Trump: Foreign Interests ‘Decimating’ US

Billionaire mogul Donald Trump warns China and OPEC are “decimating” the U.S. economy — respectively taking the nation’s jobs and holding oil prices hostage — and America needs to quickly counter the trends, before the United States becomes totally beholden to hostile foreign interests. The presumptive 2012 presidential candidate also says the U.S. tax code must be reformed, so jobs can return to America.

“China is taking our jobs . . . and we have to do something about it — and we have to do something about it quickly,” Trump said, in part two of an interview with Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, which aired Thursday night. “They are decimating our country just as OPEC is decimating our country with their oil prices.”

Trump said the United States needs to threaten to impose heavy taxes on Chinese products, to force the communist giant to stop manipulating its currency.

“It’s very tough for our companies to compete with Chinese companies because very simply they manipulate their currency — they’re professionals at it,” he said, adding the solution is a 25 percent levy on their goods.

“Bill, they are threatening us. They are going to make a $300 billion — let's call it profit — this year on the United States, $300 billion,” he continued. “And more importantly, not only $300 billion — they are taking our jobs. We have to do something about China.”

Trump then turned his wrath on the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries saying, as in dealing with China, America lacks leadership willing to take a pro-U.S. posture.

“We have to do something about OPEC. We cannot have oil at $105, which is going to go to $150 very soon,” he said. “We have nobody to speak to these guys — they wouldn’t be there except for us.

“The messenger is the key,” Trump continued. “If you have the right messenger — and they know how to deliver the message.”

O’Reilly asked why President Barack Obama has not acted, and the Bush administration before that, on China and OPEC.

“Maybe they’re not smart enough, maybe they’re not tough enough, maybe they don't have the right ingredient to do it,” Trump replied. “The mere [threat of] putting a tax on China — you’re never going to have to do it, because they're going to come to you, they’re going to call you.

“If I ever decide to run [for president] — and I may, and I will make that decision before June — we’re not going to have the kind of problems that we have right now because I won’t be taken advantage of by the rest of the world,” he said. “We are a whipping post for the world.”

Turning to the tax code, Trump said it needs to be revised, so American companies — such as General Electric, which has come under recent fire for not paying U.S. taxes — would not feel compelled to move their headquarters overseas.

“As an example: I have big company; I pay lawyers millions of dollars a year — millions— over a tax code,” Trump said. “I think that you have to simplify it and people should pay a fair amount of tax.”

Trump said another way to boost the U.S. economy, and reduce foreign influences, is to maintain a presence in Iraq — and keep the oil American soldiers have died for — which would also prevent an incursion from Iran.

“Bill, you stay and you keep the oil — as sure as you are sitting there, Iran, two minutes after we leave, Iran is going to come in and take over the oil,” he said. “You stay and protect the oil and you take the oil . . . and you take what's necessary for us, and we pay [ourselves] back $1.5 trillion or more. We take care of Britain, we take care of other countries that helped us, and we don’t be so stupid.

“You look at wars over the years — a country goes in, they conquer and they stay. We go in, we conquer and then we leave. And we hand it to people that we don’t even know,” Trump continued. “Now, who are the people that are going to be running Iraq? The person that hates the United States the most will be running Iraq. So, in a nutshell: We go in, we take over the second largest oil fields, and we stay.”

Trump noted the Arab world is also a burden on the U.S. economy because — although he supports efforts to force Libyan despot Moammar Gadhafi from slaughtering his own people — America should not have to foot the bill. He said Saudi Arabia, and other Arab League members, are some of “the richest nations in the world.”

“They said we want you to go into Libya — we don't like Gadhafi. Get rid of Gadhafi. Why aren’t they paying for this? Why aren’t they paying?” Trump asked, adding that Obama panders to other nations, while fighting their wars.

“Now, he's in Libya, he’s in Afghanistan, he’s in Iraq. Nobody respects us and nobody respects our leadership,” Trump said. "Look, our weak president that kisses everybody's ass, is in more wars than I’ve ever seen.

“This guy got the Nobel Peace Prize and every time I look he’s going into another country.”