Joe Biden will likely jump into the presidential race, Donald Trump said Monday, and he thinks the vice president will stand a good chance against Hillary Clinton — but then again, he thinks she's "very beatable by a lot of people running."
"Hillary was the worst secretary of state in this country," the GOP front-runner told
Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program Monday. "I think she is very vulnerable."
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Clinton's campaign is going poorly, said Trump, who believes her email scandal is a "much bigger problem than people are talking about.
Gen. [David] Petraeus was destroyed for doing much less. What he did was peanuts compared to what she has done. He was destroyed. It's very sad what happened to him."
But as the "prosecutors are all Democrats," Clinton hasn't been punished for her use of a private email service while in office, Trump charged, but still, "she's in big trouble."
Trump said he's focusing on the 16 others seeking the GOP nomination, and at the same time, he's talking "constantly" about the "bad job the president is doing ... the horrible job he is doing with the military, with the vets, which is scandalous what's happening at the veterans administration [Department of Veterans Affairs] with so many things."
Obamacare is also a disaster already, Trump said, although it won't really kick in until 2016.
"People aren't talking about it much right now but it's a bomb waiting to explode," said Trump.
Meanwhile, Trump said that President Barack Obama will be in a tough position to decide whether to support Clinton or Biden.
"Biden has been loyal to Obama, loyal to a fault because so many of the things have been so bad," he said. "But he has been very loyal to Obama. And I think if he was going to be forced to support somebody, everybody says the word is that he [Obama] just doesn't like the Clintons. And I don't know if that's true or not true.
"But in theory, he does not like Hillary and he does not like the Clintons. So you would think if he was going to be forced he may very well go with Biden. We'll have to see what happens. I don't know how effective Biden is going to be. He has his own problems."
Meanwhile, Trump outlined his vision for his early days in the White House, should he win the election next year.
"I want to build up the military so nobody messes with us, bring it back to where it was at the height because we're in such trouble," said Trump. "I would absolutely repeal and replace Obamacare."
Illegal immigration is also a "big, big thing," said Trump, noting that he took "tremendous heat" after his announcement statements on Mexicans, but "everybody is now saying I'm right. I was apologized to by various people who covered it. They apologized because I turned out to be right with Kate [Steinle] and all the terrible things that happened since I told people what was going on at the border."
Taking care of veterans is also very important, said Trump.
"Look, the country is a mess," he said. "And there's so many things that we could do."
But Trump said he is not very nervous about this week's debates, and he is preparing some by "reading everything," but he doesn't have "pollsters telling me what to say. A lot of these folks have pollsters giving them quips and little kills for Trump. Go give him this line that, line. They've got it memorized. I don't believe in that. It's not me and it's really not them either — they pay a lot of money for these people. I guess that's what they're going to be doing, according to what all of the pundits are saying."
He does admit he gets nervous though, as "you have to be a little bit nervous. The great athletes are always a little bit nervous. If you're not nervous, you're going to be flat."
Trump also commented that if he's elected, he would probably "go political" for a vice president, because "to have two business people, maybe that's a little bit much," but he'd want business people for his administration.
"I would certainly use the best business people, the best negotiators in the world, because we have the best negotiators in the world and we don't use them," said Trump. "We use political hacks and people that don't have any talent."
He went on to call
Democratic National Committee leader Debbie Wasserman Schultz a "terrible spokesperson" after she once again stumbled this weekend on a question about the difference of socialism and her party.
"I thought her performance was terrible," said Trump. "I really think she is not a good spokesperson ... Frankly, you know, I hope she stays in that position. Assuming I get it — assuming I win, I hope she stays in that position. She is so bad at representing the views of the Democrats that it's absolutely incredible."
Reince Priebus, on the other hand, is a "good man" who is "trying to do the right thing" as chairman of the Republican National Party.
"Over the last week or so we've developed a very good relationship," said Trump. "I've known him for a long time. He's trying to do the right thing. We have developed a very good relationship."
Trump, looking forward to Thursday's debate, insisted that he'd rather stick to policy rather than attacks.
"I would prefer discussing the issues, illegal immigration, veterans being treated so badly or so many other things," said Trump. "The military. We have to build up our military."
But some of the other candidates are low in the polls, said Trump, and "by hitting Trump maybe they figure it will bring them up. I have absolutely no idea. I've never debated before. That's all these guys do. They debate.
"They don't do anything but they debate. Every night they go on a debate with somebody. I haven't done that. I will do that and look forward to it, actually."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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