Washington – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump did not take kindly in a radio interview on Thursday to being asked to identify the affiliations of various militant leaders in the Middle East, saying the host was asking “a gotcha question”.
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Discussing Islamist extremism, conservative talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt told Trump he was looking for the next president to know who the leaders of major militant groups were, naming the heads of Islamic State, Hezbollah, al Qaeda and its Nusra Front wing in Syria.
“Do you know the players without a scorecard, yet, Donald Trump?” asked Hewitt, who will co-moderate the next official Republican presidential debate on Sept. 16 in California.
“No, you know, I’ll tell you honestly, I think by the time we get to office, they’ll all be changed. They’ll be all gone,” Trump replied.
“You know, those are like history questions. ‘Do you know this one, do you know that one?'” added the billionaire real estate mogul, who has risen to the top of the polls in a crowded Republican field more than a year before the November 2016 election.
When Hewitt said it was not meant as a “gotcha” question, Trump responded: “Well, it sounded like gotcha. You’re asking me names that, I think it’s somewhat ridiculous, but that’s OK. Go ahead, let’s go.”
Trump added that when it came to individual players: “Of course I don’t know them. I’ve never met them. I haven’t been, you know, in a position to meet them. If, if they’re still there, which is unlikely in many cases, but if they’re still there, I will know them better than I know you.”
Earlier in the interview, Trump brought up the Kurds after being asked about the leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Quds forces, before adding: “Oh, I thought you said Kurds, Kurds.”
HH is good. I doubt is was a gotcha question.
The Donald isn’t one of my top five choices but I’m thrilled SOMEONE, ANYONE, is fighting back and saying what 70%of the country really WANTS to say.
Every time Trump is asked a question that requires even a litle bit of thought or knowledge, he is exposed as the empty-headed carnival barker he really is. And still the low-intelligence commenters here will sing his praises. No wonder every time his supporters are quoted in news articles or on TV, one sounds dumber than the other. He’s attracting to himself a sick and dangerous collection of the country’s biggest haters (do a little Google search to learn about all the white supremacists and neo-Nazis who are backing him) and dumb-as-a-rock middle-aged white people who can’t even begin to articulate where he stands on any issue other than to utter inane cliches like “He’ll get things done” or “He’ll know how to handle them.”
I understand this site tilts slightly to the left, but the picture published with this article is totally unacceptable and intended to insight negativity toward the candidate. I’m not a supporter of Trump. Would rather have Fiorina, Carson, or Cruz, but this is ridiculous.
What’s the difference who which terrorist is blow them the hell up
Every question to Chump is a “gotcha”, as he can’t answer anything except by saying ridiculous cliches and wild generalizations such as, “Hispanics, they love me, I hire them”. He is a reality TV star and definitely not presidential material. He’ll get wiped out in any real debate and exposed for the deli counter guy that he is.
The vast majority of members of Congress, as well as the President do not even know all of the various components of the Federal Government, including the thousands of agencies, boards, commissions, departments, military installation locations, etc. Yet, they approve budgets without even questioning how the money is being appropriated to the specific agencies, and for what purpose. The President rarely, if ever, visits Federal civilian offices. The point that I’m trying to make is we should not expect any Presidential candidate, of any party, to have all of the answers to historical questions, if our own elected officials don’t have a clue, as to the nature of the various components of the federal government.
Who ever said anything about Hillary? Is your only reaction to any criticism of this carnival barker that, well, Hillary is a liar? Yes, she is, but so is Trump — and he’s also a foul-mouthed buffoon who changes his political positions more often than the rest of us recharge our cell phones. I wouldn’t vote for either of them. But to a simpleton like you, someone who points out Trump’s inanities must love Hillary. The fact that after giving such a foolish response you can call me a “liberal idiot ignoramus” is about what I’d expect from a Trump supporter. I’m more conservative than you’ll ever be, and if you were a real conservative you’d know that Trump is anything but.
To #12 -I am not part of the “Trump Zombie Brigade”. How many of the names of those terrorist leaders could you have answered?. I knew the name of Nesrallah from Hezbollah, and Ayman El Zawahiri, who was Bin Laden’s second in command. However, I didn’t know the name of the other three terrorists. You cannot, and shall not paint all of Trump’s supporters with the same brush (i.e. red-neck blue collar bigots). There are very well educated people, including many Yidden supporting him. I predict that he will sweep all of the Republican primaries, starting early next year, and that he will receive the Republican nomination on the first ballot. All of the major news organizations are no longer writing him off as a buffoon or a clown. With the unbounded determination of people, we shall gain the inevitable triumph, so help us Hashem.
To Chaim-Let me unequivocally state that I resent you lumping all of Trump’s supporters as bigots, or Nazis. While he may have inadvertently attracted some undesirable elements, some of the other candidates have done so, also.
Trump tells it like it is, and I predict that not only will he receive the Republican nomination on the first ballot, but he will also achieve a major victory, in Nov.2016!
why all the commentary on Trump, Hillary, and other candidates? this is not a forum for politicval debates. You don’t like Trump? don’t vote for him.
But don’t waste my time telling me why you will or won’t.
why all the commentary on Trump, Hillary, and other candidates? this is not a forum for politicval debates. You don’t like Trump? don’t vote for him.
But don’t waste my time telling me why you will or won’t.