Trump has claimed that he would "bomb the hell" out of Iraqi oil fields controlled by ISIL.[663][691] In the aftermath of the November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, which were committed by ISIL, Trump reiterated his statements about ISIL from November 12, 2015, when he stated he would "bomb the shit out of 'em"[692] and said "I'd blow up the [oil] pipes, I'd blow up the refineries, and you know what, you'll get Exxon to come in there in two months... and I'd take the oil."[693] Trump said in an interview with Anderson Cooper "There is no Iraq. Their leaders are corrupt."[692] In 2015 when asked how he would deal with Iraq's condemnation of strikes on their oil fields, Trump replied that Iraq is a corrupt country that is not deserving of his respect.[663] Trump said that to combat ISIL, he would "I would find you a proper general. I would find a Patton or a McArthur. I would hit them so hard your head would spin."[663]

Trump's first post-announcement interview on June 17, 2015, was with Bill O'Reilly on The O'Reilly Factor.[663] One of several issues he highlighted was his proposed strategy in dealing with the Syrian Civil War.[663] In the interview, Trump stated: "Iran and Russia are protecting Syria and it's sort of amazing that we're in there fighting ISIS in Syria so we're helping the head of Syria [Bashar al-Assad] who is not supposed to be our friend although he looks a lot better than some of our so-called friends."[663] Instead of fighting ISIL in Syria, Trump suggested "maybe Syria should be a free zone for ISIS, let them fight and then you pick up the remnants."[663]

In a Republican primary debate in November 2015, Trump said he "got to know [Vladimir Putin] very well because we were both on '60 Minutes', we were stable mates, we did well that night." Trump said he approved of Russia's intervention in Syria, stating: "If Putin wants to knock the hell out of ISIS, I'm all for it 100 percent and I can't understand how anybody would be against that ... He's going in and we can go in and everybody should go in."[694] During his speech at the Oklahoma State Fair, Trump accused his opponents of wanting to "start World War III over Syria."[664]

Trump stated in November 2015, "I know more about ISIS than the generals do. Believe me."[695]

When asked in the March 11 CNN debate if he would send ground troops to fight ISIL, Trump answered, "We really have no choice. We have to knock out ISIS."[696] When pressed on specific numbers, Trump answered, "I would listen to the generals, but I'm hearing numbers of 20,000 to 30,000. We have to knock them out fast."[696] Later that month, he retracted that statement, saying that he would "never ever" deploy 20,000 to 30,000 U.S. troops to combat ISIL.[697] In June 2016, Trump stated that he "[likes] the idea of using NATO and also neighbors that aren’t in NATO" to "take [ISIL] out" and that "it's very possible that we should use NATO" to fight ISIL.[698]

In an interview, Trump stated "You have to take out their families, when you get these terrorists, you have to take out their families. ... When they say they don't care about their lives, you have to take out their families." When pressed on what "take out" meant, Trump said the U.S. should "wipe out their homes" and "where they came from."[671] The intentional targeting of non-combatants is a violation of the Geneva Convention and other aspects of the international law of war.[672] Jonathan Russell, head of policy for the anti-radicalization think tank Quilliam, warned that Trump's "anti-Muslim rhetoric" helps ISIL's narrative, saying "Trump will contribute to Islamist radicalization as his comments will make Muslims feel unwelcome in America. This grievance will fuel their identity crisis, which when combined are a potent combination for the vulnerability that ISIS is so adept at exploiting with their Islamist narrative."[699]

During his presidential campaign, Trump has repeatedly criticized the battle to liberate Mosul from ISIL control, saying that U.S. is "not going to benefit" from dislodging ISIL from the Iraqi city. Trump has repeatedly asserted that U.S. and Iraqi military leaders should used "the element of surprise" to attack Mosul rather than announcing plans beforehand and said that U.S. military planners were "a group of losers" for not doing so.[700][701] U.S. military officials "strongly rebuked" Trump's comments, noting that "it is nearly impossible to move tens of thousands of troops into position without alerting the enemy" and that it was vital to warn civilians of impending military action.[700]

Accusations regarding Obama administration's role

In the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting (June 2016), Trump accused the Obama administration has actively "supported" the Islamic extremist group that became ISIL, an assertion rated "Pants on Fire" by PolitiFact (which quoted experts describing the claim as a "transparently fallacious conspiracy theory") and given "Four Pinocchios" by the Washington Post fact-checker (which described it as a "bizarre claim").[702][703]

In August 2016, Trump repeatedly and falsely asserted that President Obama was the "founder" of ISIL.[704][705][706] In an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt, Trump responded to Hewitt's attempt to reframe Trump's comment as one that said Obama's foreign policy created the conditions in Iraq and Syria that allowed ISIL to thrive, by saying "No, I meant he's the founder of ISIS. I do....He was the founder. The way he got out of Iraq — that was the founding of ISIS, OK?"[703][707][lower-alpha 1] The Associated Press noted that the claim is "patently false," ISIL expert Joby Warrick referred to it as a "ludicrous claim,"[704] and PolitiFact rated the claim as "Pants on Fire" false, calling it "ridiculous."[706] ISIL in fact predates the Obama presidency,[704][706] with roots beginning in 2004.[706] Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul wrote that Trump's accusation that the U.S. created ISIL "echoes exactly a myth propagated by Russian state-controlled media and bloggers."[707]

Two days after Trump said that Obama had founded ISIL, and a day after he insisted that he meant what he said, Trump claimed that he was being sarcastic.[708] Later that day, Trump muddied his meaning, saying both that he was "being sarcastic. But not that sarcastic, to be honest with you."[709]

Turkey

Regarding the 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, Trump said in a July 2016 interview, "I give great credit to [Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] for being able to turn that around."[636] When asked if Erdoğan was exploiting the coup attempt to purge his political enemies, Trump did not call for the Turkish leader to observe the rule of law, or offer other cautions for restraint. He said that the U.S. had to "fix our own mess" before trying to change the behavior of other countries.[636]

Trump stated in the July 2016 interview that he believed he could persuade Erdoğan to step up efforts against ISIL.[636] When asked how he would solve the problem of Turkish attacks on Kurds who are fighting ISIL, Trump said "Meetings."[636]

Iraq War

On September 11, 2002, when asked by radio talk-show host Howard Stern if he supported an invasion of Iraq, Trump responded, "Yeah, I guess so. I wish the first time it was done correctly."[710][711][712] In a January 28, 2003 interview with Neil Cavuto, on the night of President George W. Bush's State of the Union address, Trump said that he expected to hear "a lot of talk about Iraq" and urged Bush to make a decision on Iraq"Either you attack or you don't attack".[713] When asked whether Bush should be more focused on Iraq or the economy, Trump said:

Well, he has either got to do something or not do something, perhaps, because perhaps he shouldn't be doing it yet and perhaps we should be waiting for the United Nations, you know. He's under a lot of pressure. I think he's doing a very good job. But, of course, if you look at the polls, a lot of people are getting a little tired. I think the Iraqi situation is a problem. And I think the economy is a much bigger problem as far as the president is concerned. Well, I'm starting to think that people are much more focused now on the economy. They’re getting a little bit tired of hearing "We're going in, we're not going in." Whatever happened to the days of Douglas MacArthur? Either do it or don't do it.[714][715]

According to a February 2016 statement by Sean Hannity, "I battled him at the time. He did not want us to go to Iraq. He was dead set against it."[716] There are no transcripts or audio to confirm Hannity's claim,[717] and Hannity says that Trump opposed an invasion of Iraq during telephone calls following Hannity's show.[718]

On March 21, 2003, one day into the Iraq War, Trump was interviewed by Fox News' Neil Cavuto. Trump said that the war appeared to be "a tremendous success from a military standpoint", and expressed hope that it would continue to be so.[719] Later that week he publicly called the war a "mess".[720][721] Later, Trump publicly and explicitly criticized the war in an interview published in Esquire in August 2004, sixteen months after the invasion.[722] Trump said: "Look at the war in Iraq and the mess that we're in," criticized the George W. Bush administration's handling of the war, dismissed the idea of Iraq becoming functionally democratic, and predicted that "Two minutes after we leave, there's going to be a revolution, and the meanest, toughest, smartest, most vicious guy will take over. And he'll have weapons of mass destruction, which Saddam didn't have."[722][723]

On the campaign trail in 2015 and 2016, Trump has repeatedly said that he was "against the war from the very beginning."[722][724]

Israel and Israeli–Palestinian conflict

Trump has been critical of the Obama administration's treatment of Israel, stating that "Israel has been totally mistreated."[254]

Israel-related causes

In 2001, Trump lent his personal jet to then-New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani so that the latter could show solidarity for terror victims in Israel, and in 2004 Trump was the grand marshal of the Celebrate Israel Parade in New York.[725] Speaking in 2006, Trump called Israel "a great country" and one of his favorite countries, adding: "I know that you’ve been through a lot recently."[726] Trump released a video endorsing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during the 2013 Israeli elections.[727][728] In February 2015, Trump stated: “We love Israel, we will fight for Israel 100 percent, 1000 percent, it will be there forever."[729][730] Trump has made multi-million dollar donations to the establishment of new settlements to house Israeli families who were evacuated from Gush Katif in 2005, and to house families evacuated from settlements in the Sinai in 1980. As a result, his name is listed on the top of the plaque of the major contributors to the development of Dekel in Southern Israel.[731]

Proposed Muslim ban and cancelled Israel visit

After Trump proposed in December 2015 to temporarily exclude Muslims from travel to the United States, numerous world leaders, including Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu,[732] criticized Trump's proposal - Netanyahu released a statement saying: "The State of Israel respects all religions and strictly guarantees the rights of all its citizens." Several dozen Israeli Knesset members, many of whom are Muslim themselves, signed a petition urging Netanyahu not to meet with Trump later that month;[733] a day later, Trump postponed his visit to Israel until "a later date after I become President of the U.S.",[734] stating that he did not want to put Netanyahu "under pressure".[732]

Settlements

During his presidential campaign, Trump broke with long-standing bipartisan U.S. policy on the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank as a precursor to negotiations with the Palestinians, saying that Israel "have to keep going" and "I don't think there should be a pause."[735] Ynetnews noted: "If elected, Trump's seemingly broad support of settlement development would constitute a dramatic shift in U.S. foreign policy, as both Democratic and Republican U.S. presidents have stated in the past that the settlements are illegal and no further building in them should be allowed."[735]

U.S. aid to Israel

At a press conference in March 2016, Trump said that as president, he would require U.S. allies to pay the U.S. back for the defense spending and foreign aid that the U.S. has spent on their behalf. When specifically asked whether his previously stated stance on charging U.S allies for defense spending would extend to Israel, he replied "I think Israel would do that also. There are many countries that can pay, and they can pay big-league."[736] However, immediately after the press conference, Trump reversed himself on aid to Israel, adding, “They [Israel] help us greatly.”[737]

Israeli-Palestinian peace process

Trump has said that he would not take sides in any Israeli-Palestinian agreement in order to be a neutral negotiator in the peace talks, although he also added that he was "totally pro-Israel."[738] In December 2015, Trump told the Associated Press that an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord would depend very much upon Israel, remarking: "I have a real question as to whether or not both sides want to” come to a peace accord. "A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal — whether or not Israel's willing to sacrifice certain things."[739]

Trump has vowed that as president he will veto a UN imposed Israel-Palestine peace agreement, stating: "When I’m president, believe me, I will veto any attempt by the U.N. to impose its will on the Jewish state. It will be vetoed 100 percent."[740] He added that "The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is absolutely, totally unbreakable."[740]

Trump has criticized the Palestinian Authority for the absence of peace, saying: "the Palestinian Authority has to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. …[and they] have to stop the terror, stop the attacks, stop the teaching of hatred... They have to stop the teaching of children to aspire to grow up as terrorists, which is a real problem. Of course, the recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state is also a major sticking point, with the current Palestinian leadership repeatedly refusing to meet that basic condition."[741]

Capital of Israel

Trump has said on more than one occasion that if elected president he will move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he described as the "eternal capital of the Jewish people."[742][743] In an earlier speech before the Republican Jewish Coalition, Trump had refused to say whether he supports Israel's position that Jerusalem is its undivided capital.[739] Meeting with Netanyahu in September 2016, Trump's statement said "under a Trump administration, [we] will finally accept the long-standing Congressional mandate to recognize Jerusalem as the undivided capital of the State of Israel."[744]

Libya

In 2009, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi rented space through intermediaries on Trump's Seven Springs estate in the suburb of Bedford, New York. (Gaddafi rented Trump's land to camp in a "Bedouin-style" tent while in the U.S. to attend the UN General Assembly.) The situation created controversy when the tents were raised on the property, and Trump forced Gaddafi off the property saying that he was unaware of the arrangement.[745][746][747] In 2011, Trump told Fox News that he had "screwed" Gaddafi on the deal, touting the affair as evidence of foreign-policy experience.[746]

Trump was a strong supporter of the 2011 military intervention in Libya, arguing "fervently" on a number of occasions that U.S. military intervention was necessary to advert humanitarian disaster in Libya and warning that it would be "a major, major black eye for this country [the U.S.]" if it failed to depose Gaddafi.[748][749] In a February 2011 video blog, Trump said: "I can't believe what our country is doing. Qaddafi in Libya is killing thousands of people, nobody knows how bad it is, and we're sitting around we have soldiers all have the Middle East, and we're not bringing them in to stop this horrible carnage ... Now we should go in, we should stop this guy, which would be very easy and very quick."[749] Trump made similar comments in a March 2011 appearance on Piers Morgan Tonight.[749] In 2011, Trump also advocated U.S. seizure of Libyan oil.[750]

While campaigning for the presidency in 2016, Trump reversed his earlier position, stating on several occasions that the U.S. would be "so much better off" or "100% better off" if Gaddafi remained in charge of Libya.[751][752] At a Republican primary debate in February 2016, Trump claimed that he "never discussed" the Libyan intervention at the time it occurred; Politifact noted that this assertion was "patently inaccurate" and gave it its "Pants on Fire" rating.[751] In June 2016, Trump again reversed course, saying on CBS' Face the Nation that he would have supported "surgical" bombing, against Gaddafi in particular.[753]

In May 2016, Trump suggested that the United States should bomb ISIL in Libya.[754]

Saudi Arabia

In December 2015, Trump said that the days of the Saudi Royal Family buying off American politicians will end if he is elected President.[755]

In February 2016, Trump blamed Saudi Arabia for the September 11 attacks, saying: "Who blew up the World Trade Center? It wasn’t the Iraqis, it was Saudi – take a look at Saudi Arabia, open the documents."[756]

Trump has called for Saudi Arabia to pay for the costs of American troops stationed there: "They should pay us. ... The primary reason we're with Saudi Arabia is because we need the oil. Now we don't need the oil so much ...".[757] He has argued that regional allies of the U.S., such as Saudi Arabia should provide troops in the fight against ISIL. Trump said he would halt oil imports from Saudi Arabia unless the Saudi government provide ground troops to defeat ISIL.[758]

In June 2016, Trump demanded that Hillary Clinton should give back donations the Clinton Foundation had accepted from Saudi Arabia. Trump wrote: "Saudi Arabia and many of the countries that gave vast amounts of money to the Clinton Foundation want women as slaves and to kill gays. Hillary must return all money from such countries!"[759]

Asia

China

Regarding the Chinese, Trump stated in 2011, "I don't think they're friends. I think they're enemies."[760] In 2011, Trump stated that he would "send [China] a bill for the value of the secrets that they've stolen," referring to alleged Chinese theft of U.S. stealth technology.[761]

Trump has criticized China's inclusion in the World Trade Organization, alleging that it caused job losses in the United States.[254][762][763] Trump has been critical of Chinese intellectual property theft, alleging that "they [the Chinese] are stealing billions and billions of dollars of our intellectual property."[254]

India

Trump has spoken favorably of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and of closer alliance with India.[764]

North Korea

Trump has "declined to share details of his plans to deal with North Korea"[138] but has said that he would be willing to meet North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un, saying that he would have "no problem" doing so.[138][765] Trump described Kim as a "maniac" but also claimed that Kim deserves "credit" for being able to overcome his rivals in order to succeed his father.[766] Trump has advocated placing greater pressure on China, including through restrictions on trade, to rein in its ally North Korea in the wake of the January 2016 North Korean nuclear test,[767] saying that China has "total control" over North Korea[767] and the U.S. has "tremendous" economic power over China.[765] In the September 2016 Presiential Debate, Trump said, "China should solve that [North Korea] problem for us. China should go into North Korea. China is totally powerful as it relates to North Korea."[768] He also argued that the Iran nuclear deal should have included a component about Iran-North Korea relations.[768]

An editorial in North Korean state media hailed Trump as a "wise politician" and "far-sighted presidential candidate" who could be good for North Korea.[769] The editorial suggested that a statement from Trump that he did not want to get involved in any conflict between North and South Korea was "fortunate from North Koreans' perspective".[769]

Cuba

In September 2016, Trump expressed his opposition to the restoration of full diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba achieved in July 2015.[770] As part of the restoration of full diplomatic relations, the U.S. embargo on Cuba remains in place but a series of regulations have been loosened to allow more U.S. companies to sell their products in Cuba.[770] Trump said that he would only restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba if the Cuban regime met his demands to restore political freedoms and free political prisoners.[770] This is a shift from the position expressed in September 2015 when he said that the opening with Cuba was "fine. But we should have made a better deal."[770]

In February 2016, Trump said that he opposed the Cuban Adjustment Act, which allows any Cuban who reaches U.S. soil to remain in the country legally and apply for residency.[771] Trump said, "I don't think that's fair. I mean, why would that be a fair thing?"[771]

On the first day of his presidential campaign for the 2000 election, Trump held an event in Miami where he vowed to maintain the embargo on Cuba and never spend his or his companies' money in Cuba until Fidel Castro was removed from power.[772] However, according to reporting by Newsweek in September 2016, Trump had conducted business in Cuba in violation of the embargo seven months before his vow.[772] Bloomberg reported in July 2016 that Trump Organization executives and advisers traveled to Havana in late 2012 or early 2013 to explore golf-course developments in Cuba, possibly a violation of the embargo.[773]

European Union

In a July 2016 interview, Trump said of the European Union, "the reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States."[774] U.S. foreign-policy experts such as Strobe Talbott and Amie Kreppel noted that this was incorrect, pointing out that while the EU was established in part to rebuild the European economies after World War II, it was not created specifically to compete with the U.S., and in fact the U.S. sanctioned the EU's creation to foster peace, prevent another catastrophic war, and create a "strong European market to consume American-made goods to help fuel American economic growth."[775]

Germany

Trump has been critical of German chancellor Angela Merkel and her handling of the European migrant crisis, saying "Everyone thought she was a really great leader and now she's turned out to be this catastrophic leader. And she’ll be out if they don’t have a revolution."[776][777]

In July 2016, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stated that he was concerned about what he sees as Trump's contradictory promises to "make America strong again" while simultaneously reducing involvement overseas.[778] Steinmeier said that Trump's proposed policies "would be dangerous not only for the United States, but for Europe and the rest of the world as well".[778]

United Kingdom

In regards to British voters voting to leave the European Union, Trump stated, "I think it's a great thing that happened... Basically they took back their country. That's a good thing."[779] One reason that Trump was enthusiastic about the outcome of the vote was that it lowered the value of the British pound, which was good for business at his golf course in Scotland.[780] Trump had expressed support for the "leave" side during the Brexit campaign.[781][782][783][784] In an interview with Piers Morgan in May 2016, Trump said that UK withdrawal would make no difference to a potential bilateral trade deal between the UK and the United States if he became president: "I am going to treat everybody fairly but it wouldn't make any difference to me whether they were in the EU or not....You would certainly not be back of the queue, that I can tell you."[785]

Trump said in May 2016 that if elected president, he would be unlikely "to have a very good relationship" with then-British Prime Minister David Cameron, citing Cameron's criticism of him.[138][786] Trump subsequently said "I'm sure I'll have a good relationship with him."[138]

At a Trump rally in August 2016, Nigel Farage, a former leader of the UK Independence Party and the Brexit campaign in the UK, compared the support that Trump has received in the U.S. with the movement that led to the vote by the UK to withdraw from the EU.[787]

NATO

In his 2000 book, The America We Deserve, Trump argued that European countries used NATO as a pathway to place the burden of international responsibility on the United States while "their conflicts are not worth American lives. Pulling back from Europe would save this country millions of dollars annually."[788]

In a March 2016 interview with CNN, Trump called for a "rethink" of American involvement in NATO, stating that the United States pays too much to ensure the security of allies, stating that "NATO is costing us a fortune, and yes, we're protecting Europe with NATO, but we're spending a lot of money".[789] Later in the same interview, he stated that the U.S. should not "decrease its role" in NATO but rather should decrease U.S. spending in regards to the organization.[790] In May 2016, based on his previous statements, the Annenberg Public Policy Center's FactCheck.org has assessed that Trump might be willing to leave NATO unless changes are made to the alliance.[791]

In a July 2016 interview, Trump "explicitly raised new questions about his commitment to automatically defend NATO allies," questioning whether he, as president, would automatically extend security guarantees to NATO members.[636] Asked about a prospective Russia attack on NATO's Baltic members, Trump stated that would decide whether to come to their aid only after reviewing whether those nations "have fulfilled their obligations to us."[636] This would represent a sharp break with U.S. foreign traditions.[636][792]

Trump's remarks on NATO alarmed U.S. allies in Europe as well as experts such as Michael McFaul, who stated that "We have had decades of bipartisan commitment to NATO, which has made it the greatest alliance in history. Trump is now threatening that."[793] A number of experts said that Trump's suggested limitations on the collective security (Article 5) provision of the NATO treaty risk unraveling the alliance or making it obsolete.[793]

On September 28, when Trump met with the Polish National Alliance, Trump stated: "As president I will honor Poland’s sacrifices for freedom. We’re committed to a strong Poland, very committed, totally committed, and a strong Eastern Europe as a bulwark for freedom and security." Along with stating: "We want NATO to be strong which means we want more nations to follow the example of Poland."[794]

Russia and Ukraine

Russia

In a July 2016 interview, Trump stated that he would consider recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and lifting sanctions on Russia that were imposed after Russia began aiding self-proclaimed separatist republics in eastern Ukraine seeking to undermine the new, pro-Western Ukrainian government.[795] He added that Russia could help the United States in fighting ISIS terror organization.[796] In another July 2016 interview he added to this "You know the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, and you have to look at that also."[797] Former NSA director and CIA director Michael Hayden denounced Trump's comments as "devoid of facts and divorced from traditional American, traditionally European policy."[798]

Also in July 2016 Trump referred to a recent leak of Democratic National Committee email leaks, thought to be connected to a cyberattack widely thought to have been carried out by Russian intelligence services.[799][800] Trump stated that he hoped Russia had hacked Hillary Clinton's email, saying: "Russia, if you're listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing."[800] The New York Times reported that Trump was "essentially urging a foreign adversary to conduct cyberespionage against a former secretary of state."[800] Trump's comments shocked foreign-policy experts, who stated that it was unprecedented for a U.S. presidential candidate to publicly appeal "to a foreign adversary to intervene in the election on his behalf,"[795] and "caused an uproar from much of the U.S. national-security community."[799] Shortly afterward, Trump walked back his remarks,[801][802] stating on Fox News: "Of course I was being sarcastic."[803] Trump asserted that the Democrats were promoting his comments in a bid to deflect attention from the content of the leaked emails (some of which were "embarrassing to senior DNC officials" because they indicated an aim "to undermine the presidential candidacy of Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont").[799][803]

Trump has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin over a series of years, developing what CNN called a "long-established track record of...fondness for the autocratic Russian leader."[804] In October 2007, Trump told Larry King that Putin was doing a "great job in rebuilding the image of Russia and also rebuilding Russia period."[804] In December 2011, Trump published his book Time to Get Tough, in which he praised Putin's "intelligence" and "non-nonsense" and expressed "respect" for Putin and the Russians.[804] In July 2016, Trump called Putin "a better leader" than U.S. President Barack Obama.[799] In 2013, Trump wondered over Twitter whether Putin would attend the Miss Universe 2013 pageant in Moscow and "become my new best friend."[804] In October 2013, Trump said that Putin was outsmarting the U.S.[804] On multiple occasions in 2015, Trump said that he would get "get along very well" with Putin.[804] Beginning in 2015, Trump also stated of Putin, "I got to know him very well because we were both on 60 Minutes, we were stablemates." Trump repeated the "stablemates" characterization in a number of interviews and rallies, although the two men were interviewed at different times in different countries.[804]

Putin has praised Trump, saying in December 2015: "He is a very bright and talented man, no doubt about that." Trump has repeatedly claimed that Putin has called him a "genius," a mischaracterization based on an incorrect translation;[805] in fact, Putin used the Russian word яркий (yarkii), meaning "bright" in the sense of colorful, vivid, or flamboyant.[806][807] Trump returned the praise (saying "It is always a great honor to be so nicely complimented by a man so highly respected within his own country and beyond") and shrugged off allegations of Putin's alleged assassination of journalists and dissidents by saying that Putin is "running his country and at least he's a leader, unlike what we have in this country. I think our country does plenty of killing also."[804][808]

In response to a question in October 2015 about the Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shootdown and the U.S. intelligence community's "confident" assessment that pro-Russian separatists shot it down, Trump responded, "Putin and Russia say they didn't do it, the other side said they did, no one really knows who did it, probably Putin knows who did it. Possibly it was Russia but they are totally denying it."[809] In the second presidential debate, Trump said that he did not know whether Russia is trying to influence the U.S. presidential election through hacking; he was however personally briefed on Russia's role in the hacks by U.S. officials.[810] In the first presidential debate, Trump pondered that "it could be Russia, but it could also be China"; he had at that time also been briefed about and discussed extensively with US intelligence officials the Russian government's attempts to interfere in the 2016 election.[810]

Rossiya 1 (Russian state TV) has backed Trump, hailing him as an "anti-establishment" candidate who is ready to cooperate with Moscow.[811] Trump has also been praised by RT (formerly Russia Today), a Kremlin-aligned propaganda network.[812] In October 2016, Trump recited a falsified story that may have originated in the Russian government-controlled news agency Sputnik—which "has a reasonably large [U.S.] audience"—at a rally to attack Hillary Clinton; according to Jon Passatino of BuzzFeed, however, "the source of Trump's comments ... may have been a tweet from earlier in the day which included the precise language Trump read" rather than Sputnik.[813][814]

Trump chose the Center for the National Interest, which is viewed as one "of the most Kremlin-sympathetic institutions in the nation's capital," as the venue for his first major foreign-policy speech.[815] In the speech, Trump "made no mention of the threat Russia poses in Europe although he made a vague reference to 'serious differences' with Russia and China."[816]

Trump has argued that a "lack of respect" by the Russians for President Obama encourages the Russians to engage in seemingly hostile air maneuvers against the U.S. in European waters.[817] Trump has stated that the U.S. should open fire on Russian planes if Russia rejects calls to stop the approaches. Secretary of State Kerry has indicated that the U.S. would be within its rights to do so.[817]

Trump criticized former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as not having "a firm enough hand" controlling Russia, mentioning China for effectively handling the situation during the Tiananmen Square massacre, saying: "they were horrible, but they put it down with strength. That shows you the power of strength."[818]

Politico noted that Trump's stance on Russia's involvement in Ukraine softened after his association with several people "sympathetic to Russian influence in Ukraine", including Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, foreign policy advisor Carter Page, who has extensive business ties in Russia, and Henry Kissinger.[819][820] Manafort formerly provided public relations services to Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president of Ukraine who was deposed in the 2014 Ukrainian revolution.[821][822][823] In August 2016, the New York Times reported that Manafort received $12.7 million in undisclosed cash payments from Yanukovych's political party from 2007 to 2012.[824] The Associated Press reported that Manafort secretly routed at least $2.2 million in payments to two prominent Washington lobbying firms in 2012 for Yanukovych's part, and did so in a way that effectively obscured the foreign political party's efforts to influence U.S. policy.[825] Manafort joined Trump's campaign in late March 2016, became campaign chairman in May, took control of Trump's campaign in June (following the firing of campaign chairman Corey Lewandowski), and resigned from the campaign in August, following scrutiny over his Ukraine ties.[826][827] Another Trump foreign policy advisor, retired Lt. General Michael T. Flynn, appeared in a photograph with Putin at a banquet celebrating the RT network.[821][822][823][828] Richard Burt reportedly helped shape Donald Trump's first foreign policy speech; Burt was at the same time working as a lobbyist on behalf of a Moscow-controlled gas company.[829]

Ukraine

At the Conservative Political Action Conference in March 2014, Trump stated that Putin was taking "the heart and soul" of Ukraine because he believed Crimea was "where all the money is" and went on to predict "the rest of Ukraine will fall and it's predicted to fall fairly quickly."[830] Later that month, Trump stated that the Russian takeover of Crimea "should never have happened."[830]

In July 2015 Trump opposed U.S. involvement in the Ukrainian crisis (in a rally in July 2016 he implied that this could have led to World War III[831]), describing Crimea as "Europe's problem."[832] In July 2016, Trump stated that he would "look into" recognizing Crimea as Russian territory.[833] In a subsequent interview in July 2016, Trump claimed that Putin isn't going to go into Ukraine, saying "He's not going into Ukraine, okay, just so you understand. He's not gonna go into Ukraine, all right? You can mark it down."[797] When informed that the Russian military has intervened in Ukraine since 2014, Trump responded, "Okay, well, he's there in a certain way".[797] In the same interview Trump also again stated he would look "look into" recognizing Crimea as Russian territory and added to this "You know the people of Crimea, from what I've heard, would rather be with Russia than where they were, and you have to look at that also."[797]

In August 2015 Trump stated he "did not care" about Ukrainian membership in NATO,[326] saying that both membership and non-membership would be "great."[788]

Speaking to the Yalta European Strategy conference in September 2015, Trump criticized Germany and other European countries for not doing enough to support Ukraine in its conflict with Russia, saying, Ukrainians are "not being treated right."[326] He also claimed that because of Russian President Putin did not respect President Obama Russia had pursued an aggressive policy in Ukraine.[788] In March 2016 Trump again claimed that Germany and other NATO countries "they're not doing anything" while the U.S. was "doing all of the lifting" even though "Ukraine is a country that affects us far less than it affects other countries in Nato".[834]

Nuclear proliferation

Japan and South Korea

Trump has expressed support for South Korea and Japan having nuclear weapons if they would be unwilling to pay the United States for security.[835][836][837][838] He has also deemed it inevitable, "It's going to happen anyway. It's only a question of time. They're going to start having them or we have to get rid of them entirely."[835]

Political scientists Gene Gerzhoy and Nick Miller write that the idea the nuclear proliferation is inevitable and good for the United States flies "in the face of a wide range of recent scholarship."[839] Richard Nephew, a fellow with the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, states: "The prevailing, bipartisan and fairly settled academic judgment has been that the risk of loose nukes or accidental nuclear war means that every additional nuclear weapon is a potential cataclysm waiting to happen. I'm not aware of anyone that I'd deem to be a serious policy proponent or thinker who has seriously advocated this in a while."[840]

When asked in a March 2016 interview with The New York Times whether he would object if Japan and South Korea "got their own nuclear arsenal, given the threat that they face from North Korea and China", Trump said that if the United States could no longer pay for protecting the two states, it could mean that Japan and South Korea would go nuclear.[836] Trump added, "if Japan had that nuclear threat, I’m not sure that would be a bad thing for us."[836] In an interview with Fox News, Trump said that "maybe they would in fact be better off if they defend themselves from North Korea... including with nukes."[837] Referring to a Japan armed with nuclear weapons, Trump said, "the case could be made, that let them protect themselves against North Korea. They’d probably wipe them out pretty quick."[838]

In June 2016, after Hillary Clinton said that Trump had "encouraged" Japan to have nuclear weapons, Trump reversed himself on the issue, saying that he did not favor Japanese acquisition of nuclear weapons and accusing Clinton of misrepresenting his position.[841] PolitiFact reported that Clinton's statement was "mostly true," stating that: "Trump used vague and contradictory language, but it's a fair reading to say his words amounted to encouragement. On more than one occasion, Trump publicly said that Japan, and the United States, might be better off if Japan had nuclear weapons, and he declined multiple attempts by interviewers to backtrack from that view."[840]

Saudi Arabia

In March 2016, Anderson Cooper asked, "Saudi Arabia, nuclear weapons?" Trump answered: "Saudi Arabia, absolutely." Cooper then asked, "You would be fine with them having nuclear weapons?" Trump responded, "No, not nuclear weapons, but they have to protect themselves or they have to pay us."[835]

Pakistan

Trump has been critical of Pakistan, comparing it to North Korea, calling it "probably the most dangerous country" in the world, and claiming that Pakistan's nuclear weapons posed a "serious problem." He has advocated improving relations with India as a supposed "check" to Pakistan.[842]

Other security topics

Internet and computer security

Trump said in a December 2015 rally, "We have to see Bill Gates and a lot of different people that really understand what's happening. We have to talk to them about, maybe in certain areas, closing that Internet up in some ways. Somebody will say, 'Oh freedom of speech, freedom of speech.' These are foolish people."[843][844] In a Republican debate in December 2015, Trump said that the Internet should be shut off to countries that have a majority of their territory controlled by terrorist organizations.[845]

Nuclear weapons

In his announcement speech, Trump said that the U.S.'s control is getting weaker and that its nuclear arsenal is old and does not work, although he appeared to be unfamiliar with the term "nuclear triad" when asked by Hugh Hewitt in a December 2015 debate what specific improvements he would make.[846] Trump's answers in the September 28 debate to Lester Holt's questions were perceived as being ambiguous and confusing "first strike" and "first use".[847][848][849]

When asked in a March 2016 town hall meeting with MSNBC's Chris Matthews whether he would rule out the use of nuclear weapons, Trump answered that the option of using nuclear weapons should never be taken off the table.[850][851][852]

Waterboarding, torture, and interrogation

During 2016, Trump has called for the resumption of waterboarding,[853][854][855][856][857] and has repeatedly expressed support for the use of torture by the U.S. for the purpose of trying to get information from terrorists,[853][854][858] if Congress allows it.[8][858] On one occasion, Trump has called waterboarding "your minimal form of torture";[853] on another occasion he has said, "Nobody knows if it's torture".[859] Whether waterboarding is torture or not, Trump supports broadening the laws to allow waterboarding.[8][858][860] Many experts believe that waterboarding would be illegal without a change in the laws, including a group of foreign policy experts who published a letter in Foreign Policy magazine to that effect in March 2016.[861]

On the effectiveness of torture, Trump has said: "Don't tell me it doesn't work — torture works"[854] and "we have to beat the savages".[858] Trump has also said:

I’d go through a process and get it declassified [as a war crime], certainly waterboarding at a minimum. They're chopping off heads of Christians and many other people in the Middle East....They laugh at us when they hear that we're not going to approve waterboarding ... I have no doubt that it does work in terms of information and other things, and maybe not always, but nothing works always.[856][862]

Moreover, he says, if waterboarding "doesn't work, they deserve it anyway, for what they're doing".[863] Trump's statement that "torture works" runs counter to a 2014 Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture, in which a majority of the committee's members concluded that the CIA's use of enhanced interrogation techniques was "not an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining cooperation from detainees".[864] But, there is strong public support for the proposition that torture can be justified to obtain information about terrorism, and Trump voices that belief.[865] Many people in the CIA favor interrogation that goes beyond the current limitations in the United States Army Field Manuals, and they find it ironic that the U.S. has softened interrogations of terrorists while increasingly killing them by drone strikes, though others in the CIA are unwilling to risk more fallout from coercive interrogations.[866]

At a Republican primary debate in March 2016, when asked whether the U.S. military would obey orders to torture in violation of international law, Trump stated: "Frankly, when I say they'll do as I tell them, they'll do as I tell them".[8] The following day, Trump said that he would "not order military or other officials to violate those laws and will seek their advice on such matters".[8] Several weeks later, Trump called for a change in the law to legalize "the waterboarding thing". Trump referred to those who "came up with this international law" as "eggheads" and said that the current legal limitations were "probably a political decision" rather than based upon military advice.[8][860]

Trump is in favor of sending terrorist suspects to Guantanamo Bay.[597] Trump has said he would like to "load it up with bad dudes."[597]

Edward Snowden

In October 2013, Trump wrote in a Twitter message that NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden "is a spy who should be executedbut if ... he could reveal Obama's records, I might become a major fan."[867] In July 2013, Trump said on Fox & Friends that "I think Snowden is a terrible threat" and suggested that he should be put to death.[868] In 2014, Trump tweeted that "Snowden is bad, done tremendous damage to our country," but that "we have far worse in our government."[869]

During a Republican primary debate in 2016, Trump called Snowden a "total traitor" and "terrible threat" and again called him "a spy."[870][871][872] Snowden responded by saying: "It's very difficult to respond in a serious way to any statement that's made by Donald Trump."[871]

United Nations

In 2005, Trump praised the U.N., saying he was "a big fan, a very big fan, of the United Nations and all it stands for".[873] In March 2016, Trump criticized the United Nations, saying that it was weak, incompetent, and "not a friend of democracy... freedom... the United States... Israel".[873]

Notes

  1. Some Republicans and foreign-policy analysts have faulted President Obama for not keeping 10,000 U.S. troops in Iraq, saying that a larger continued U.S. military presence might have stymied ISIL's rise.[704][706] PolitiFact notes that "Obama inherited a timeline to exit Iraq from Bush, and that did not include an agreement to leave a large force behind" (see U.S.–Iraq Status of Forces Agreement).[706] At the time, Trump favored the rapid withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq, taking this position in 2007.[707] ISIL expert Joby Warrick says the withdrawal of U.S. troops was one factor among many in ISIL's rise, with the turmoil in Syria and the "rampant mismanagement" of the Iraqi government under Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki playing key roles.[706] PolitiFact referred the argument "that Obama's and Clinton's foreign-policy and military decisions helped create a space in which ISIS could operate and expand" as "a credible critique" but notes that "Trump explicitly rejected this formulation, saying he literally means Obama is 'the founder of ISIS' and Clinton is the 'cofounder.'"[706]

References

  1. Amber Phillips (August 8, 2016). "A shortlist of economic issues on which Donald Trump sounds more like a Democrat than a Republican". Washington Post.
  2. Jenna Johnson (May 13, 2016). "Trump: All policy proposals are just flexible suggestions". Washington Post.
  3. 1 2 3 Campaign 2015: The Candidates & the World: Donald Trump on Immigration, Council on Foreign Relations (accessed May 15, 2016).
  4. Keller, Jon. "On The Issues: Building A Wall Along The Mexican Border", Boston Globe (February 2, 2016): "It has become Donald Trump's signature issue: his vow to wall off the Mexican border..."
  5. 1 2 3 "Trump Pence Campaign Policies". October 16, 2016.
  6. "FACT CHECK: Donald Trump's First 100 Days Action Plan". November 10, 2016.
  7. David A. Fahrenthold (August 17, 2015). "20 times Donald Trump has changed his mind since June". Washington Post.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jane C. Timm (March 30, 2016). "'Meet the Press' tracks Trump's flip-flops". NBC News.
  9. Timothy Noah (July 26, 2015). "Will the real Donald Trump please stand up?". Politico.
  10. Chris Cillizza, The massive flip-floppery of Donald Trump, explained in 113 seconds, Washington Post (July 12, 2015).
  11. Michelle Ye Hee, A guide to all of Donald Trump's flip-flops on the minimum wage, Washington Post (August 3, 2016).
  12. Louis Jacobson, Trying to pin down what Donald Trump thinks about abortion, the minimum wage, taxes, and U.S. debt, PolitiFact (May 11, 2016).
  13. Jill Colvin (August 29, 2016). "Suddenly unsure on immigration, Trump trying to clear it up". Associated Press.
  14. Timothy Noah (July 26, 2015). "Will the real Donald Trump please stand up?". Politico.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jane C. Timm (November 7, 2016). "Here Are All of Donald Trump's Flip-Flops on Big Issues". NBC News.
  16. Linda Qiu (July 6, 2016). "17 times Donald Trump said one thing and then denied it". Politifact.
  17. 1 2 Joshua Gillin, Bush says Trump was a Democrat longer than a Republican 'in the last decade', PolitiFact (August 24, 2015).
  18. Chris Moody, Trump in '04: 'I probably identify more as Democrat', CNN (July 21, 2015).
  19. Jenna Johnson, Donald Trump's vision of doom and despair in America, Washington Post (July 21, 2016).
  20. 1 2 Reena Flores, Donald Trump offers dark vision of America in GOP convention speech, CBS News (July 22, 2016).
  21. David Jackson, Donald Trump accepts GOP nomination, says 'I alone can fix' system, USA Today (July 22, 2016).
  22. Philip Rucker & David A. Fahrenthold, Donald Trump positions himself as the voice of 'the forgotten men and women', Washington Post (July 21, 2016).
  23. Kazin, Michael. How Can Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders Both Be 'Populist'?, New York Times (March 22, 2016).
  24. Becker, Bernie. Trump's 6 populist positions, Politico (February 13, 2016).
  25. Gerald F. Seib (August 8, 2016). "Separating Donald Trump From Trumpism". Wall Street Journal.
  26. [www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-35845233 "Mitt Romney: Vote for Ted Cruz over 'Trumpism'"] Check |url= value (help). BBC News. March 18, 2016.
  27. Krugman, Paul. Obama's War on Inequality, New York Times (May 20, 2016): "Just for the record, while Mr. Trump is sometimes described as a 'populist,' almost every substantive policy he has announced would make the rich richer at workers’ expense".
  28. Norris, Pippa (March 11, 2016). "It's not just Trump. Authoritarian populism is rising across the West. Here's why". Washington Post.
  29. Shapiro, Walter (February 23, 2016). "Dear Republican Sirs: It's Up to You to Save the Republic". Roll Call. He is the embodiment of the authoritarian temptation that has imperiled liberty since the days of the Roman Republic.
  30. Chait, Jonathan (May 13, 2016). "Here's How Donald Trump's Authoritarianism Would Actually Work". New York.
  31. Transcript: Donald Trump Sweeps Nebraska and West Virginia Primaries; Bernie Sanders Wins West Virginia But Gains Little, CNN (May 11, 2016).
  32. Charles C. W. Cooke (December 8, 2015). "Here's How Donald Trump's Authoritarianism Would Actually Work". National Review.
  33. Gillespie, Nick. Donald Trump Supporters Are Less Authoritarian Than Ted Cruz Voters, Reason.com (March 14, 2016): "Understanding Trump as a populist rather than an authoritarian helps explain why he can get away with sloppy, inconsistent thinking."
  34. 1 2 3 4 5 Adam Liptak, Donald Trump Could Threaten U.S. Rule of Law, Scholars Say, New York Times (June 3, 2016).
  35. Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Director: We will defend the constitution against a President Trump, Washington Post (July 13, 2016).
  36. Barro, Josh (August 14, 2015). "Donald Trump, Moderate Republican". The Upshot, The New York Times. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  37. Hains, Tim. "Joe Scarborough: Donald Trump Is A Centrist Democrat On Social Issues, 'It's Not Been A Secret'", Real Clear Politics (April 22, 2016).
  38. With All Due Respect (TV series) (April 21, 2016).
  39. Limbaugh, Rush. Trump Walks It Back on Bathrooms (April 25, 2016): "[P]eople make Trump into what they want him to be. So here you have these two guys Heilemann and Halperin, who are liberals, and they want to like Trump, I think."
  40. John Cassidy, Donald Trump Is Transforming the G.O.P. into a Populist, Nativist Party, New Yorker (February 29, 2016).
  41. Hiatt, Fred (August 23, 2015). "Donald Trump's nativist bandwagon". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  42. Donald Brand, How Donald Trump's Nativism Ruined the GOP, Fortune (June 21, 2016).
  43. Lowry, Rich. Yes, Pander to Trump on Immigration, Politico (August 19, 2015).
  44. Kudlow, Lawrence; Moore, Stephen (August 26, 2015). "Donald Trump: A 21st Century Protectionist Herbert Hoover". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved March 5, 2016.
  45. Ed O'Keefe, Dan Balz & David Weigel, In GOP platform fight, Donald Trump is a distant presence, Washington Post (July 11, 2016).
  46. "2016 presidential candidate ratings and scorecards". Ballotpedia.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  47. "Donald Trump On the Issues August 16, 2003". Web.archive.org. August 16, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  48. "Donald Trump On the Issues December 5, 2003". Web.archive.org. December 5, 2003. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  49. "Donald Trump On the Issues May 7, 2011". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  50. "Donald Trump On the Issues February 26, 2012". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  51. "Donald Trump On the Issues May 27, 2013". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  52. "Donald Trump On the Issues September 24, 2014". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  53. 1 2 "Donald Trump On the Issues July 11, 2015". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  54. "Donald Trump On the issues August 26, 2016". Web.archive.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  55. "Donald Trump On the issues 2016". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  56. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "Donald Trump's economic speech, annotated". Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  57. 1 2 Timiraos, Nick; Reinhard, Beth (August 8, 2016). "Donald Trump Pitches Tax Breaks, Moratorium on New Regulations". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  58. 1 2 "Trump aims to 'jump start' America with new tax plan". BBC News. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  59. "Trump calls for excluding child-care costs from taxation as he tries to turn the page on a bruising week". Washington Post. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  60. "Donald Trump is making 2 big changes to his economic platform". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  61. 1 2 3 4 Jim Nunns, Len Burman, Jeff Rohaly & Joe Rosenberg, An Analysis of Donald Trump's Tax Plan, Tax Policy Center (Urban Institute/Brookings Institution) (December 22, 2015).
  62. 1 2 3 4 Donald Trump's $12 Trillion Tax Cut: Tax Plan Reserves Biggest Tax Cuts for the Best-off Americans, Citizens for Tax Justice (updated November 4, 2015).
  63. Richard Rubin, Analysis of Trump's Tax Plan Shows Big Cuts in Taxes, Federal Revenue, Wall Street Journal (December 22, 2015).
  64. 1 2 3 Linda Qiu, PolitiFact's guide to the 2016 presidential candidate tax plans, PolitiFact (April 7, 2016).
  65. Linda Qiu, Donald Trump's false claim that his tax plan wouldn't increase the deficit, PolitiFact (November 5, 2015).
  66. Tami Luhby, Conservative group: Clinton tax plan would hit top 1%, economic growth, CNN (January 26, 2016).
  67. Kenneth T. Walsh, Grover Norquist Blesses Trump Tax Plan, U.S. News & World Report (September 29, 2015).
  68. 1 2 Trump backtracks on tax hike for the rich, Reuters with CNBC.com (May 9, 2016).
  69. Bernstein, Jared (March 7, 2016). "Donald Trump's impossible fiscal plan". Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  70. 1 2 3 Fiscal Fact Check: How Do Donald Trump's Campaign Proposals So Far Add Up?, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget (February 13, 2016).
  71. Donald ducks the big questions: Donald Trump's proposals require implausible spending cuts or 10% growth, The Economist (February 27, 2016).
  72. 1 2 Heather Haddon, Donald Trump Vows to Slash Funding for Education, EPA, Wall Street Journal (January 11, 2016).
  73. Isaac Shapiro, Trump and Cruz Tax-Cut Plans Would Shrink Government to Truman-Era Levels, Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (March 29, 2016).
  74. Doina Chiacu, Trump retreats on comments on raising taxes on the wealthy, Reuters (May 9, 2016).
  75. 1 2 3 4 Mark Zandi; Chris Lafakis; Dan White; Adam Ozimek (June 2016). "The Macroeconomic Consequences of Mr. Trump's Economic Policies" (PDF). Moody's Analytics. Retrieved November 7, 2016.
  76. Schroeder, Peter (June 20, 2016). "Analysis: Trump's plans would cause 'lengthy recession,' cost jobs". The Hill.
  77. 1 2 Timiraos, Nick (June 20, 2016). "U.S. Economy Would Be 'Diminished' Under Trump's Economic Plan, New Analysis Says". Wall Street Journal.
  78. 1 2 3 4 "What a Donald Trump presidency would do to the global economy". Washington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  79. 1 2 Davis, Bob (September 19, 2016). "Trump Trade Plan Could Push U.S. into Recession, Study Says". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  80. "Assessing Trade Agendas in the US Presidential Campaign". September 14, 2016. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  81. 1 2 Wolfers, Justin (September 30, 2016). "Debate Night Message: The Markets Are Afraid of Donald Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  82. "White House battle set to chill US economy, says FT survey". Financial Times.
  83. McGrath, Maggie. "By 4 To 1 Margin, Business Economists Say Clinton Would Manage Economy Better Than Trump". Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  84. Zumbrun, Ben Leubsdorf, Eric Morath and Josh. "Economists Who've Advised Presidents Are No Fans of Donald Trump". Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  85. Donnan, Shawn (September 19, 2016). "Trump's trade policies would send US into recession, study says". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  86. 1 2 Timiraos, Nick. "Prominent Economists, Including Eight Nobel Laureates: 'Do Not Vote for Donald Trump'". WSJ. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  87. "100-Day Plan | IGM Forum". www.igmchicago.org. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  88. "Scoring the Trump Economic Plan" (PDF). Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  89. Cox, Jeff (September 22, 2016). "Trump plans would increase debt 26 TIMES more than Clinton's: Study". CNBC. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  90. 1 2 3 "Analysis: Trump Tax Plan Would Cost Trillions, Boost Incomes For The Rich". NPR. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  91. 1 2 "Trump Campaign Announces Economic Advisory Council". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  92. 1 2 "Trump unveils all-male economic advisory team". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  93. "Trump's economic team includes 'Big Short' billionaire who bet against US housing market". VICE News. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  94. Roosevelt, Margot. "One of Donald Trump's biggest economic supporters? It's a UC Irvine economist". Orange County Register. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
  95. Goldmacher, Shane (August 7, 2016). "Trump's economic advisers are also his biggest donors". Politico. Retrieved August 7, 2016.
  96. "FACT CHECK: Donald Trump Unveils His Economic Plan In Major Detroit Speech". NPR. Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  97. Pofeldt, Elaine (March 15, 2016). "Main St. speaks out: Our top pick for president". CNBC. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  98. Frank, Robert (August 9, 2016). "Tax loophole in Trump's plan would create windfall for the rich". CNBC. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  99. Kathleen Pender, Trump's tax plan to cost $6.2 trillion, report says, San Francisco Chronicle (October 11, 2016).
  100. 1 2 "AP FACT CHECK: Trump's distortions on Clinton". The Big Story. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  101. Louis Jacobson; Linda Qiu (May 8, 2016). "For the third time, Donald Trump, U.S. is not 'highest taxed nation in the world'". PolitiFact.
  102. "Corporate Income Tax Rates around the World, 2015". Tax Foundation. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  103. Leonhardt, David (October 18, 2016). "The Big Companies That Avoid Taxes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  104. Jim Tankersley (September 24, 2016). "A new study says Trump would raise taxes for millions. Trump's campaign insists he won't". Washington Post.
  105. Batchelder, Lily L. (October 28, 2016). "Research Report: Families Facing Tax Increases Under Trump's Tax Plan". Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center via papers.ssrn.com.
  106. 1 2 Rubin, Richard (October 11, 2016). "Presidential Candidates' Plans Would Carry Tax Code in Different Directions". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  107. 1 2 "Trump Tax Plan Seen Adding Jobs, Then Erasing Them Long-Term". Bloomberg. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  108. 1 2 "Details and Analysis of the Donald Trump Tax Reform Plan, September 2016". Tax Foundation. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  109. Ben Tarnoff (November 9, 2016). "The triumph of Trumpism: the new politics that is here to stay". The Guardian.
  110. Ben Tarnoff (November 9, 2016). "The triumph of Trumpism: the new politics that is here to stay". The Guardian.
  111. Catherine Rampell (November 9, 2016). "Opinions Americans have voted for Trumpism. Let them have it.". The Atlantic.
  112. 1 2 "Ten times Trump shamed others on tax". BBC News. October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  113. 1 2 3 4 Buettner, David Barstow, Susanne Craig, Russ; Twohey, Megan (October 1, 2016). "Donald Trump Tax Records Show He Could Have Avoided Taxes for Nearly Two Decades, The Times Found". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  114. Nicholas Confessore & Benyamin Appelbaum, How a Simple Tax Rule Let Donald Trump Turn a $916 Million Loss Into a Plus, New York Times (October 3, 2016).
  115. Craig, Susanne (October 2, 2016). "The Time I Found Donald Trump's Tax Records in My Mailbox". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  116. Sevastopulo, Demetri (October 2, 2016). "Records suggest Donald Trump avoided paying taxes for years". Financial Times. ISSN 0307-1766. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  117. Hirschkorn, Phil (November 9, 1999). "Trump proposes massive one-time tax on the rich". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  118. Kludt, Tom (September 8, 2015). "Elizabeth Warren: I agree with Donald Trump on taxes". CNN. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  119. Krugman, Paul (September 27, 2015). "Trump Is Right on Economics". The New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  120. Krugman, Paul (May 13, 2016). "Trump and Taxes". The New York Times. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  121. Bedard, Pauk (July 6, 2011). "Donald Trump Calls for Balanced Budget". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  122. 1 2 3 4 Louis Jacobson. "A closer look at Donald Trump's comments about refinancing U.S. debt". PolitiFact. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  123. "Donald Trump's Messy Ideas For Handling The National Debt, Explained". NPR. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  124. 1 2 Appelbaum, Binyamin (May 6, 2016). "Donald Trump's Idea to Cut National Debt: Get Creditors to Accept Less". New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  125. 1 2 3 4 A Trump proposal for national debt would send rates soaring, Associated Press (May 6, 2016).
  126. Appelbaum, Binyamin (May 6, 2016). "Donald Trump's Idea to Cut National Debt: Get Creditors to Accept Less". New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  127. Glenn Kessler, Trump's truly absurd claim he would save $300 billion a year on prescription drugs, Washington Post (February 18, 2016).
  128. Social Security and the Republican Debate: Donald Trump and Mike Huckabee vs. Jeb Bush and the Others, Huffington Post (August 8, 2015).
  129. 1 2 3 Robert Powell, How Trump and Clinton plan to fix Social Security, MarketWatch (February 2, 2016).
  130. 1 2 3 "Factbox: Fed and presidential campaign: where candidates stand". Reuters. April 7, 2016.
  131. 1 2 Stephen Gandel (April 19, 2016). "Donald Trump Likes Low Interest Rates But Says He'd Replace Yellen". Fortune.
  132. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  133. Steve Holland (September 12, 2016). "Trump says U.S. interest rates must change as Fed weighs rate hike". Reuters.
  134. Ylan Q. Mui (September 12, 2016). "Donald Trump says Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen 'should be ashamed of herself'". Washington Post.
  135. Appelbaum, Binyamin (September 27, 2016). "No Evidence to Support Trump's Attacks on the Fed". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 28, 2016.
  136. "Donald Trump Weighs in on Marijuana, Hillary Clinton, and Man Buns". GQ Videos. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  137. 1 2 Jim Zarroli. "Trump Favors Returning To The Gold Standard, Few Economists Agree". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
  138. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Holland, Steve; Flitter, Emily (May 18, 2016). "Exclusive: Trump would talk to North Korea's Kim, wants to renegotiate climate accord". Reuters.
  139. Emily Flitter; Steve Holland (May 18, 2016). "Trump preparing plan to dismantle Obama's Wall Street reform law". Reuters.
  140. 1 2 3 Timiraos, Nick; Reinhard, Beth (August 9, 2016). "Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Spar Over Economic Proposals". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  141. Chris Kaufman (October 7, 2016). "Republican Trump says 70 percent of federal regulations 'can go'". Reuters.
  142. 1 2 "Read Donald Trump's Speech on Jobs and the Economy". Time. September 15, 2016.
  143. "Household and Non-Profit Net Worth". Federal Reserve Economic Data, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. September 16, 2016.
  144. "The Distribution of Household Income and Federal Taxes, 2013". CBO. June 8, 2016.
  145. 1 2 3 "AP FACT CHECK: Trump Distorts '90s Economic Downturn". Associated Press. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  146. 1 2 "Donald Trump Says He 'Called' the '08 Crash. Here's What Really Happened". POLITICO Magazine. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  147. Nykiel, Teddy (July 28, 2016). "Trump's take on college affordability". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  148. 1 2 2016 Presidential Candidates' Higher Education Proposals, National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (accessed October 21, 2016).
  149. 1 2 Scott Jaschik (May 12, 2016). "Trump's campaign co-chair describes higher education policies being developed". InsideHigherEd.
  150. Scott Jaschik, Trump on Higher Ed, Inside Higher Ed (October 14, 2016).
  151. Cirilli, Kevin (July 23, 2015). "Trump: Why is federal government making money on student loans?". The Hill. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  152. 1 2 Donald Trump: 'I want to make the country great again'. Fox News Channel, The Kelly File, May 21, 2015.
  153. 1 2 Haley Sweetland, Trump Agrees With Democrats on High-Speed Trains, Time (March 3, 2016).
  154. 1 2 3 Max Ehrenfreund, Liberals will love something Donald Trump said last night, Washington Post (December 16, 2015).
  155. 1 2 Diana Furchtgott-Roth, Donald Trump's four good ideas — and four bad ones — in 'Crippled America', MarketWatch (November 12, 2015).
  156. 1 2 3 Ben Jacobs, Donald Trump tells the Guardian police body cameras 'need federal funding', The Guardian (October 13, 2015).
  157. 1 2 Warren Fiske, Trump says 61 percent of U.S. bridges 'in trouble', Politifact (October 26, 2015).
  158. Keith Laing, Trump takes a shot at NYC's LaGuardia Airport, The Hill (September 30, 2015).
  159. Rappeport, Alan (August 2, 2016). "Donald Trump Proposes to Double Hillary Clinton's Spending on Infrastructure". New York Times. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  160. Shirk, Adrian (July 1, 2015). "A Superhighway Across the Bering Strait". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  161. Berman, Russell (August 9, 2016). "Donald Trump's Big-Spending Infrastructure Dream". The Atlantic. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  162. 1 2 "CBO Budget & Economic Outlook 2016 to 2026". CBO. January 25, 2016.
  163. "Donald Trump says 'real' unemployment rate is 18 to 20 percent". PolitiFact. May 22, 2016.
  164. 1 2 "Donald Trump says the unemployment rate may be 42 percent". PolitiFact. September 30, 2016.
  165. Glenn Kessler, Trump's absurd claim that the 'real' unemployment rate is 42 percent, Washington Post (August 21, 2015).
  166. "Unemployment Rates U3 and U6". FRED. September 16, 2016.
  167. Jacobson, Louis (May 19, 2016). "Elizabeth Warren gets better of Donald Trump on his stance on abolishing federal minimum wage". PolitiFact. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  168. "Sanders: Trump would allow states to lower the minimum wage". Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  169. Heavey, Susan (August 20, 2015). "Republican candidate Trump says low U.S. wages 'not a bad thing'". Reuters.
  170. Engel, Pamela (November 11, 2015). "Donald Trump said wages are 'too high' in his opening debate statement". Business Insider. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  171. Alter, Charlotte (November 11, 2015). "Read Transcript of the Republican Debate in Milwaukee". Time. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  172. Gass, Nick, Trump defends minimum wage comments, Politico (November 12, 2015).
  173. Flores, Reena. "Donald Trump hints at changing stance on minimum wage". CBS News. Retrieved May 7, 2016.
  174. "'Transcript: Donald Trump". This Week. ABC News. May 8, 2016.
  175. Rossoll, Nicki (May 9, 2016). "Trump Walks Back Tax Plan, Saying 'I'm Allowed to Change'". ABC News. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  176. "Meet the Press". NBC News. May 8, 2016.
  177. Wright, Austin (May 8, 2016). "Trump: 'I don't know how people make it on $7.25 an hour'". POLITICO. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  178. Worstall, Tim (May 9, 2016). "Donald Trump's Excellent Economic Idea: Abolish The Federal Minimum Wage". Forbes. Retrieved May 12, 2016.
  179. Kludt, Tom (July 27, 2016). "Trump says he'd support $10 minimum wage". CNN. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
  180. Ashley Byrd, Trump backs off on break with party, Can live with unions at certain locations (interview), South Carolina Radio Network (February 17, 2016).
  181. Stephen Lee, A Trump OSHA Likely to Enforce Less, Make Fewer Rules, Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, Bloomberg BNA (June 2, 2016).
  182. 1 2 Amy Sherman, Did Donald Trump support the Wall Street bailout as anti-tax Club for Growth says?, PolitiFact (September 15, 2015).
  183. 1 2 3 "Ivanka Trump raises issues her father rarely mentions". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  184. "Why Trump's child care plan won't help poor families". Retrieved August 8, 2016.
  185. Morath, Eric. "Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton Say They'll Ease the Burden of Child-Care Costs". Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  186. "The problem with Donald Trump's plan for child care". Washington Post. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  187. Tepper, Taylor. "What Trump's Child Care Tax Plan Means For You". Money. Time. Retrieved August 9, 2016.
  188. "Economists: Trump tax plan offers almost nothing for the middle class". Washington Post. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  189. 1 2 Sean Sullivan & Robert Costa, Donald Trump unveils child-care policy influenced by Ivanka Trump, Washington Post (September 13, 2016).
  190. Sahadi, Jeanne. "Trump's child care proposals: How they'd work, who'd benefit". CNN Money. Retrieved September 14, 2016.
  191. Ilya Somin, Why Trump’s maternity leave plan is unconstitutional, Washington Post (September 16, 2016).
  192. "The Numbers Behind Trump Versus Clinton Health-Reform Proposals". Bloomberg Politics. September 23, 2016.
  193. 1 2 Christine, Eibner (September 23, 2016). "Estimating the Impacts of the Trump and Clinton Health Plans". RAND Corporation.
  194. 1 2 3 Peter Suderman, Donald Trump Wants to Repeal Obamacare, Replace It With Obamacare, Reason (September 29, 2015).
  195. 1 2 3 4 5 Kertscher, Tom (September 11, 2015). "Donald Trump wants to replace Obamacare with a single-payer health care system, GOP congressman says". PolitiFact.
  196. "Healthcare Reform". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  197. "Hillary Clinton video lists 8 promises of Donald Trump presidency. Did he say that?". PolitiFact. May 5, 2016.
  198. "Health Care". donaldjtrump.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  199. "2017 Premium Changes and Insurer Participation in the Affordable Care Act's Health Insurance Marketplaces". Retrieved December 3, 2016.
  200. "Rates Up 22 Percent For Obamacare Plans, But Subsidies Rise, Too". Retrieved November 19, 2016.
  201. "Average Annual Workplace Family Health Premiums Rise Modest 3%". Kaiser Family Foundation. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  202. "Federal Subsidies for Health Insurance Coverage for People Under Age 65:2016 to 2026". CBO. Retrieved November 23, 2016.
  203. 1 2 "Budgetary and Economic Effects of Repealing the Affordable Care Act". CBO. Text "https://www.cbo.gov/publication/50252" ignored (help);
  204. 1 2 Sarah Ferris, Trump: I'll replace ObamaCare with 'something terrific', The Hill (July 29, 2015).
  205. Sullivan, Peter (February 19, 2016). "GOP senator hits Trump over ObamaCare mandate support". The Hill.
  206. Transcript: Donald Trump: CNN Republican Presidential Town Hall, Columbia, South Carolina, CNN (February 18, 2016).
  207. 1 2 Vitali, Ali (March 3, 2016). "Donald Trump Reveals Details of His Health Care Plan". NBC News. Retrieved August 11, 2016.
  208. "Health Care Reform Paper" (PDF). donaldjtrump.com. Retrieved November 4, 2016.
  209. "Donald Trump's interview with Dr. Oz was just as amazingly strange as we thought it would be". Washington Post. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  210. "What will President Donald Trump do? Predicting his policy agenda". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  211. Pear, Robert; Haberman, Maggie (APRIL 8, 2016). "Donald Trump's Health Care Ideas Bewilder Republican Experts". New York Times. Retrieved 9 November 2016. Check date values in: |date= (help)
  212. "What Does Donald Trump Believe? Where the Candidate Stands on 10 Issues". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  213. Kassam, Ashifa (October 10, 2016). "Trump's attack on 'catastrophic' Canadian healthcare system draws ire". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  214. 1 2 "Donald Trump Transcript: 'Our Country Needs a Truly Great Leader'". Federal News Service speech. June 16, 2015.
  215. 1 2 Bradner, Eric. Here's how Donald Trump could spark a trade war with Mexico and China, CNN (August 26, 2015).
  216. 1 2 Maggie Haberman, Donald Trump Says He Favors Big Tariffs on Chinese Exports, New York Times (January 7, 2016).
  217. 1 2 Jim Tankersley, Trump upends GOP message on economy, Washington Post (August 31, 2015).
  218. "Donald Trump's protectionism has a good pedigree". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  219. "Lawrence Solomon: Donald Trump's protectionism fits right in with Republicans". Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  220. Epstein, Reid J.; Nelson, Colleen McCain (June 28, 2016). "Donald Trump Lays Out Protectionist Views in Trade Speech". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  221. Appelbaum, Binyamin (March 10, 2016). "On Trade, Donald Trump Breaks With 200 Years of Economic Orthodoxy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 22, 2016.
  222. "As news of Trump's taxes breaks, he goes off script at a rally in Pennsylvania". Washington Post. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  223. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Binyamin Appelaum, On Trade, Donald Trump Breaks With 200 Years of Economic Orthodoxy, New York Times (March 10, 2016).
  224. David Lawder; Roberta Rampton (March 24, 2016). "Trump's tariff plan could boomerang, spark trade wars with China, Mexico". Reuters.
  225. 1 2 "Trump's trade rhetoric, stuck in a time warp". Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  226. Robert Farley (May 11, 2016). "Trump's 'Made in the USA' Spin". FactCheck.org. Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  227. 1 2 3 Doug Palmer & Ben Schreckinger, Trump's trade views vows to declare China a currency manipulator on Day One, Politico (November 10, 2015).
  228. 1 2 3 Charles Lane, Donald Trump's contempt for the free market, Washington Post (October 21, 2015).
  229. Bartlett, Bruce. Donald Trump's protectionism has a good pedigree, Financial Times (April 5, 2016).
  230. Solomon, Lawrence. Lawrence Solomon: Donald Trump's protectionism fits right in with Republicans, Financial Post (March 18, 2016).
  231. Mankiw, N. Gregory (May 6, 2016). "The Economy Is Rigged, and Other Presidential Campaign Myths". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 28, 2016.
  232. 1 2 Everett Rosenfeld, Trump trade plans could cause global recession: Experts, CNBC (March 10, 2016).
  233. WSJ Poll: Economists See Risks to Trump, Sanders, Wall Street Journal ("What's" News podcast) (March 11, 2016).
  234. Daniel Strauss, Club for Growth issues scathing review of Trump's economic plans, Politico (November 4, 2015).
  235. Worstall, Tim. "Of Course Donald Trump's Policies Would Cause A Trade War: By Trump On Americans". Forbes. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  236. Ryan Bourne, Donald Trump's fairy tale economics would be terrible for America, Institute of Economic Affairs (July 28, 2015).
  237. Scott Lincicome, Commentary: Endorser Agrees: Trump Policies Will Benefit Rich at Expense of Poor and Middle Class, Cato Institute (March 1, 2016).
  238. C. Fred Bergsten (April 19, 2016). "Trump's Trade Policy Is a Big Loser". Peterson Institute for International Economics. Also published at U.S. News & World Report.
  239. "Critics: Trump trade plan won't save jobs". Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  240. Don Lee (July 24, 2016). "Limited success of Chinese tire tariffs shows why Donald Trump's trade prescription may not work". Los Angeles Times.
  241. Jill Colvin, Trump: NAFTA trade deal a 'disaster,' says he'd 'break' it, Associated Press (September 25, 2015).
  242. Mark Thoma, Is Donald Trump right to call NAFTA a "disaster"?, CBS News (October 5, 2015).
  243. Eric Martin, Trump Killing Nafta Could Mean Big Unintended Consequences for the U.S., Bloomberg Business (October 1, 2015).
  244. Tan, Huileng (September 30, 2016). "How Trump's tariff plan for Chinese goods will hurt US consumers, not China". CNBC. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  245. "U.S. Trade in Goods with China". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  246. "China Trade, Outsourcing, and Jobs". Economic Policy Institute. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  247. Glenn Kessler (March 18, 2016). "Trump's trade rhetoric, stuck in a time warp". Washington Post.
  248. "Donald Trump on the trade deficit with China". Fox News. February 11, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  249. "Trump: 'Who the hell cares if there's a trade war?'". Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  250. 1 2 3 Needham, Vicki (July 24, 2016). "Trump suggests leaving WTO over import tax proposal". Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  251. 1 2 Michael Daly (August 8, 2015). "Donald Trump Won't Eat Oreos Because They're Too Mexican Now". Daily Beast. Retrieved April 9, 2016.
  252. 1 2 "Donald Trump floated big tariffs. What could the impact be?". Retrieved July 3, 2016.
  253. Associated Press, Quote box: Trump talks tough on Asia trade, alliances (March 10, 2016).
  254. 1 2 3 4 5 Beckwith, Ryan Teague. "Read Trump's Speech Criticizing Clinton on Foreign Policy". Time. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  255. "In Economic Speech, Trump Talks Trade and Projected Growth Rates". Morning Consult. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  256. 1 2 3 "Trump: I'm Running Against Clinton, Not 'Rest of the World'". Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  257. Sahil Kapur, Reality Check: 4 Reasons Trump's Immigration Plans Are Impractical, Bloomberg Politics (August 8, 2015).
  258. "Trump says would raise visa fees to pay for Mexican border wall", Reuters (August 16, 2015).
  259. Seung Min Kim, Trump hits turbulence with immigration hard-liners, Politico (March 14, 2016).
  260. Jeremy Diamond & Sara Murray, Trump outlines immigration specifics, CNN (August 17, 2015).
  261. 1 2 Amy Sherman. "Donald Trump wrongly says the number of illegal immigrants is 30 million or higher". @politifact. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  262. Pew Research Center. "Share of Unauthorized Immigrant Workers in Production, Construction Jobs Falls Since 2007". Pew Research Center. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  263. Inae Oh (August 19, 2015). "Donald Trump: The 14th Amendment is Unconstitutional". Mother Jones. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  264. 1 2 Lauren Carroll, Trump: 'Many' scholars say 'anchor babies' aren't covered by Constitution, Politifact (August 25, 2015).
  265. Paredes Martín (August 6, 2015). "Donald Trump is a Failed Businessman". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  266. Tina Vasquez (September 9, 2015). "I've experienced a new level of racism since Donald Trump went after Latinos". Retrieved January 17, 2016.
  267. 1 2 Full text: Donald Trump announces a presidential bid. The Washington Post, June 16, 2015.
  268. "Immigration reform that will make America great again". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. July 6, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  269. "Donald Trump's epic statement on Mexico". Business Insider. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  270. 1 2 3 Green, David (May 1, 2016). "The Trump Hypothesis: Testing Immigrant Populations as a Determinant of Violent and Drug-Related Crime in the United States". Social Science Quarterly: n/a–n/a. doi:10.1111/ssqu.12300. ISSN 1540-6237.
  271. 1 2 John Burnett, How Realistic Is Donald Trump's Immigration Plan?, NPR Morning Edition (August 20, 2015).
  272. 1 2 3 Corasaniti, Nick (August 31, 2016). "A Look at Trump's Immigration Plan, Then and Now". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  273. 1 2 3 Kate Drew, This is what Trump's border wall could cost US: A roughly 2,000-mile fence on the Mexican border would cost tens of billions, CNBC (October 9, 2015).
  274. Donald Trump emphasizes plans to build 'real' wall at Mexico border, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation News, August 19, 2015
  275. "Trump in new book: Israel proof that walls work". Jewish Insider. The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles. November 3, 2015.
  276. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stephen Loiaconi, Experts: Trump's border wall could be costly, ineffective, Sinclair Broadcast Group (August 18, 2015).
  277. "Trump 'Didn't Discuss' Border Wall Payment With Mexican President". ABC News. August 31, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2016.
  278. Healy, Patrick (August 31, 2016). "Donald Trump and Mexican Leader Clash in Accounts of Meeting". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  279. 1 2 Epstein, Reid J.; Hook, Janet; Luhnow, David (September 1, 2016). "Donald Trump Vows Deportations After Easing Tone in Meeting With Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  280. John Cassidy (December 28, 2015). "Donald Trump Isn't a Fascist; He's a Media-Savvy Know-Nothing".
  281. Richardson, Bradford. "Trump: It was legal immigrants that made America great", The Hill (February 4, 2016).
  282. Begley, Sarah. "Donald Trump: 'I’m Gonna Win the Hispanic Vote'", Time (December 17, 2015).
  283. Nick Gass, Trump's immigration plan: Mass deportation, Politico (August 17, 2015).
  284. 1 2 3 4 Kelley Beaucar Vlahos, Messy legal process could challenge Trump's mass deportation plan, Fox News (November 27, 2015).
  285. 1 2 3 Kate Linthicum, The dark, complex history of Trump's model for his mass deportation plan, Los Angeles Times (November 13, 2015).
  286. Donald Trump emphasizes plans to build 'real' wall at Mexico border, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, August 19, 2015, retrieved September 29, 2015
  287. 1 2 3 Jim Avila & Serena Marshall, Donald Trump Models 'Deportation Force' After Inhumane Eisenhower Plan, Scholar Says, ABC News (November 11, 2015).
  288. Luciana Lopez (May 5, 2016). "Trump's deportation plan could slice 2 percent off U.S. GDP: study". Reuters.
  289. Beth Reinhard (June 29, 2016). "Donald Trump Adjusts Some of His Positions". Wall Street Journal.
  290. Donald J. Trump on Twitter, Twitter, June 25, 2016, retrieved July 2, 2016
  291. Kevin Cirilli. "Trump Says Muslim Ban Plan to Focus on 'Terrorist' Countries". Bloomberg Politics. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  292. Miller, Zeke J. (August 23, 2016). "Donald Trump Signals 'Softening' of Immigration Position". Time Magazine. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  293. Bradner, Eric (August 28, 2016). "Trump to give immigration speech amid major questions". CNN. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  294. "Donald Trump Pivots Back to Hard-Line Immigration Stance". Time Magazine. August 31, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  295. "More than 6 million immigrants could be deported under latest Trump plan". Washington Post. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  296. "The Religious Affiliation of U.S. Immigrants: Muslim Immigrants". Pew Research Center. May 17, 2013.
  297. Amanda Holpuch. "Trump re-ups controversial Muslim ban and Mexico wall in first campaign ad". the Guardian.
  298. 1 2 Scott, Eugene. "Trump: My Muslim friends don't support my immigration ban", CNN (December 13, 2015).
  299. 1 2 "Voters Like Trump's Proposed Muslim Ban", Rasmussen Reports. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  300. 1 2 Barro, Josh. "How Unpopular Is Trump's Muslim Ban? Depends How You Ask", The New York Times (December 15, 2015).
  301. Johnson, Jenna (December 7, 2015). "Trump calls for 'total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States;". Washington Post.
  302. "Donald Trump explains how his ban on Muslims entering the U.S. would work". Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  303. Morning Joe, MSNBC, August 12, 2015.
  304. Did a CNN Commentator Provide Donald Trump with a Defense of his Proposed Muslim Ban? Erik Wemple, Washington Post, August 12, 2015
  305. Similar to Presidential Proclamations 2525, 2526, and 2527:
  306. "ADL compares Trump's anti-Muslim proposal to persecution of Jews". Haaretz. December 7, 2015. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  307. Trump calls for 'shutdown' of Muslims entering US, Ben Kamisar, The Hill, July 12, 2015,
  308. "Trump's plan would block all Muslims from entering the United States, with an exception for U.S. citizens who are Muslim, who would come and go as they wish... 'If a person is a Muslim, goes overseas and comes back, they can come back. They're a citizen. That's different,' Trump said.", "Donald Trump Stands by Barring Muslims Despite Bipartisan Criticism", John Santucci, ABC News, December 8, 2015.
  309. Fein, Bruce (November 25, 2016). "History Overrules Odious Supreme Court Precedent". Huffington Post. Retrieved November 27, 2016.
  310. 1 2 3 4 Rappeport, Alan; Haberman, Maggie (June 29, 2016). "How Donald Trump Waffled on Abortion, Torture and a Muslim Ban". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  311. "London's mayor an exception to proposed ban on Muslims: Trump". Reuters. May 9, 2016. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  312. Tim Hume & Eric Bradner, Donald Trump: London mayor made 'very rude statements' about me, CNN (May 16, 2016).
  313. 1 2 "Trump Calls To Ban Immigration From Countries With 'Proven History Of Terrorism'". NPR.org. Retrieved June 13, 2016.
  314. 1 2 Preston, Julia (June 18, 2016). "Many What-If;s in Donald Trump's Plan for Migrants". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  315. Park, Haeyoun (July 22, 2016). "Trump Vows to Stop Immigration From Nations 'Compromised' by Terrorism. How Could It Work?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  316. Blake, Aaron (September 15, 2016). "Donald Trump just completely undercut his own Muslim ban alternative". Washington Post.
  317. "Meet the Press - July 24, 2016". Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  318. "Donald Trump says French and Germans to face 'extreme vetting' entering the US". Retrieved July 25, 2016.
  319. "Campaign 2016 updates: Americans didn't worry this much about nuclear weapons post Cold War — then came Trump". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
  320. "Trump Says Fight Against ISIS Could Require Racial Profiling".
  321. "Father of Pulse nightclub shooter backing Hillary Clinton". NY Daily News. Retrieved August 15, 2016.
  322. "Trump: Syria refugees could be the 'ultimate Trojan horse'". Fox News Channel. November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  323. 1 2 Donald Trump: I would send Syrian refugees home, BBC News (October 1, 2015).
  324. Jordyn Phelps, Donald Trump Promises to Deport Syrian Migrants Who Settle in the US, ABC News (November 16, 2015).
  325. Nick Gass, Trump calls for taking in Syrian refugees, Politico (September 9, 2015).
  326. 1 2 3 Trump discusses Ukraine and Syria with European politicians via video link, The Guardian (September 11, 2015)
  327. Louis Jacobson, Donald Trump says if you're from Syria and a Christian, you can't come to the U.S. as a refugee, PolitiFact (July 20, 2015).
  328. "Donald Trump's Pants on Fire claim that US is letting in 'tens of thousands' of terrorists now". PolitiFact. May 25, 2016.
  329. 1 2 Dan Amira, Donald Trump vs. Donald Trump: The Difference a Decade Makes, New York (February 16, 2016).
  330. 1 2 3 Jeremy Diamond, Trump deflects specifics when it comes to abortion position, CNN (January 26, 2016).
  331. 1 2 "[VIDEO]Ted Cruz ad, assailed by Trump, leaves out Trump's declared shift on abortion". PolitiFact Texas. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  332. 1 2 3 4 Trump in 1999: 'I am Very Pro-Choice', NBC News (October 24, 1999).
  333. 1 2 "Trump: Best Way to Protect Sanctity of Life Is to Vote for Me". Fox News Insider. May 10, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  334. 1 2 Josh Hafner & Kevin Johnson (March 30, 2016). "Trump abortion comments spark outrage on both sides". USA Today. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  335. Krieg, Gregory (March 21, 2016). "Donald Trump's 3 positions on abortion in 3 hours". CNN. Retrieved October 20, 2016.
  336. Jeremy Diamond (August 4, 2015). "Trump: I would shut down government over Planned Parenthood". CNN.
  337. 1 2 Nick Gass, Trump on Planned Parenthood: 'I am a truth teller', Politico (March 1, 2016).
  338. Jeremy Diamond (March 30, 2016). "Trump reverses statement on women and abortion after outcry". CNN. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  339. "Donald J. Trump Statement Regarding Abortion". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  340. Kendall, Brent (May 18, 2016). "Donald Trump Releases Names of 11 Potential Supreme Court Choices". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  341. Rupert, Evelyn (September 16, 2016). "Trump toughens anti-abortion stance". Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  342. Fang, Marina (November 13, 2016). "Donald Trump: Women Will 'Have To Go To Another State' For Abortions If Roe v. Wade Is Reversed". Huffington Post. Retrieved 18 November 2016.
  343. 1 2 3 "TRUMP: If I'm president, 'Christianity will have power' in the US". Business Insider. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  344. "Trump Speech; Christie Endorses Trump". CNN. February 26, 2016.
  345. "Thrilling Christian conservative audience, Trump vows to lift ban on politicking, appoint antiabortion judges". Washington Post. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
  346. "Trump: Am I being audited because I'm a Christian?". USA Today. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  347. Jenna Johnson, Donald Trump demands that police arrest rally protesters, Associated Press (March 12, 2016).
  348. 1 2 Geoffrey R. Stone, Donald Trump, Protest, and the First Amendment, Huffington Post (March 16, 2016).
  349. "Trump threatens to weaken First Amendment protections for reporters". Associated Press. February 27, 2016.
  350. Tom Kludt, Donald Trump says he wants libel laws more like the UK's, CNN Money (October 24, 2016).
  351. Callum Borchers, On freedom of the press, Donald Trump wants to make America like England again, Washington Post (October 24, 2016).
  352. 1 2 Adam Liptak, Fearing Trump, Bar Association Stifles Report Calling Him a ‘Libel Bully’, New York Times (October 24, 2016).
  353. 1 2 "Trump campaign blocks Politico reporter from victory rally". CNN Money. March 16, 2016.
  354. Farhi, Paul (October 8, 2016). "NBC waited for green light from lawyers before airing Trump video". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 9, 2016.
  355. Andrew Kaczynski & Jon Sarlin, Trump in 1989 Central Park Five interview: "Maybe hate is what we need", CNN (October 10, 2016).
  356. Jessica Taylor, Trump: 'Sad' N.Y. Bombing Suspect Gets Quality Medical Care, Lawyer, NPR (September 19, 2016).
  357. Eric Boehm, Donald Trump Vs. The Sixth Amendment, Reason (September 20, 2016).
  358. 1 2 3 David Morgan, Clinton campaign manager likens Trump to a dictator, CBS News (October 10, 2016).
  359. 1 2 Charlie Savage, Threat to Jail Clinton Smacks of 'Tin-Pot Dictators,' Experts Say, New York Times (October 10, 2016).
  360. 1 2 Josh Gerstein, , Politico (October 10, 2016).
  361. "Trump on Clinton: 'Lock her up is right'". Washington Post. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  362. "Trump turns bitter". POLITICO. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  363. 1 2 Patricia Mazzei (August 12, 2016). "Trump: Americans could be tried in Guantánamo". Miami Herald.
  364. Quinta Jurecic, The Legality of Donald Trump's Proposal to Try US Citizens by Military Commission, Lawfare (August 12, 2016).
  365. 1 2 Liam Stack, Trump Victory Alarms Gay and Transgender Groups, New York Times (November 10, 2016).
  366. 1 2 3 Maggie Haberman, Donald Trump's More Accepting Views on Gay Issues Set Him Apart in G.O.P., New York Times (April 22, 2016).
  367. Betsy Woodruff, Trump, Cruz Give Few Straight Answers on Gay Marriage, Daily Beast (April 11, 2016).
  368. 1 2 3 Donald Trump says the law is settled on gay marriage but not on abortion, The Economist (November 17, 2016).
  369. The Advocate (February 15, 2000).
  370. "How conservatives are keeping the gay marriage issue alive on Capitol Hill". Washington Post. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  371. "Trump gives conditional support for 'religious freedom' bill". Washington Blade: Gay News, Politics, LGBT Rights. December 23, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  372. "What the Non-Pledgers Said in Support of FADA". The Pulse 2016. December 17, 2015. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  373. 1 2 "Backstage with Donald Trump before his Raleigh speech". The News & Observer. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  374. 1 2 3 Mollie Reilly Deputy Politics Editor, The Huffington Post (July 6, 2016). "Donald Trump Now Apparently Supports North Carolina's Anti-LGBT Law". The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
  375. Haberman, Maggie (April 22, 2016). "Donald Trump's More Accepting Views on Gay Issues Set Him Apart in G.O.P.". New York Times. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  376. "How North Carolina signed a bill dubbed the most anti-LGBT law in the U.S.". pbs.org. Public Broadcasting Service. March 24, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  377. Kopan, Tal; Scott, Eugene (March 24, 2016). "North Carolina governor signs controversial transgender bill". cnn.com. Cable News Network. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  378. Gordon, Michael; Price, Mark S.; Peralta, Katie (March 26, 2016). "Understanding HB2: North Carolina's newest law solidifies state's role in defining discrimination". charlotteobserver.com. The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  379. Tan, Avianne (March 24, 2016). "North Carolina's Controversial 'Anti-LGBT' Bill Explained". abcnews.go.com. American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  380. Sam Levine, Donald Trump Thinks North Carolina Got It Wrong On Anti-LGBT Bathroom Bill, Huffington Post (April 21, 2016).
  381. David A. Graham, Donald Trump's Case for Tolerance, The Atlantic (April 21, 2016).
  382. 1 2 David A. Graham, Did Trump Change His Mind on North Carolina's Transgender Law?, The Atlantic (April 22, 2016).
  383. "The Advocate Interview February 2000 Donald Trump". Books.google.com. February 15, 2000. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  384. Jenna Johnson, Here's how Trump responded to a question about women and transgender individuals in the military, Washington Post (October 3, 2016).
  385. 1 2 Ehrenfreund, Max. July 22, 2015. Here's what Donald Trump really believes. The Washington Post.
  386. Chris Johnson, Trump's far-fetched plan to undo marriage equality, Washington Blade (March 22, 2016).
  387. "Donald Trump punching back". MediaBuzz. Fox News Channel. July 5, 2015.
  388. 1 2 "Ted Cruz attacks Donald Trump's financial record; Trump responds". Fox News. January 31, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  389. "Trump: I Would 'Strongly Consider' Appointing Judges To Overturn Same-Sex Marriage". Huffington Post. February 1, 2016.
  390. "Trump says he would play in Iowa, aides to visit Monday". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  391. "Trump's LGBT-Unfriendly Supreme Court Picks". www.advocate.com. May 18, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
  392. Eli Stokols, Trump says he's 'fine' with legalization of same-sex marriage, Politico (November 13, 2016).
  393. Meridith McGraw, Trump Is First GOP Nominee to Mention LGBTQ Citizens in Acceptance Speech, ABC News (July 21, 2016).
  394. "Trump: "I Will Protect Our LGBTQ Citizens'". NBC News. July 22, 2016.
  395. 1 2 "Donald Trump says he will crack down on internet porn while in office". Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  396. 1 2 Siddiqui, Sabrina (July 13, 2016). "Donald Trump strikes muddled note on 'divisive' Black Lives Matter". The Guardian.
  397. Master, Cyra (July 19, 2016). "Trump calls into Bill O'Reilly show during convention". The Hill. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  398. 1 2 "Donald Trump explains his plan to heal America's racial divide to Bill O'Reilly". The Week. July 13, 2016.
  399. Collins, Eliza (July 13, 2016). "Trump to blacks: System rigged against me, too". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 16, 2016.
  400. Hillyard, Vaughn (November 20, 2015). "Trump's plan for a Muslim database draws comparison to Nazi Germany". MSNBC.
  401. Maggie Haberman (November 22, 2015). "Donald Trump Calls for Surveillance of 'Certain Mosques' and a Syrian Refugee Database". The New York Times.
  402. 1 2 Hillyard, Vaughn. "Trump's plan for a Muslim database draws comparison to Nazi Germany". MSNBC. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  403. 1 2 Lauren Carroll, Fact-checking Trump's claim that thousands in New Jersey cheered when World Trade Center tumbled, PolitiFact (November 22, 2015).
  404. Jordyn Phelps, Donald Trump Again Says He Saw Cheering in New Jersey on 9/11, ABC News (November 22, 2015).
  405. Lauren Carroll New information doesn't fix Donald Trump's 9/11 claim, PolitiFact (December 2, 2015).
  406. Gonyea, Don (November 24, 2015). "Trump Reasserts Claim That 'Thousands' Of N.J. Muslims Cheered After Sept. 11". NPR. Retrieved November 27, 2015.
  407. Brent Johnson, Trump: 'Thousands' in Jersey City cheered on 9/11 (VIDEO), NJ.com (November 22, 2015).
  408. Jesse Byrnes, Trump sides with Rubio over Cruz in NSA surveillance debate, The Hill (December 1, 2015).
  409. 1 2 Eric Bradner, Trump: 'Err on the side of security', CNN (December 1, 2015).
  410. Jeremy Diamond, Trump calls for Apple boycott, CNN (February 19, 2016).
  411. Brian Fung, Trump wants you to boycott Apple — but he's still tweeting from an iPhone, Washington Post (February 19, 2016).
  412. Jenna Johnson. "Trump alleges widespread voter fraud: 'This voting system is out of control.'". Washington Post. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  413. 1 2 Lauren Carroll (May 8, 2016). "Donald Trump wrongly says non-citizens can vote when there is same-day voter registration". PolitiFact.
  414. 1 2 3 Routh, Julian. "Trump Warns of Electoral 'Cheating' During Pennsylvania Rally". Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  415. Nyhan, Brendan (August 5, 2016). "How Donald Trump's 'Rigged' Claim Chips Away at Democracy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 13, 2016.
  416. 1 2 Yuhas, Alan (September 30, 2016). "Trump says he may not accept result if Clinton wins, in reversal from debate". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  417. 1 2 Healy, Patrick; Haberman, Maggie (September 30, 2016). "Donald Trump Opens New Line of Attack on Hillary Clinton: Her Marriage". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  418. "Trump says election being rigged 'at many polling places'". Reuters. October 16, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  419. "Trump bashes 'rigged' election (and Saturday Night Live)". USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  420. "Trump says illegal immigrants pouring across the border to vote". POLITICO. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  421. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  422. "Trump's Pants on Fire claim of 'large scale voter fraud'". @politifact. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  423. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  424. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  425. "How Trump tweets about Obamacare". POLITICO. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  426. "Donald Trump in astonishing Twitter rant after Barack Obama wins US election". Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  427. Nick Wing Senior Viral Editor, The Huffington Post (November 7, 2012). "Trump: It's A 'Total Sham,' Time For 'Revolution'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 26, 2016.
  428. Kludt, Tom (September 22, 2015). "Who isn't happy to see Brian Williams again? Donald Trump". CNNMoney. Retrieved June 27, 2016.
  429. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  430. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  431. Rappeport, Alan (March 25, 2016). "Donald Trump's Trail of Comments About Women". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  432. 1 2 "Trump In 2014 On Women In The Army: "It Is Bedlam"". BuzzFeed. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  433. "Donald Trump sexism tracker: Every offensive comment in one place". The Telegraph. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  434. Media, The Editors HuffPost (May 8, 2013). "Go Home, Donald". The Huffington Post. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  435. "Trump on women in military: 'Yes, because they're really into it' - CNN Video". CNN. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  436. 1 2 3 4 Richard Pildes, What are Donald Trump's Views on Campaign Finance Regulation?, Election Law Blog (ed. Richard L. Hasen) (March 23, 2016).
  437. "Trump: 'I Love the Idea of Campaign Finance Reform'". Bloomberg Politics. August 14, 2016.
  438. Peter Overby, Presidential Candidates Pledge To Undo 'Citizens United.' But Can They?, Morning Edition NPR (February 14, 2016) ("Trump says he supports campaign finance reform, though a specific plan is not available on his website.").
  439. Charles Borden, Claire Rajan & Daniel Holman, The Presidential Candidates on Campaign Finance Reform, Corporate Counsel (March 23, 2016) ("While saying he is open to reform, however, Trump has refrained from detailing specific policies and focused instead on accusing fellow candidates of being bought while arguing that his personal wealth guarantees his political independence.").
  440. Eugene Scott. "Trump on public financing: 'I don't know yet'". CNN. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  441. Richardson, Bradford (January 17, 2016). "Trump open to campaign finance reform". The Hill.
  442. 1 2 Levinthal, Dave. "Trump Embraces Donors, Super PACs He Once Decried". Time. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  443. Grant, Peter; Mullins, Brody (May 16, 2016). "Donald Trump Wouldn't Have Had the Ready Cash to Self-Finance Entire Campaign — Analysis". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  444. Langley, Monica; Ballhaus, Rebecca (May 5, 2016). "Donald Trump Won't Self-Fund General-Election Campaign". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  445. Sara Murray; Theodore Schleifer (May 18, 2016). "How Donald Trump won over big donors". CNN.
  446. Emily Flitter (July 20, 2016). "Exclusive: Trump could seek new law to purge government of Obama appointees". Reuters.
  447. 1 2 Irin Carmon, Disability rights have long been bipartisan. Will Trump end that?, MSNBC (June 1, 2016).
  448. What the candidates offer to Americans with disabilities, a growing voting bloc, PBS NewsHour, PBS (November 2, 2016): "Judy Woodruff: Trump doesn’t address disability issues in detail on his Web site."
  449. Jacqueline Alemany, The election that forgot America's disabled, CBS News (November 4, 2016): "Trump has not mentioned a plan for research or improved care for the disabled, and there is nothing on his website on this issue."
  450. Jose A. DelReal, Trump draws scornful rebuke for mocking reporter with disability, Washington Post (November 26, 2015).
  451. Alan Gathright, Pro-Clinton Super PAC ad says Trump 'mocked' disabled reporter; evidence supports claim, PolitiFact (June 13, 2016).
  452. Alan Gathright & Louis Jacobson, Donald Trump says Hillary Clinton is 'wrong' to say he mocked a disabled reporter, PolitiFact (October 20, 2016).
  453. Glenn Kessler, Donald Trump's revisionist history of mocking a disabled reporter, Washington Post (August 2, 2016).
  454. "Donald Trump: A friend of D.C., the state?". Washington Post. August 17, 2015. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  455. "A transcript of Donald Trump's meeting with The Washington Post editorial board". Washington Post. March 21, 2016. Retrieved March 21, 2016.
  456. "Donald Trump on School Choice". American Principles in Action. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved November 25, 2015.
  457. 1 2 Joshua Gillin, Common Core is 'education through Washington, D.C.,' Trump says, Politifact (March 10, 2016).
  458. 1 2 Valerie Strauss, Donald Trump is wrong about Common Core — but he's not the only candidate who is, Washington Post (March 4, 2016).
  459. "Has Donald Trump promised education secretary to Ben Carson?". March 11, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2016.
  460. Valerie Strauss (March 11, 2016). "Donald Trump thinks Ben Carson is an education expert. Oy vey". Washington Post.
  461. 1 2 3 Ashley Parker (September 8, 2016). "Donald Trump Releases Education Proposal, Promoting School Choice". New York Times.
  462. Abby Jackson (September 8, 2016). "Donald Trump just provided the first detailed education proposal of his campaign". Business Insider.
  463. "Trump: Eminent Domain "Wonderful"". Real Clear Politics. October 6, 2015.
  464. "Donald Trump's history of eminent domain abuse". Washington Post. August 19, 2015.
  465. "Trump: Pregnancy Is an 'Inconvenience' to Employers". Retrieved July 26, 2016.
  466. 1 2 Wheeler, Lydia (September 15, 2016). "Trump floats rolling back food safety regulations". Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  467. The Associated Press (September 15, 2016). "Trump Campaign Pushes Food Safety Rollbacks, Then Deletes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  468. 1 2 Colman McCarthy, Trumped Up Assault on Indian Gambling, Washington Post (October 26, 1993).
  469. 1 2 3 4 Alexander Burns, Donald Trump's Instinct for Racially Charged Rhetoric, Before His Presidential Bid, New York Times (July 31, 2015).
  470. 1 2 3 Joe Mahoney, Trump is Fines in Attack on Indian Casino, New York Daily News (November 14, 2000).
  471. 1 2 Charles V. Bagli, Trump and Others Accept Fines For Ads in Opposition to Casinos, New York Times (October 6, 2000).
  472. Scott Allen, Donald Trump doesn't think the Redskins should change their name, Washington Post (October 5, 2015).
  473. John Keim, Donald Trump: Redskins a 'positive' name, Washington shouldn't change, ESPN (October 5, 2015).
  474. Mark Weiner, Oneida Indian Nation blasts Donald Trump for defending Washington Redskins, Syracuse.com (October 5, 2015).
  475. Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Fact Checker: Warren's heritage a target for Trump, Washington Post (June 28, 2016).
  476. Matea Gold, Karoun Demirjian & Mike DeBonis, Donald Trump's 'Pocahontas' attack on Elizabeth Warren leaves GOP struggling to defend him, Chicago Tribune (June 11, 2016).
  477. Jessica Hopper, Donald Trump Doubles Down on Calling Elizabeth Warren 'Pocahontas', ABC News (June 11, 2016).
  478. Dean Obeidallah, How Trump Smeared Native Americans Back in 1993, Daily Beast (June 2, 2016).
  479. Garrett Epps, Trump's Birther Libel, The Atlantic (February 26, 2016).
  480. Nick Gass, Trump: I'm still a birther, Politico (July 10, 2015).
  481. Meghan Keneally, Donald Trump's History of Raising Birther Questions About President Obama, ABC News (September 18, 2015).
  482. "Donald Trump, birther?". Politico. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  483. "Donald Trump says people who went to school with Obama never saw him". PolitiFact. February 14, 2011.
  484. "Donald Trump, Whoopi Goldberg, Spar Over Obama on 'The View'". Wall Street Journal. March 24, 2011.
  485. "Trump hammers away at Obama's citizenship question". Associated Press. April 7, 2011.
  486. Scherer, Michael (April 27, 2011). "Birtherism Is Dead, But the Birther Industry Continues". Time. ISSN 0040-781X.
  487. 1 2 3 "Without Apology, Trump Now Says: 'Obama Was Born In' The U.S.". NPR.org. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  488. "Long, Strange Trip: Trump's Birther Claims Through the Years - NBC News". Retrieved September 18, 2016.
  489. "Trump: Obama born in Kenya". POLITICO. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  490. "Donald Trump's Obama 'Bombshell' Falls Short". ABC News. October 24, 2012.
  491. "Trump Post-Debate Interview With Chris Matthews Goes Off The Rails: Won't Put "Birth Certificate" Talk To Bed". RealClearPolitics.com. December 16, 2015.
  492. 1 2 3 4 Haberman, Maggie; Rappeport, Alan (September 16, 2016). "Trump Drops False 'Birther' Theory, but Floats a New One: Clinton Started It". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  493. 1 2 "Trump on Birtherism: Wrong, and Wrong". www.factcheck.org. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  494. "Trump finally backs off Obama birth claim, falsely accuses Clinton of starting it". Reuters. September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  495. "US election: Donald Trump keeping fact-checkers busy". BBC News. September 16, 2016. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  496. "AP jumps on the "lie" bandwagon". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  497. "Sopan Deb on Twitter". Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  498. Cillizza, Chris (September 16, 2016). "Donald Trump's birther event is the greatest trick he's ever pulled". Washington Post. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
  499. "Trump air-quotes Obama's presidency". POLITICO. Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  500. 1 2 "After 'not a war hero' remark, Donald Trump says John McCain has 'done nothing' for veterans". PolitiFact. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  501. "Trump says 300,000 veterans died waiting VA care". @politifact. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  502. "Veterans Administration Reforms That Will Make America Great Again". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. October 31, 2015.
  503. Ali Vitali (October 31, 2015). "Donald Trump Gets Specific on Veteran's Affairs Policy Reform Plan". NBC News.
  504. 1 2 3 4 Kesling, Ben (July 11, 2016). "Donald Trump Says He Would Make VA System More Privatized". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  505. "Trump faces mounting attacks on veterans issues". Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  506. "CNN.com - Transcripts". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved July 11, 2016.
  507. Kesling, Ben; Haddon, Heather (February 12, 2016). "Veterans' Wait After Trump Fundraiser Shows Hurdles for Campaign". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  508. Haddon, Heather (April 7, 2016). "Veterans' Charities Await Funds Raised by Donald Trump". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  509. "At Rolling Thunder rally, Trump says those in U.S. illegally treated better than veterans". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  510. Ben Schreckinger (July 18, 2015). "Trump attacks McCain: 'I like people who weren't captured'". Politico.
  511. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Katie Zezima, Trump plan calls for nationwide concealed carry and an end to gun bans, Washington Post (September 18, 2015).
  512. 1 2 Lisa Desjardins; Nathalie Boyd (June 16, 2015). "What does Donald Trump believe? Where the candidate stands on 10 issues". PBS NewsHour.
  513. Donald Trump (2000). The America We Deserve. Macmillan. ISBN 9781580631686.
  514. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Trip Gabriel, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton Set for Clash on Gun Control, New York Times (May 19, 2016).
  515. Rothfeld, Michael; Maremont, Mark (July 12, 2016). "Donald Trump Said Hillary Clinton Would 'Make a Good President' in 2008". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  516. Jon Keller, On The Issues: Guns and the Race For President, CBS Boston (March 8, 2016) (quoting Trump's campaign website).
  517. 1 2 Brianne Pfannenstiel, Trump in Iowa: More guns could stop mass shootings, Des Moines Register (December 5, 2015).
  518. Beth Reinhard, Donald Trump Wins NRA Endorsement, Wall Street Journal (May 20, 2016).
  519. Sopan Deb, Donald Trump takes on gun control, mass shootings, CBS News (October 5, 2015).
  520. "Trump: San Bernardino victims "could've protected themselves if they had guns"". CBS News. December 5, 2015.
  521. Trump, Donald J. (June 17, 2016). "Donald Trump's blistering words toward Orlando shooter". YouTube. CNN. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  522. "Trump Contradicts Previous Stance on Guns at Pulse Nightclub". ABC News. June 20, 2016. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  523. "Trump clarifies stance on guns after NRA criticism". POLITICO. Retrieved June 20, 2016.
  524. "Donald Trump: 'I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools'". Washington Post. Retrieved May 21, 2016.
  525. Janell Ross, Donald Trump's stance on guns in classrooms — yes, no and probably, Washington Post (May 22, 2016).
  526. "Trump's Gun Views in Spotlight Amid Accidental Shootings". ABC News. May 24, 2016. Retrieved May 24, 2016.
  527. Michelle Ye Hee Lee (May 18, 2016). "Clinton campaign's claim that Trump would 'force schools to allow guns in classrooms'". Washington Post.
  528. 1 2 Anita Balakrishnan, Trump: I carry a gun on occasion, CNBC (October 28, 2015).
  529. Christopher Good & Candace Smith, Donald Trump Is Against 'Gun-Free Zones' But Guns Aren't Allowed on Many of His Properties, Staff Says, ABC News (May 20, 2016).
  530. Rafferty, Andrew (August 9, 2016). "Trump '2nd Amendment' Comment Seen as Threat Against Clinton". NBC News. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  531. "Donald Trump's prepared speech to the Republican National convention, annotated". Washington Post. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  532. 1 2 "Trump unveils list of potential picks for Supreme Court seat". The Big Story. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  533. 1 2 3 4 5 Rappeport, Alan; Savage, Charlie (May 18, 2016). "Donald Trump Releases List of Possible Supreme Court Picks". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 22, 2016. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  534. "Trump's Supreme Court List Might Reassure Conservatives, But Leaves Off Big Names". NPR.org. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  535. "Trump Goes Conventional With Conservative Supreme Court List". Bloomberg.com/politics. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  536. 2016 (March 30, 2016). "8 Highly Qualified Candidates to Serve on the Supreme Court". The Daily Signal. Retrieved May 19, 2016.
  537. Nolan D. McCaskill (March 30, 2016). "Trump: I'd pick justices who would look at Clinton's email scandal". Politico.
  538. "Trump Calls Chief Justice Roberts a 'Nightmare for Conservatives'". ABC News. January 17, 2016. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  539. "Cruz Distorts Rubio's Stance on Gay Marriage". FactCheck.org. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  540. Corasaniti, Nick (February 13, 2016). "At Debate, Donald Trump Calls on Republicans to 'Delay, Delay, Delay'". New York Times.
  541. Roeder, Oliver (August 1, 2016). "Clinton And Trump Are Both Promising An Extreme Supreme Court". Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  542. 1 2 3 4 Matt Ford, Donald Trump's Racially Charged Advocacy of the Death Penalty, The Atlantic (December 18, 2015).
  543. Foderaro, Lisa (May 1, 1989). "Angered by Attack, Trump Urges Return Of the Death Penalty". The New York Times. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  544. Ford, Matt (December 18, 2015). "Donald Trump's Racially Charged Advocacy of the Death Penalty". The Atlantic. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  545. Laughland, Oliver (February 17, 2016). "Donald Trump and the Central Park Five: the racially charged rise of a demagogue". The Guardian. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  546. CNN, Steven A. Holmes. "Reality Check: Donald Trump and the Central Park 5". CNN. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  547. Verbatim: Donald Trump Promises Death Penalty in Killings of Police Officers, New York Times (December 10, 2015).
  548. "Trump Tells Police Group: Every Single Cop-Killer Gets Death Penalty If I Win".
  549. "Trump: I will mandate death penalty for killing police officers". The Hill.
  550. Diamond, Jeremy (December 11, 2015). "Trump: Death penalty for cop killers". CNN.
  551. 1 2 Fact Checks: Donald J. Trump: "One of the first things I do in terms of executive order if I win will be to sign a strong, strong statement" that "anybody killing a police officer — death penalty.", New York Times (December 11, 2016).
  552. 1 2 3 Liz Goodwin (May 25, 2016). "A 1990s mugging and the roots of Donald Trump's hardline criminal justice views". Yahoo! News.
  553. 1 2 3 Adam Wisnieski. "Trump On Crime: Tough Talk, Few Specifics". The Crime Report. Center on Media, Crime and Justice, John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  554. "Donald Trump wrong that Hillary Clinton wants to release all violent criminals from prison". PolitiFact. May 26, 2016.
  555. "Trump: The most mistreated people in this country are police and veterans". C-SPAN. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  556. Julia Craven, Donald Trump on Crime in Chicago: You Have To Be Tough On 'These People', Huffington Post (March 10, 2016).
  557. "Trump praises 'stop-and-frisk' police tactic". Reuters. September 21, 2016. Retrieved September 21, 2016.
  558. "Second Amendment Rights". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  559. "Donald Trump actually read his victory speech from a teleprompter. Here's the transcript". Yahoo News. Retrieved June 8, 2016.
  560. 1 2 "Trump wrong that inner-city crime is reaching record levels". Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  561. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  562. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  563. Golshan, Tara (June 8, 2016). "Donald Trump actually read his victory speech from a teleprompter. Here's the transcript". Vox. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  564. Louis Jacobson, Donald Trump said, 'Crime is rising.' It's not (and hasn't been for decades), PolitiFact (June 9, 2016).
  565. Draper, Robert. "Mr. Trump's Wild Ride", The New York Times Magazine (May 18, 2016): "there are places in America that are among the most dangerous in the world. You go to places like Oakland. Or Ferguson. The crime numbers are worse. Seriously."
  566. "Trump Gets Flak For Crack About Oakland Being 'Most Dangerous' City", KPIX-TV (May 18, 2016): "In Baghdad it's 32 murders per 100,000 people....In Oakland it's 25 per 100,000, 32 versus 25, so Baghdad/Oakland, not out of the ballparkTrum according to the statistics."
  567. "Donald Trump's false claim that Oakland, Ferguson are 'among the most dangerous in the world'". PolitiFact. May 30, 2016.
  568. 1 2 3 "Trump's Pants on Fire tweet that blacks killed 81% of white homicide victims". PolitiFact. Retrieved May 30, 2016.
  569. 1 2 3 Robert Farley (November 23, 2015). "Trump Retweets Bogus Crime Graphic". FactCheck.org. Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  570. Emily Gray Brosious, The dramatic evolution of Donald Trump's drug policy rhetoric, Chicago Sun-Times (October 28, 2015).
  571. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Asawin Suebsaeng, Wayback Machine: Donald Trump: Legalize ALL the Drugs, Daily Beast (August 3, 2015).
  572. Donald Trump: Legalize Drugs, Sarasota Herald-Tribune (April 14, 1990).
  573. Christopher Ingraham, Donald Trump's drug policy is an alarming throwback to the 1980s, Washington Post (March 3, 2016).
  574. Jon Gettman, Pot Matters: Trump on Marijuana, High Times (February 12, 2016).
  575. Jenna Johnson (October 29, 2015). "Trump softens position on marijuana legalization". Washington Post.
  576. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  577. Chris Morris (August 10, 2015). "Donald Trump: Not so great for gamers". Plugged In/Yahoo! Tech.
  578. Vitali, Ali (October 18, 2016). "Donald Trump: I Will Push Term Limits to Tell Congress 'You're Fired'". NBC News. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  579. "Trump Pledges To Drain The Swamp and Impose Congressional Term Limits". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  580. "Trump calls for congressional term limits, lobbyist crackdown". Fox News. October 18, 2016. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
  581. 1 2 Catherine Ho, Trump proposes five-year ban on executive branch officials and lawmakers who want to become lobbyists, Washington Post (October 17, 2016).
  582. Christine Gorman & Ryan F. Mandelbaum, Grading the Presidential Candidates on Science: Scientific American evaluates responses from Clinton, Trump, Johnson and Stein to 20 questions, Scientific American (September 26, 2016).
  583. 1 2 3 "What a Trump administration means for space - SpaceNews.com". SpaceNews.com. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
  584. "Trump: "Look at your space program… We're like a third world nation"". Ars Technica. August 8, 2016. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  585. 1 2 Jon Swartz, Clinton wants high-speed Internet in every U.S. home by 2020, USA Today (June 30, 2016).
  586. 1 2 Dawn Chmielewski, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are worlds apart on tech policy issues, Recode (June 30, 2016).
  587. "Trump: Sony has 'no courage, no guts ... it's extortion'". Retrieved September 20, 2016.
  588. "Exclusive — Donald Trump to Breitbart Tech: Artificial Intelligence Creators, Users Should 'Consider Ethical and Moral Consequences'". Breitbart News. October 27, 2015. Retrieved September 20, 2016. TRUMP: I have always been concerned about the social breakdown of our culture caused by technology.
  589. Caroline Craig, Where the candidates stand on Net neutrality, InfoWorld (September 25, 2015).
  590. Sam Thielman, Tech policy activists find Bernie Sanders is best bet – while Trump is the worst, Guardian (March 14, 2016).
  591. Nicholas Kristof, Congress to America: Drop Dead, New York Times (May 12, 2016),
  592. Melanie Eversley (October 23, 2014). "Trump hits Twitter to blame Obama for Ebola in NYC". USA Today.
  593. 1 2 Matthew Champion, Donald Trump has a novel approach to fighting Ebola: Irrationality, Independent (2014).
  594. Jenn Selby (August 4, 2014). "Donald Trump says Ebola doctors 'must suffer the consequences'". The Independent.
  595. Sarah Smith (August 8, 2014). "Trump: Keep out Ebola victims". Politico.
  596. 1 2 3 "Trump on 'the Zika': Rick Scott has it 'under control' | Naked Politics". Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  597. 1 2 3 "Trump: Americans could be tried in Guantánamo". Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  598. "Trump weighs in on vaccine-autism controversy". CNN. March 28, 2014. Retrieved August 24, 2015.
  599. 1 2 Ariana Eunjung Cha, The origins of Donald Trump's autism/vaccine theory and how it was completely debunked eons ago, Washington Post (September 17, 2015).
  600. Willingham, Emily. "Finally, Someone Found A Beneficiary Of Trump Charity, And It's An Antivaccine Organization". Retrieved October 2, 2016.
  601. Lauren Carroll (March 1, 2016). "Obama: None of the GOP candidates have climate change plan". PolitiFact.
  602. Valerie Volcovici, Trump taps climate change skeptic, fracking advocate as key energy advisor, Reuters (May 13, 2016).
  603. 1 2 3 4 Michelle Conlin (July 21, 2016). "Exclusive: Trump considering fracking mogul Harold Hamm as energy secretary - sources". Reuters.
  604. 1 2 3 4 Jill Colvin; Ellen Knickmeyer (May 27, 2016). "Trump tells California 'there is no drought'". Associated Press.
  605. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Ashley Parker & Coral Davenport (May 26, 2016). "Donald Trump's Energy Plan: More Fossil Fuels and Fewer Rules". New York Times.
  606. Jason Samenow (March 22, 2016). "Donald Trump's unsettling nonsense on weather and climate". Washington Post.
  607. Seeing the future of climate policy under the next president on YouTube, September 7, 2016 PBS NewsHour
  608. "What Donald Trump said about the Chinese inventing the 'hoax' of climate change". @politifact. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  609. "TRUMP: I was joking when I said the Chinese 'created' the concept of climate change". Business Insider. January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  610. Tal Kopan; Heather Goldin (November 30, 2015). "Donald Trump: Obama climate change remarks one of 'dumbest things' uttered in history". CNN.
  611. "Trump: Obama has made us 'fools' with focus on climate change". The Hill. December 1, 2015. Retrieved January 30, 2016.
  612. "News from The Associated Press". customwire.ap.org. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  613. Letzter, Rafi (August 26, 2016). "TRUMP: Claims of global warming still 'need to be investigated'". Business Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  614. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "An America first Energy Plan". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  615. "Donald Trump exaggerates how much coal in U.S. has been phased out". Politifact. December 15, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  616. Lehmann,ClimateWire, Evan. "Trump Cannot Bring Back Coal". Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  617. Donald J. Trump Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again (Regnery, 2011), p. 15.
  618. Vanessa Schipani (May 30, 2016). "Trump on Hairspray and Ozone". FactCheck.org. Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  619. Valerie Volcovici; Emily Stephenson (May 27, 2016). "Trump vows to undo Obama's climate agenda in appeal to oil sector". Reuters. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  620. 1 2 3 Emily Flitter & Steve Holland, Exclusive: Skeptical Trump says would renegotiate global climate deal, Reuters (May 17, 2016).
  621. Ian Simpson More than 300 scientists warn over Trump's climate change stance, Reuters (September 20, 2016).
  622. 1 2 An Open Letter Regarding Climate Change From Concerned Members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, ResponsibleScientists.org/Climate Science Rapid Response Team (September 20, 2016).
  623. 1 2 "Full Interview and Transcript: Donald Trump on "FOX News Sunday" With Chris Wallace". www.realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  624. "Exclusive: Donald Trump Talks 2012, Calls Obama the 'Worst President Ever'". www.foxnews.com. June 16, 2016. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  625. Rupert, Evelyn (July 29, 2016). "Trump indicates towns, states should be able to ban fracking". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  626. Cama, Timothy (August 3, 2016). "Trump rattles industry with fracking position". The Hill. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  627. CNN, Theodore Schleifer. "Donald Trump supports the Keystone pipeline". CNN. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  628. Milman, Oliver (October 26, 2016). "Dakota Access pipeline company and Donald Trump have close financial ties". Guardian. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  629. 1 2 "Crippled America, by Donald J. Trump (Sept. 2015)". www.ontheissues.org. Retrieved June 4, 2016.
  630. Philip Bump, Donald Trump hated wind farms — until an Iowa voter asked, Washington Post (November 19, 2015).
  631. 1 2 "There's a lot to unpack in just one of Donald Trump's answers about energy policy". Washington Post. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  632. Jon Greenberg, Trump inflates wind turbine eagle deaths, "Politifact" (May 31, 2016).
  633. Timothy Cama, Trump calls for higher ethanol mandate, The Hill' (January 19, 2016).
  634. Dlouhy, Jennifer (September 15, 2016). "Trump Caught Between Corn, Oil Interests on Renewable Fuels". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 25, 2016.
  635. Neidig, Harper (October 6, 2016). "Humane Society launches ad: Trump presidency a 'threat to animals everywhere'". TheHill. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  636. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Sanger, David E.; Haberman, Maggie. "Donald Trump Sets Conditions for Defending NATO Allies Against Attack". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 21, 2016.
  637. Trump's New Russia Adviser Has Deep Ties to Kremlin's Gazprom March 30, 2016
  638. "Here's who Donald Trump is taking foreign policy advice from". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  639. Rappeport, Alan (March 22, 2016). "Top Experts Confounded by Advisers to Donald Trump". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  640. 1 2 "Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties". Reuters. February 26, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  641. 1 2 3 "Lt. Gen. Flynn: I'm trying to improve Trump's foreign policy talk". Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  642. "A curveball in Trump's Veep search: He's seriously considering a retired general". Washington Post. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
  643. 1 2 3 "Trump's foreign policy team baffles GOP experts". Politico. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  644. "Is This the Trump List We Have Been Waiting For?". Foreign Policy. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  645. Neidig, Harper (September 24, 2016). "Trump camp backs away from adviser suspected of Kremlin ties". Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  646. Will McCants (July 19, 2016). "Realist or neocon? Mixed messages in Trump advisor's foreign policy vision". Markaz: Middle East Politics & Policy. Brookings Institution.
  647. http://www.washingtontimes.com, The Washington Times. "Michael Flynn, former military intel chief: Iraq war helped create Islamic state".
  648. "Trump adviser Michael T. Flynn on his dinner with Putin and why Russia Today is just like CNN".
  649. Beauchamp, Zack (July 9, 2016). "Michael Flynn, the retired general on Donald Trump's VP shortlist, explained".
  650. "Trump: I consult myself on foreign policy". Politico. Retrieved March 16, 2016.
  651. "Open Letter on Trump from GOP National Security Leaders". War on the Rocks. March 2, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2016.
  652. "Global Forecasting Service - Donald Trump wins the US presidential election". Global Forecasting Service, Economist Intelligence Union. Retrieved May 31, 2016.
  653. C. Eugene Emery Jr., Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump has called the U.S. military 'a disaster', PolitiFact (July 29, 2016).
  654. Louis Jacobson, Rear Adm. John Hutson says Donald Trump 'called the military that I served in a disaster', PolitiFact (July 27, 2016).
  655. Tyler Pager, Gen. John Allen backs Clinton in hawkish rebuke of Trump, Politico (July 28, 2016).
  656. Jose A. DelReal, A retired general spoke forcefully for Clinton. Now Trump is attacking him, Washington Post (July 30, 2016).
  657. Cristiano Lima, Trump rips 'failed' Gen. Allen in rebuttal to DNC criticism, Politico (July 29, 2016).
  658. "'Hannity on the Road': Donald Trump". Fox News. March 9, 2016. Retrieved July 24, 2016.
  659. "Transcript: Donald Trump's Foreign Policy Speech". The New York Times. April 27, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  660. 1 2 Leo Shane III (April 27, 2016). "Trump promises to rebuild the military, make allies pay more". Military Times.
  661. 1 2 Ellen Mitchell (June 9, 2016). "Trump convenes meeting with top defense lobbyists". Politico.
  662. "Trump's military spending flip-flop". Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  663. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Donald Trump running for President". The O'Reilly Factor. June 17, 2015. Retrieved September 29, 2015.
  664. 1 2 Johnson, Jenna (September 25, 2015). "Donald Trump: Let Russia fight the Islamic State in Syria". The Washington Post.
  665. Trump sets record for longest 2016 GOP announcement speech. Fox News Channel, June 16, 2015
  666. Thomas Wright (January 20, 2016). "Trump's 19th Century Foreign Policy". Politico.
  667. "Japan-U.S. security alliance not fair, Donald Trump says". The Japan Times. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  668. "Donald Trump says South Korea doesn't pay United States for troop presence". PolitiFact. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  669. Hensch, Mark (January 5, 2016). "Trump: 'I would want to protect Saudi Arabia'". The Hill.
  670. "Trump: Israel should reimburse us just like other countries who can defend themselves". The Right Scoop. March 21, 2016.
  671. 1 2 Jeremy Diamond, CNN (December 4, 2015). "Donald Trump dodges on killing terrorist families". CNN.
  672. 1 2 "Geneva Conventions bar Donald Trump's idea of killing terrorists' families, as Rand Paul says". PolitiFact. Retrieved January 6, 2016.
  673. 1 2 3 CNN, Tom LoBianco. "Donald Trump on Afghanistan: Not a mistake". CNN. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  674. 1 2 "Trump offers no sympathy for Mubarak". CNN. February 10, 2011.
  675. "Trump: Everything Obama Does Is a 'Campaign Speech'". On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren. Fox News. August 31, 2011.
  676. Andrew Kaczynski (April 27, 2016). "Trump In 2011 Praised Hosni Mubarak's Ouster As A "Good Thing"". BuzzFeed News.
  677. "Donald J. Trump on Twitter". Twitter. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  678. 1 2 "Trump praises Egypt's al-Sisi: 'He's a fantastic guy'". Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  679. 1 2 3 4 Donald Trump Weighs in on Iran Deal (interview with Katy Tur), NBC News (July 14, 2015).
  680. 1 2 C. Eugene Emery Jr. (March 24, 2016). "Donald Trump says Iran military will have nuclear weapons as soon as enrichment limits expire". PolitiFact.
  681. 1 2 Robert Farley (July 8, 2016). "Trump's Fanciful Iran Negotiation". FactCheck.org. Annenberg Public Policy Center.
  682. "Trump: Iran Nuke Talks Should Have Taken One Day". Fox News Insider. March 30, 2015. Retrieved June 3, 2016.
  683. Sopan Deb, Donald Trump claims credit for Iran's release of Americans, CBS News (January 16, 2016).
  684. Igor Bobic (August 16, 2015). "Donald Trump Would Not Rip Up The Iran Deal". Huffington Post.
  685. Begley, Sarah. "Read Donald Trump's Speech to AIPAC". Time. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  686. Hensch, Mark (July 5, 2016). "Adviser: Trump 'not going to get rid of' Iran deal".
  687. Richardson, Bradford (September 3, 2015). "Trump: Nuclear deal forces US to defend Iran against Israel". The Hill. Retrieved September 4, 2015.
  688. Warren Fiske & Amy Sherman, Trump says Iran deal forces U.S. to defend Iran if it's attacked by Israel, PolitiFact (September 4, 2015).
  689. CNN, Clarissa Ward. "Trump and Clinton ignore Syria at debate". CNN. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  690. 1 2 3 "Trump's organization did business with Iranian bank later linked to terrorism". Center for Public Integrity. October 3, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2016.
  691. Diamond, Jeremy (July 10, 2015). "Military analysts: Donald Trump's plan to bomb Iraq's oil fields not a good one". CNN. Retrieved August 6, 2015.
  692. 1 2 Engel, Pamela. "DONALD TRUMP: 'I would bomb the s--- out of' ISIS". Business Insider. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  693. Donald Trump on ISIS - "I would bomb the SHIT out of 'em!". November 12, 2015 via YouTube.
  694. Holland, Steve; Stephenson, Emily (November 10, 2015). "Trump endorses Putin's intervention in Syria". Reuters. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  695. Jenna Johnson (November 13, 2015). "Donald Trump begs Iowans not to believe Ben Carson: 'Don't be fools, okay?'". Washington Post.
  696. 1 2 "Transcript of Republican debate in Miami, full text". CNN. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
  697. "Donald Trump now says he would "never ever" deploy 20,000 to 30,000 American troops to combat Islamic State militants, despite suggesting he would be open to that at a recent debate". Associated Press. March 21, 2016.
  698. Neidig, Harper (July 1, 2016). "Trump calls for deploying NATO troops against ISIS". The Hill.
  699. Jonathan Russell (December 9, 2015). "Why Trump is playing right into ISIS' hands". CNN.
  700. 1 2 Jeremy Diamond, Trump continues to knock Mosul offensive, calls leaders 'group of losers', CNN (November 7, 2016).
  701. Ryan Browne, Donald Trump, Pentagon differ on Mosul fight's success, CNN (October 31, 2016).
  702. Louis Jacobson. "Donald Trump's conspiracy theory about Obama backing ISIS". PolitiFact. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  703. 1 2 Glenn Kessler (June 16, 2016). "Trump's bizarre claim that the Obama administration actively 'supported' terror groups". Washington Post.
  704. 1 2 3 4 Glenn Kessler (August 11, 2016). "Trump's claim that Obama is 'founder' of ISIS: An interview with Joby Warrick". Washington Post.
  705. Josh Lederman (August 10, 2016). "Trump refuses to back away from false claim Obama founded IS". Associated Press.
  706. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Louis Jacobson & Amy Sherman, Donald Trump's Pants on Fire claim that Barack Obama 'founded' ISIS, Hillary Clinton was 'cofounder', PolitiFact (August 11, 2016).
  707. 1 2 3 Tal Kopan (August 11, 2016). "Donald Trump: I meant that Obama founded ISIS, literally". CNN.
  708. Owen, Paul (August 12, 2016). "Donald Trump: I was being sarcastic about Obama and Isis". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved August 12, 2016.
  709. Mike Dorning (August 12, 2016). "Trump Again Claims 'Sarcasm' After Controversial Remarks". Bloomberg Politics.
  710. "In 2002, Donald Trump Said He Supported Invading Iraq". Buzzfeed News. February 18, 2016.
  711. "A Guide To Donald Trump's Shifting Position on the Iraq War". Buzzfeed News. February 20, 2016.
  712. "The Media Keeps Letting Trump Get Away With His Iraq Lie". Buzzfeed News. May 3, 2016.
  713. Eugene Kiely, Donald Trump and the Iraq War: A timeline of Trump statements about the Iraq war, before and after it started, from September 2002 to December 2003, FactCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center (February 19, 2016).
  714. Carroll, Lauren and Greenburg, Jon. "Trump repeats wrong claim that he opposed Iraq War", Politifact (September 7, 2016).
  715. "2003 clip backs up Trump on Iraq War opposition", Fox News Channel (September 27, 2016). cf. "What Donald Trump said about the Iraq War in 2003". Fox Business via YouTube. September 27, 2016. Retrieved November 5, 2016. Event occurs at 1:15.
  716. "Gingrich: Americans migrating away from dealmaking center; Supreme Court nomination a do or die moment for Senate?", Fox News (February 16, 2016).
  717. Tracy, Abigail. "Trump Loses Control When Asked About His Judgment". Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  718. Wemple, Erik. "Donald Trump says he voiced his Iraq War opposition to Sean Hannity", Washington Post (September 19, 2016).
  719. "Trump One Day Into Iraq Invasion: "It Looks Like A Tremendous Success"". Buzzfeed News. February 19, 2016.
  720. Donald Trump insists he never backed the Iraq war. But did he?, Los Angeles Times (September 26, 2016).
  721. Booth, William and Waxman, Sharon. "Hollywood Partyers, Soldiering On", Washington Post (March 25, 2003).
  722. 1 2 3 Michael Calderone, Donald Trump's Anti-Iraq War Position Wasn't As Prophetic As He Thinks, Huffington Post (September 14, 2015, updated February 2, 2016).
  723. Donald J. Trump, Donald Trump: How I'd Run the Country (Better), Esquire (August 18, 2015).
  724. Times, The New York; Haberman, Maggie; Confessore, Nicholas (August 6, 2016). "In Fact - Donald Trump Opposed Iraq War - but After It Started". New York Times.
  725. Jenna Johnson, A new Donald Trump emerges at AIPAC, flanked by teleprompters, Washington Post (March 21, 2016).
  726. Amir Keidan & Ran Rimon, Trump: Israel is one of my favorite countries, Globes (October 12, 2006).
  727. Allison Kaplan Sommer (January 16, 2013). "'You're not fired!' Donald Trump endorses Netanyahu". Haaretz. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  728. Maya Shwayder (January 15, 2013). "January 15, 2013". IB Times. Retrieved August 9, 2013.
  729. Ben Shapiro, Donald Trump, Melissa Rivers Headline Algemeiner Gala (February 4, 2015).
  730. Algemeiner Honors Joan Rivers, Donald Trump, Yuli Edelstein at Second Annual 'Jewish 100' Gala, Algemeiner Journal (February 5, 2015).
  731. Trump contributed to the disengagement and the evacuation of Yamit in the Sinai Ofer Petersburg, Yedioth Ahronoth, 15/11/2016
  732. 1 2 LoBianco, Tom (December 10, 2015). "Trump 'postpones' Israel trip after Netanyahu criticism". CNN. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  733. "Netanyahu 'rejects' Trump's Muslim remarks, will meet with him anyway". JTA. December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  734. "Trump postpones Israel trip 'until after he is elected'". BBC News. December 10, 2015.
  735. 1 2 Orly Azoulay, [http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4799194,00.html Trump: Israel should 'keep going' with settlements expansions, Ynetnews (May 4, 2016).
  736. "Trump Ahead of AIPAC Speech: Israel Should Repay U.S. for Aid". Haaretz. March 21, 2016. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  737. Todd J. Gillman, Trump raises possibility of curbing aid to Israel, calls third-party talk 'spiteful', Dallas Morning News (March 21, 2016).
  738. Crowley, Michael (February 26, 2016), "Trump defies GOP litmus test on Israel", Politico
  739. 1 2 AP Conversation: Trump says Mideast peace rests with Israel, Associated Press, December 3, 2015
  740. 1 2 Read Donald Trump’s Speech to AIPAC Sarah Begley, Updated: March 21, 2016
  741. Trump Blames Palestinians for Lack of Two-State Solution Monday, March 28, 2016 | Israel Today Staff, Israel Hayom
  742. Sarah Begley, Read Donald Trump's Speech to AIPAC, Time (March 21, 2016).
  743. Trump pledges to move US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Jewish Telegraphic Agency (January 20, 2016).
  744. READOUT OF DONALD J. TRUMP’S MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU (September 25, 2016).
  745. Helen Pidd & agencies, Muammar Gaddafi's tent finds home on Donald Trump's estate, The Guardian (September 22, 2009).
  746. 1 2 "Donald Trump: I 'Screwed' Gaddafi (VIDEO)". Huffington Post. March 21, 2011.
  747. Russell Goldman; Kirit Radia; John Berman (September 23, 2009). "Trump: Mr. Gadhafi, Tear Down That Tent". ABC News.
  748. Calvin Woodward & Josh Boak, AP Fact Check: Trump displays spotty memory on his views about Libya in debate, Associated Press (February 26, 2016).
  749. 1 2 3 Andrew Kaczynski & Christopher Massie, Trump Claims He Didn't Support Libya Intervention — But He Did, On Video, Buzzfeed News (February 25, 2016).
  750. "Trump: We Should Take Libya's Oil", Wall Street Journal, retrieved May 30, 2016
  751. 1 2 Aaron Sharockman, Donald Trump's Pants on Fire claim he never discussed Libya intervention, PolitiFact (February 25, 2016).
  752. Jeremy Diamond,Trump: World would be '100%' better with Hussein, Gadhafi in power, CNN (October 25, 2015).
  753. Bradner, Eric (June 5, 2016). "Trump -- again -- reverses Libya position". CNN. Retrieved June 6, 2016. 'I didn't mind surgical. And I said surgical. You do a surgical shot and you take him out,' Trump said on CBS' 'Face the Nation.'
  754. Jeremy Diamond (May 27, 2016). "Trump suggests U.S. should bomb Libya". CNN.
  755. "Trump calls billionaire Saudi prince 'dopey'". CNN. December 12, 2015.
  756. "Donald Trump still does business in Saudi Arabia, despite blaming the country for 9/11". The Independent. May 20, 2015.
  757. "Donald Trump Adds Saudi Arabia to List of Countries Ripping Off the U.S.". Bloomberg. August 16, 2015.
  758. "Trump tells NYT he would consider halting purchase of oil from Saudi Arabia". The Guardian. March 27, 2016.
  759. "Trump demands Clinton Foundation return $25 million from Saudis". Politico. June 13, 2016.
  760. "One-on-One with Donald Trump; New York Congressman Resigns Over Internet Photo". Piers Morgan Tonight. CNN. February 9, 2011.
  761. "Trump: China's Taking the Shirt Off Our 'Grossly Incompetent' President's Back". Fox News. August 18, 2011. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  762. "U.S.-China Trade Reform". Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  763. "US Election 2016: Are Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders right about trade? - BBC News". BBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2016.
  764. Max Bearak (October 15, 2016). "At Hindu-American rally, Trump pitches India and U.S. as 'best friends'". Washington Post.
  765. 1 2 Kopan, Tal (May 17, 2016). "Donald Trump would meet North Korea's Kim Jong Un". CNN.
  766. Richardson, Bradford (January 9, 2016). "Trump: Kim Jong Un deserves 'credit' for taking out rivals/". The Hill.
  767. 1 2 Byrnes, Jesse (January 6, 2016). "Trump: China has 'total control' over North Korea". The Hill.
  768. 1 2 "Did Trump really suggest that China should invade North Korea?". Washington Post. Retrieved September 27, 2016.
  769. 1 2 "North Korea editorial praises 'wise' Trump". BBC News. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  770. 1 2 3 4 CNN, Jeremy Diamond. "Trump shifts on Cuba, says he would reverse Obama's deal". CNN. Retrieved September 17, 2016.
  771. 1 2 "Exclusive interview: Donald Trump talks Cuba, oil drilling and 'badly hurt' Marco Rubio". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  772. 1 2 Eichenwald, Kurt (September 29, 2016). "Donald Trump's company violated the U.S. embargo against Cuba". Newsweek. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  773. "Did Donald Trump's Executives Violate the Cuban Embargo?". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  774. Jacobs, Ben (July 24, 2016). "Donald Trump: EU was formed 'to beat the US at making money'". the Guardian.
  775. Joseph J. Schatz, Trump's EU jab ignores US role in Europe: It was just the latest foreign policy provocation from the GOP nominee, Politico (July 25, 2016).
  776. "Donald Trump Predicts Germany's Merkel Will 'Be Out if They Don't Have A Revolution' - Breitbart". Breitbart. February 19, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  777. "Donald Trump - We can't have an immigration policy like Angela Merkel does in Germany". SoundCloud. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  778. 1 2 Andrea Shalal (July 20, 2016). "INTERVIEW-Trump's 'politics of fear' dangerous for U.S., world-German foreign minister". Reuters.
  779. Parker, Ashley (June 24, 2016). "Trump Says British Vote Is a 'Great Thing'". New York Times. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
  780. Johnson, Jenna and Jose A. DelReal. Trump celebrates Brexit vote: 'When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry.' Washington Post (June 24, 2016).
  781. "The Donald Trump Conversation: Politics' "Dark Heart" Is Having the Best Time Anyone's Ever Had". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  782. CNBC.com, Jessica Hartogs, Special to (May 16, 2016). "Trump weighs in on Brexit, says EU has been 'disaster'". CNBC. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  783. "Donald Trump says Britain WILL leave the EU over migration 'craziness'". Mail Online. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  784. Neidig, Harper (May 6, 2016). "Trump says UK should leave EU". The Hill. Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  785. Trump says Brexit wouldn't impact potential UK-U.S. trade deal if he is president: ITV, Reuters (May 15, 2016).
  786. Alexander Smith, Donald Trump to British PM David Cameron: 'I'm Not Stupid, OK?', NBC News (May 16, 2016).
  787. "Brexit leader Nigel Farage addresses Trump rally, bashes Clinton". Reuters. Retrieved August 25, 2016.
  788. 1 2 3 Trump tells Ukraine conference their nation was invaded because ‘there is no respect for the United States', The Washington Post (September 11, 2015)
  789. "Trump Says U.S. 'Can't Afford' To Spend So Much On NATO". Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. dpa and Reuters. March 22, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2016.
  790. Collinson, Stephen (March 22, 2016). "5 candidates make closing arguments on CNN ahead of Western Tuesday". CNN.
  791. D'Angelo Gore. "What's Trump's Position on NATO?". Annenberg Public Policy Center. FactCheck.org. Retrieved May 17, 2016.
  792. David Wright & Tom Kludt, Trump would break sharply with US foreign policy tradition, CNN (July 21, 2016).
  793. 1 2 Cassandra Vinograd, Donald Trump Remarks on NATO Trigger Alarm Bells in Europe, NBC News (July 21, 2016).
  794. "Trump tries to soothe Polish-Americans' concerns about his NATO stance".
  795. 1 2 Max Fisher, Donald Trump's Appeal to Russia Shocks Foreign Policy Experts, New York Times (July 28, 2016).
  796. "Trump suggests U.S. accept Russia's annexation of Crimea". PBS. August 1, 2016.
  797. 1 2 3 4 Tani, Maxwell (July 31, 2016). "George Stephanopoulos awkwardly corrects Donald Trump when he says Putin 'is not going into Ukraine'". Business Insider. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
    Hellmann, Jessie (July 31, 2016). "Trump: Putin's 'not gonna go into Ukraine'". Retrieved July 31, 2016.
    Blaine, Kyle (July 31, 2016). "Donald Trump: I Have No Relationship With Putin, But He Said Nice Things About Me". BuzzFeed. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  798. "Trump tries to clean up on Crimea". Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  799. 1 2 3 4 Damian Paletta; Reid J. Epstein (July 29, 2016). "Trump Says Russia Remarks 'Sarcastic'". Wall Street Journal.
  800. 1 2 3 Parker, Ashley; Sanger, David E. (July 28, 2016). "Donald Trump Calls on Russia to Find Hillary Clinton's Missing Emails". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
  801. Stephen Collinson & Tom Kludt, Trump walks back email hack comments, but damage lingers, CNN (July 28, 2016).
  802. Trump walks back dare for Russia to hack Clinton email, CBS News, CBS This Morning (July 28, 2016).
  803. 1 2 Morgan Windsor (July 28, 2016). "Donald Trump Says He Was Being 'Sarcastic' About Wanting Russia to Find Hillary Clinton's Deleted Emails". ABC News.
  804. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jeremy Diamond, Timeline: Donald Trump's praise for Vladimir Putin, CNN (July 29, 2016).
  805. Robert Farley, Putin Did Not Call Trump a 'Genius', FackCheck.org, Annenberg Public Policy Center (May 6, 2016) ) republished by USA Today.
  806. "Trump Says He Never Praised Putin. That's Just Not True—Trump Loves Putin!". Slate. March 4, 2016.
  807. Shaun Walker, Vladimir Putin calls Donald Trump a 'very colourful and talented man' (December 17, 2015).
  808. Jeremy Diamond (December 19, 2015). "Donald Trump's bromance with Vladimir Putin". CNN.
  809. CNN, Tal Kopan and Jim Sciutto. "Donald Trump says Russia isn't to blame for MH17 downing". CNN. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  810. 1 2 "Intel officials told Trump the Russians were behind the election hacks". NBC News. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
  811. "US election 2016: Russian state TV backs 'anti-establishment' Trump". BBC News. March 15, 2016.
  812. Michael Crowley, The Kremlin's Candidate: In the 2016 election, Putin's propaganda network is picking sides, Politico Magazine (May/June 2016).
  813. "Dear Mr. Trump, I am not Sidney Blumenthal". Newsweek. Retrieved October 11, 2016.
  814. Bump, Philip (2016-10-11). "The Trump-Putin link that wasn't". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2016-12-01.
  815. James Kirchick, Donald Trump's Russia connections: Realists with Moscow ties are lining up behind Republican frontrunner, Politico (April 27, 2016).
  816. Thomas Wright, Five things we "learned" from Trump's foreign policy speech, Order From Chaos, Brookings Institution (April 27, 2016).
  817. 1 2 Damien Sharkov (May 3, 2016). "Trump backs shooting down Russian jets if diplomacy won't stop their approaches".
  818. Charles C.W. Cooke (February 28, 2016). "Trump Isn't Upset by the Obama Era, He's Always Been a Wannabe Mussolini". National Review.
  819. "Trump changed views on Ukraine after hiring Manafort". Retrieved August 3, 2016.
  820. Michael Crowley, Trump changed views on Ukraine after hiring Manafort, Politico (August 3, 2016).
  821. 1 2 "Are there any Trump links to Putin?". BBC News. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  822. 1 2 "Donald Trump's Russia connections". April 27, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  823. 1 2 "Inside Trump's financial ties to Russia and his unusual flattery of Vladimir Putin". Washington Post. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  824. Mcintire, Andrew E. Kramer, Mike; Meier, Barry (August 14, 2016). "Secret Ledger in Ukraine Lists Cash for Donald Trump's Campaign Chief". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  825. "AP: Trump chair routed Ukrainian money to D.C. lobbyists". Retrieved August 17, 2016.
  826. Maggie Haberman & Jonathan Martin, Paul Manafort Quits Donald Trump's Campaign After Tumultuous Run, New York Times (August 19, 2016).
  827. Robert Costa, Dan Balz & Jose A. DelReal, Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort resigns, Washington Post (August 19, 2016).
  828. "Trump being advised by ex-U.S. Lieutenant General who favors closer Russia ties". Reuters. February 26, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
  829. "Lobbyist advised Trump campaign while promoting Russian pipeline". POLITICO. Retrieved October 7, 2016.
  830. 1 2 changed views on Ukraine after hiring Manafort, Politico (August 3, 2016)
    Trump claims he really did know Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014, New York Daily News (August 1, 2016)
  831. Trump: Taking back Crimea would trigger World War III Politico (August 1, 2016)
  832. "Donald Trump: Crimea is Europe's problem". CNN. July 31, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  833. "Trump to look at recognizing Crimea as Russian territory, lifting sanctions". Politico. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  834. "Trump reveals unorthodox foreign policy views". BBC News. March 22, 2016.
  835. 1 2 3 "Full Rush Transcript: Donald Trump, CNN Milwaukee Republican Presidential Town Hall". March 29, 2016.
  836. 1 2 3 "Transcript: Donald Trump Expounds on His Foreign Policy Views". The New York Times. March 26, 2016. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 25, 2016. It's a very scary nuclear world. Biggest problem, to me, in the world, is nuclear, and proliferation. At the same time, you know, we’re a country that doesn’t have money....So, the bottom line is, I think that frankly, as long as North Korea's there, I think that Japan having a capability is something that maybe is going to happen whether we like it or not.
  837. 1 2 "Donald Trump fights to win over women; Reince Priebus on possibility of contested GOP convention", Fox News (April 3, 2016): "At some point, we have to say, you know what, we're better off if Japan protects itself against this maniac in North Korea....My number one choice is, leave it the way it is, but they have to pay us because we cannot afford to continue to lose the billions and billions of dollars that we're losing in order to defend Japan and Germany and South Korea and Saudi Arabia".
  838. 1 2 Parker, Ashley (April 2, 2016). "Donald Trump Says NATO is 'Obsolete,' UN is 'Political Game'". The New York Times. I would rather have them not arm, but I’m not going to continue to lose this tremendous amount of money....And frankly, the case could be made, that let them protect themselves against North Korea. They’d probably wipe them out pretty quick.
  839. Gene Gerzhoy & Nick Miller (April 6, 2016). "Donald Trump thinks more countries should have nuclear weapons. Here's what the research says". Washington Post.
  840. 1 2 Louis Jacobson, Hillary Clinton says Donald Trump argued U.S. should 'encourage' Japan to get nuclear weapons, PolitiFact (June 6, 2016).
  841. Tom LoBianco (June 22, 2016). "Trump flip-flops on Japan nukes". CNN.
  842. "India is the check to Pakistan, Donald Trump declares". Times of India. September 24, 2015.
  843. Statt, Nick (December 8, 2015). "Donald Trump thinks he can call Bill Gates to 'close up' the internet". Yahoo News.
  844. Sharwood, Simon (December 8, 2015). "Donald Trump wants Bill Gates to 'close the Internet', Jeff Bezos to pay tax". The Register.
  845. Hautala, Laura (December 16, 2015). "Donald Trump wants to shut off the Internet". CNET.
  846. Diamond, Jeremy (December 17, 2015). "3 things to know about that nuclear triad". CNN. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
  847. "Why Trump's confusion about nuclear weapons is a big deal". NBC News. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  848. Rogin, Josh (September 28, 2016). "In debate, Trump's lack of nuclear knowledge on display". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  849. Tribune, Chicago. "The terrifying prospect of Donald Trump with nuclear weapons". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  850. "Donald Trump won't take nuclear weapons off the table". MSNBC. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  851. "Donald Trump 'asked why US couldn't use nuclear weapons if he becomes president'". The Telegraph. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  852. Belvedere, Matthew J. (August 3, 2016). "Trump reportedly asks why US can't use nukes: MSNBC". CNBC. Retrieved October 24, 2016.
  853. 1 2 3 Steve Inskeep (March 23, 2016). "Trump Foreign Policy Adviser Hopes To Talk Him Out of Torture". Morning Edition. NPR. Retrieved May 19, 2016. Trump has repeatedly called for the United States to 'torture' terrorism suspects. On CNN Tuesday, he referred to waterboarding as 'your minimal form of torture' and told NBC's Today 'you could expand the laws more than waterboarding to get the information from these people.' He has said that he would favor techniques 'a hell of a lot worse' than waterboarding. He has said the United States must keep up with ISIS, which is 'chopping off heads.' He has repeatedly used the word 'torture' while advocating it.
  854. 1 2 3 Jenna Johnson (February 17, 2016). "Trump says 'torture works,' backs waterboarding and 'much worse'". Washington Post. Donald Trump went even further in his support of waterboarding and other barred interrogation techniques Wednesday, saying that as president he would use torture in the fight against terrorism...For months, Trump has repeatedly called for the use of waterboarding and other unidentified techniques that are even more severe.
  855. Jordyn Phelps (November 22, 2015). "Donald Trump Says He Would Bring Back Waterboarding". ABC News.
  856. 1 2 "Donald Trump: 'Waterboarding is fine with me'". CNN. February 7, 2016. I’d go through a process and get it declassified [as a war crime], certainly waterboarding at a minimum. They're chopping off heads of Christians and many other people in the Middle East. They're chopping heads off. They laugh at us when they hear that we're not going to approve waterboarding ... I have no doubt that it does work in terms of information and other things, and maybe not always, but nothing works always. But I have no doubt that it works.
  857. "On waterboarding, Trump tells NH1 News we 'have to do things that are unthinkable' | NH1". NH1. Retrieved July 1, 2016.
  858. 1 2 3 4 Jeremy Diamond (March 6, 2016). "Trump on torture: 'We have to beat the savages'". CNN. Donald Trump is casting aside any doubt about his position on torture: He's in favor of it because 'we have to beat the savages.' Trump vowed on Friday that he would never instruct the military to break the law -- appearing to flip on his previous promise to bring back waterboarding and more severe forms of torture. But on Saturday he said repeatedly, during a rally and a late-night news conference, that he would seek to 'broaden' the laws to allow torture, including but not limited to waterboarding.
  859. Jeremy Diamond, Trump on waterboarding: 'Nobody knows if it's torture', CNN (February 18, 2016).
  860. 1 2 Schwartz, Ian. "Trump: 'They Can Chop Off Heads, We Can't Waterboard'; Should 'Torture' Arrested Paris Terrorist", CNN (March 22, 2016).
  861. Jacob Heilbrunn, The Neocons vs. Donald Trump, The New York Times (March 20, 2016).
  862. "Trump stands by proposal to revive waterboarding". Politico. February 7, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  863. "Donald Trump on waterboarding: 'If it doesn't work, they deserve it anyway.'". Washington Post. November 23, 2015. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  864. David A. Graham, Donald Trump's Specious Claims About Torture: Why does the Republican candidate say it's a useful tactic when the evidence suggests otherwise?, The Atlantic (February 17, 2016).
  865. Chalabi, Mona. "Most Americans say they support torture – but do they mean it?", The Guardian (March 30, 2016).
  866. Dilanian, Ken. "Trump Needs His 'Own Damn Bucket' to Waterboard: Ex-CIA Chief", NBC News (February 22, 2016).
  867. Kyle Cheney (July 27, 2016). "Trump in 2013: He'd be 'major fan' of Snowden if he revealed Obama records". Politico.
  868. Hadas Gold (July 1, 2013). "Trump raises death penalty". Politico.
  869. Donald J. Trump [realdonaldtrump] (April 20, 2014). "Look, Snowden is bad, done tremendous damage to our country and standing - but we have far worse in our government (guess who?)." (Tweet) via Twitter.
  870. Damien Sharkov, Kremlin Rebuffs Donald Trump's Edward Snowden 'Spy' Claims, Newsweek (March 4, 2016).
  871. 1 2 Preview: Snowden hits back at Clinton and Trump, Al Jazeera (September 4, 2015).
  872. Brait, Ellen (September 3, 2015). "Edward Snowden says Hillary Clinton 'ridiculous' to think emails were secure". The Guardian.
  873. 1 2 "Trump blasts U.N. at AIPAC, but he used to be a 'very big fan' of the group". Retrieved July 23, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.