Latest / Real Donald Trump Wisdom / DJT Audio Archive: Trump's Counter Debate Speech - Des Moines, Iowa (January 28, 2016)

Transcript

DJT Audio Archive: Trump's Counter Debate Speech - Des Moines, Iowa (January 28, 2016) · Real Donald Trump Wisdom

0:00
Thank you, man. There's a vet. There's a vet.
0:03
We love our vets. Thank you, everybody. Sit down,
0:06
please. We had about 24 hours to put this together.
0:12
It was very, very quick. And we're here for some
0:15
very special people, and we're going to hear
0:17
from some of them. But this is an honor. This
0:20
is a really honor. And I didn't want to be here,
0:22
I have to be honest. I wanted to be about five
0:25
minutes away. And I've enjoyed that. I've enjoyed
0:28
that. All the online polls that I've done very
0:30
well with that, with the debates. And I've had
0:33
a kick with it. But you have to stick up for
0:36
your rights. When you're treated badly, you have
0:38
to stick up for your rights. You have to do it.
0:43
And whether we like it or not, whether it's something
0:46
we want to do or not, and that's what our country
0:48
has to do. I mean, as an example, Iran, the way
0:51
they've been treating us with all of this horrible
0:53
deal is one of the worst deals I've ever seen
0:56
negotiated under any circumstances. And we just
1:00
take it. We have to stick up for ourselves as
1:03
people, and we have to stick up for our country
1:06
when we're being mistreated. Remember that. And
1:13
I have to go a little step further and say that
1:15
Fox has been extremely nice. And the last number
1:19
of hours, actually, and they've wanted me there.
1:24
And they said, how about now? They called a few
1:26
minutes ago. How about now? Can you come over?
1:27
I said, hasn't it already started? And we actually
1:30
thought what we do is we'd let them start. And,
1:33
you know, we wanted to be about 15 minutes into
1:36
that hour so that by now they're all tuned in.
1:39
Look at all the cameras like the Academy Awards.
1:40
This is like the Academy Awards. This is the
1:43
Academy Awards. We're actually told that we have
1:49
more cameras than they do by quite a bit. So
1:51
that's sort of interesting. And you know what?
1:55
That's really in honor of our vets. But they
1:57
have been. They've been very nice. And they wanted
1:59
me to go and apologize and everything else. And
2:02
they did apologize. And they could not have been.
2:04
But once this started, it's for our vets. There
2:07
was nothing I could do. I don't know. And you
2:09
know what? I don't know. Is it for me personally
2:12
a good thing, a bad thing? Will I get more votes?
2:14
Will I get less votes? Nobody knows. Who the
2:17
hell knows? But it's for our vets. And you're
2:19
going to like it because we raised over five
2:21
million dollars in one day. So so that's not
2:29
so bad. You know, my whole theme is make America
2:36
great again. And that's what we're going to do.
2:39
And we wouldn't have even been here if it weren't
2:42
for our vets and our vets are being mistreated.
2:45
illegal immigrants are treated better in many
2:47
cases than our vets. And it's not going to happen
2:49
anymore. Not going to happen anymore. So once
2:54
this ball started rolling, we couldn't stop it.
2:57
And you see, the house is packed. And literally,
2:59
this took place less than 24 hours. We had less
3:02
than 24 hours to do this because I said, listen,
3:04
I'm not going to do the debate out of respect
3:06
for myself. I won't do it because it would just
3:09
be wrong. But I got to, you know, I love Iowa.
3:12
I'm here. We got to do something. I didn't know
3:13
we were going to raise five million. We actually
3:15
raised close to six, to be totally honest. But
3:18
and and I have to say a lot more to come. You
3:22
know, we set up a site. W .W .W. Donald Trump
3:26
for vets dot com for vets dot com. And they've
3:31
raised almost $500 ,000 just today. So I think
3:34
this money is going to continue to pour in. And
3:36
we have some incredible, incredible people. I
3:39
do want to say, I do want to call out some of
3:41
the folks that gave a lot of the money. And then
3:43
we're going to have somebody come up to speak
3:45
who's an incredible speaker. But much more importantly,
3:48
it's the subject. Somebody that really, really
3:50
understands what the vets are going through.
3:53
But first, we have to talk about people that
3:55
made a lot of money. And they wouldn't have made
3:57
a lot of money. They wouldn't even be here if
3:59
it weren't for the vets and our great military.
4:01
Because the military, right, Phil, has a lot
4:04
more guts than you do. Is that right? We have
4:06
different kind of guts, right? So Carl Icahn
4:10
gave $500 ,000. One quick phone call. Would $500
4:14
,000 be okay? Richard Lefrak, a great builder
4:19
in New York, gave $100 ,000. Donald Trump, another
4:27
great builder in New York, now a politician.
4:30
I can't stand this. A politician? I don't want
4:33
to be called a politician. All talk, no action.
4:36
I refuse to be called a politician. Donald Trump
4:38
gave $1 million, okay? The Fisher family of New
4:48
York gave $75 ,000. Howard Lauber, a great fan
4:56
and friend of our family, $100 ,000. A very,
5:03
very rich man in New York, a very good friend
5:05
of mine, a very good person, and he wants to
5:07
be anonymous. The first time in his life, all
5:09
his life, he was out there. Now, I said, do me
5:12
a favor. Could you give me a million bucks for
5:13
this? He said, what? I said, don't worry about
5:15
it. Just give me a million. He said, no, no,
5:17
at least tell me. I said, it's for the vets.
5:19
He said, you got it. Is that good? Right. And
5:21
he wanted to be he wanted to be anonymous. I
5:25
don't know. He's changed because you know what?
5:27
You know who I'm talking about. Two years ago.
5:30
Yes. It really is too too crazy. Right. You know,
5:59
I tell the story. I love protests. I love protests
6:03
in my rallies because, you know, here. This is
6:05
a beautiful place, but we have thousands of people
6:07
outside that weren't as good as real estate in
6:10
real estate as you folks, I will tell you. But
6:12
we have thousands of people outside trying to
6:14
get in. We set up cameras. We set up screens.
6:16
We have everything. But I will tell you, you
6:19
look at that. I love the protesters in the big
6:22
arenas because the cameras never move. They're
6:25
always on my face. And I say to my wife, Melania,
6:28
honey, stand up. She has to suffer through this.
6:31
She has to suffer through this. No, I go home.
6:38
And it's always on. It's always broadcast. You
6:41
know, they can never let me like the other politicians.
6:42
Nobody cares. There's nobody covering them. No
6:44
cameras. Look at this. It's like crazy. But I'd
6:47
say, how did I do? She said, you were great.
6:49
Were there many people there? I say, what do
6:51
you mean? There were twenty one thousand. It
6:52
was like in the Mavericks arena or it was. I
6:55
remember in Alabama, Mobile, Alabama, we had
6:58
thirty five thousand people. By the way, we get
7:00
the biggest crowds by far, much bigger than Bernie.
7:03
Although I have to say he's second. He is second.
7:06
nor the Republican, but we get the biggest crowds.
7:09
And she'll say, but they never show the crowd.
7:11
And I'll say, what do you mean they never show
7:12
the crowd? And I realize they never turn the
7:15
camera. And I always say, you know, I figured
7:17
maybe they're fixed. These are new cameras they
7:19
can't turn. The only way you find out that they're
7:23
not fixed, they're like pretzels the way they
7:25
can turn them, is when you have a protester.
7:27
You can have protesters up in the top and they're
7:29
turned around sideways. They turn, but they don't
7:32
want to show the crowd. So it's one of those
7:34
things. So we have a rich man from New York,
7:37
a good guy who's become a little bit reclusive,
7:39
obviously. One million dollars. He's a great
7:42
guy. We have another unbelievable man, Ike Perlmutter
7:50
from Marvel. He did such an unbelievable job.
7:53
One of the great, great men of our country in
7:56
terms of business and talent. And he's giving
7:59
Ike and Laurie Perlmutter one million dollars.
8:08
J .J. Cafaro from Florida and from Cleveland.
8:11
He's a man who made a lot of money in Cleveland,
8:13
does a good job, and a fantastic man. $50 ,000.
8:17
J .J., thank you. Another great friend of mine,
8:22
one of the most brilliant men you'll ever meet,
8:25
a phenomenal world -class poker player. You wouldn't
8:28
even know it. He doesn't do that for a living.
8:29
He makes money for a living in every way. You
8:32
cannot make a deal with this guy and come out
8:34
on top. It's impossible. In fact, I'm thinking
8:37
about him for China. How about him negotiating
8:39
with China? Okay? You know, China, China, this
8:46
year in trade, will make over $500 billion in
8:51
terms of our trade deficit. $500 billion. That's
8:56
no partnership. And I'm a free trader. I love
8:58
free trade. But we have to use our head. And
9:01
we use political hacks to negotiate with the
9:04
Chinese. And they have the smartest people. I
9:06
deal with them all the time. I love the Chinese.
9:08
They buy my apartments for millions. I have their
9:10
largest bank in the world from China in one of
9:13
my buildings. I love them. I'm not blaming the
9:16
Chinese. I'm not angry at them. I'm angry at
9:18
our politicians because we have people that are
9:20
incompetent running our country. Why should we
9:23
be losing in trade deficits 500 billion? dollars
9:28
a year. So it's not going to happen. So if I
9:30
took a guy like this, put him in charge, his
9:33
wife is so incredible. Would you both come up?
9:36
Mr. and Mrs. Phil Ruffin, come on up. Come up.
9:43
Come up. He's never had anything. It's like everything
10:02
he touches turns to go. Whatever deal he goes
10:04
into, he bought a piece of land in Las Vegas,
10:06
spent $110 million. He sold it a few years later
10:09
and made plenty of money in between for $1 .3
10:12
billion, right? Just about. 1 .3. I think he
10:15
says more. Every single day. So when he gives
10:18
a million, it's like, you know what, that's less
10:20
than 10 cents. But for him, very important. Phil
10:23
Ruffin, just say a couple of words. Thank you.
10:31
I'd like to introduce my wife, Alexandra. See,
10:36
Donald and I have been friends for some 18 years
10:39
and business partners. And about two years ago,
10:44
I said, Donald, if you ever run for president,
10:46
I will give you a million dollars. Well, he...
10:50
I gave him a million dollars. He sent it back.
10:57
He said, I can't take your money. I couldn't
11:00
believe it. In any case, he's a great man. And
11:05
I'm very happy. My wife and I will donate $1
11:08
million to your charity. And thank you. He actually
11:23
sent me a million dollars. And he said, there's
11:28
10 or 20 more of them if you want it, if you
11:30
need it. And I sent it back. I just can't stand
11:33
it. You know, I'm self -funding my own campaign,
11:35
right? I'm sorry. But all my life, I made money.
11:41
I made money. I've always been good making money.
11:42
I think I have great imagination. But I made
11:44
money. And all my life, I did well. And my father
11:47
always said, everything he touches turns to gold.
11:49
That's why I use that same expression on him,
11:51
because there's a guy, believe me, and a fantastic
11:53
guy. But he always said, everything my boy touches
11:55
turns to gold. I turn all this money down. They're
11:59
calling and calling. They want to give me money
12:01
because being number one, they all want to control
12:04
you. They want to give you money. And now they
12:06
call you. Remember, I gave you $5 million. I
12:09
told the story about the Ford plant, about the
12:11
Nabisco plant. So what happens is all my life,
12:15
and I'm turning down millions. And I was in Iowa
12:18
in a different location. We had 4 ,000 people.
12:21
And I went to those people. I said, listen, I
12:23
don't feel good about turning down money. Because
12:26
my whole life I've been greedy, greedy, greedy.
12:29
I've grabbed all the money I could get. I'm so
12:31
greedy. But now I want to be greedy for the United
12:33
States. I want to grab all that money. I'm going
12:36
to be greedy for the United States. And it's
12:42
true. But I always felt guilty. So I've been
12:44
to this beautiful place, and the crowd is lovely.
12:46
I mean, we have the most incredible people in
12:48
this country, in Iowa. But in this country, it's
12:51
like a movement going on. The cover of Time magazine
12:53
this week is a whole thing. It's a cover story.
12:56
In fact, they have, there it is. Hold that up.
12:58
They have the back of my head. They have the
13:02
back of my head with a massive crowd in front
13:04
of me, and they're covering the story. And I
13:07
said, I didn't even know they were doing a story.
13:09
And it's the cover of Time. They're talking about
13:11
the movement. It is actually a movement. But
13:13
what's happening is I said to the crowd, let
13:16
me ask you this one thing. Supposing, and I promise
13:19
you I won't be influenced, could I take all this
13:22
money? Because I'm turning away so much money.
13:24
Stand up, please. Could I take all this money?
13:27
And everybody went crazy. No, no, no. There was
13:31
only one guy, and he was in the back corner of
13:33
the room, and he was a crooked -looking guy.
13:35
He was the only guy. He looked like such a crook.
13:38
And he said, it's okay to take it. And I look
13:40
at that guy and said, I don't want anything to
13:41
do with that guy. it's the only guy so i feel
13:45
i feel a little bit uh i feel a little bit uh
13:48
foolish not taking the money but you know you
13:51
look at a guy like jeb bush he's taking a hundred
13:53
low energy he's taking 120 extremely low oh i
13:58
shouldn't say he's debating right now maybe he's
14:00
doing great he's probably looking for me he's
14:01
saying has anyone seen trump why where where's
14:04
trump where is he where is he jeff he's taking
14:14
128 million dollars People that I know, killers,
14:18
killers, like him, killers. They put up $5 million,
14:23
$2 million, $8 million. They're lobbyists. They're
14:26
special interests. They're not doing that for
14:28
their health. And whenever we have a problem,
14:31
you know, a lot of times, I was telling the other
14:32
day, because I know most of the lobbyists. I
14:34
mean, I've used them. I was on the other side.
14:35
Seven months ago, I was on the other side. I
14:37
was a big giver. But I know these people. And
14:40
I said, believe me, when they put in $6 million,
14:44
$5 million, $1 million, They're not just doing
14:47
it. They want something for it. And when you
14:49
see these horrible deals that are being made,
14:51
and they are horrible, the politicians aren't
14:54
that stupid. You think they're horrible. You
14:57
say, how is it possible that Iran just got $150
15:00
billion from this country on one of the dumbest
15:04
deals ever, and they just went out, and their
15:06
first purchase is 114 Airbus jets, not Boeing
15:10
jets. And then we have from France and from other
15:14
countries in Europe. And think of it. Think of
15:17
it. And then they go to Russia. They're buying
15:18
missiles. And somebody said, you know, the 24
15:21
days, you have 24 days, but the clock doesn't
15:24
start ticking for all. So it could be forever.
15:25
And then they actually do self inspections. Can
15:28
you imagine it? And we didn't get our prisoners.
15:31
I call them hostages, prisoners. We didn't get
15:33
them back. And then we get the money. So we paid
15:35
one hundred and fifty billion dollars. Sets such
15:39
a bad tone. for kidnapping, that it's a disgrace.
15:43
So who would believe this? Who would believe
15:45
what's going on? But when you see that Airbus
15:47
gets our jets, Russia gets the missiles, which,
15:50
by the way, they're not supposed to be ordering,
15:52
just so you understand. Big order, missiles and
15:55
other things from Russia. Everybody's getting
15:57
the money but us. But when you see the politicians
16:00
and you say, man, that's a bad deal. That's such
16:02
a stupid deal. How can anybody be so stupid?
16:06
The reason is the politicians are being taken
16:08
care of by their lobbyists and their special
16:10
interests that have interests with Airbus, that
16:13
have interests with Russia and missiles, that
16:16
have Airbus with all of these people that are
16:19
taking that $150 billion. Now, one of the things,
16:23
and by the way, we have Mike Huckabee sitting
16:26
right here. Governor, get up for a second. Get
16:29
up. Great guy. And Rick Santorum, Senator, where's
16:36
Rick? Rick? Hey, fellas, come up here for a second.
16:44
But just so you understand, and these two are
16:47
not in that category. Come on up, Rick. Come
16:49
on up, Governor. They're the only two politicians.
16:52
They would never do a thing like this. Come on
16:54
up. Come on up. Look. And Mrs. Huckabee and Rick's
17:11
daughter. Stand up. Stand up. USA. So these two
17:26
people do not fit. They would never, ever have
17:28
done a thing like that. But when you see deals
17:30
that are so bad, believe me, they're not bad
17:32
for the politician. They're bad for the country.
17:34
And that's why I don't take anything. I don't
17:37
take anything. We're going to do what's right
17:39
for the country. OK, thank you. I want to I want
17:44
to ask Rick and then Mike to say a few words.
17:46
You know, I heard they did really well, these
17:47
two. And who the hell knows? I didn't get to
17:50
see very much of it, but I heard they did. I
17:51
said, how did they do? I think if you did poorly,
17:54
you probably wouldn't be here right now. You'd
17:55
go back, you'd be depressed, right? So Rick,
17:58
say a few words. Mike, say a few words. We'd
18:00
love it. Come on. Thank you so much. Thank you.
18:06
Not to be offensive, I'll stand a little bit
18:08
over here so I'm not photographed with the Trump
18:10
sign. I'm supporting another candidate for president.
18:20
That doesn't mean we can't work together when
18:22
it comes to helping our veterans. And that's
18:24
what Mike and I are here doing tonight. I grew
18:33
up on a VA grounds. My mom and dad worked for
18:36
the Veterans Administration for 40 years. And
18:39
I watched it over that time, and I heard my parents
18:41
talk about how the VA system has been degraded
18:43
over time. It used to be the best healthcare
18:45
system in the world. It's not the best healthcare
18:48
system in the world. And we have an obligation
18:50
to do something to make sure our veterans have
18:53
the best possible healthcare in the world. And
19:02
we can give them that by allowing every veteran
19:04
to go to any hospital in their community, get
19:07
the care that they need when they need it. We
19:16
also have to say to our Veterans Administration,
19:18
you know what, let the private sector take care
19:20
of this stuff. We have a big problem with our
19:22
veterans. And I hope a lot of the money tonight
19:24
that's raised that goes for that. 22, 22 vets
19:28
a day commit suicide. 22 vets a day commit suicide.
19:34
because of PTSD and related mental illnesses.
19:37
Here's what I'd like to do. Let's take all that
19:39
money for the VA, and let's put it into making
19:43
the Veterans Administration a center of excellence
19:45
to deal with PTSD and take care of our vets with
19:48
their mental health problems. So I appreciate
19:58
all those folks who raised money. Let's put some
20:00
of that money toward helping our men and women
20:02
who are suffering the most, and I will be very
20:04
happy to be here to make sure that that happens.
20:06
And God bless you, and thank you for being here
20:08
tonight. I figure you're going to get the photo
20:18
anyway. I might as well just stand here and be
20:20
done with it. Look, let me be very clear. Rick
20:27
Santorum, Donald Trump, and I may be competitors
20:30
in a presidential race, but tonight we are colleagues
20:34
in unison standing here for the people who let
20:37
us breathe every breath of free air we breathe,
20:41
the veterans of the United States of America.
20:44
Without you, there is no government. You see,
21:08
in my mind, I was hearing you say, go, go. But
21:10
I want to say how grateful I am to Donald Trump
21:16
for inviting us here, because the easy thing
21:18
for him to do is to simply ignore that anybody
21:21
else cares about veterans. And he's not that
21:23
kind of person. And I want to say thank you,
21:26
Donald Trump, for asking Rick Santorum and me.
21:29
And I think he would have let any of the other
21:31
candidates come. And for reasons that. Maybe
21:35
I don't understand. They're not here. Some of
21:37
them because they had a slot at 8 o 'clock. I
21:39
had nothing to do at 8 o 'clock tonight. This
21:42
worked great for me. But it says something about
21:46
him that he would bring us here to his own event
21:49
because bigger than even the election is the
21:55
fact that we wouldn't have free elections in
21:57
this country if it weren't for the people who
21:59
stood between bullets, bombs, and our freedom.
22:02
And thank you. I want to do one simple thing
22:12
tonight. I'm done. I'll turn it back to Donald
22:14
Trump. In September 2005, a very good friend
22:18
of mine who teaches school at the Joe T. Robinson
22:20
High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, did something
22:25
pretty extraordinary on the first day of school.
22:27
She got permission of the principal. She had
22:30
all the desks from her classroom removed, every
22:34
desk taken out. The kids came in for first period,
22:37
and they said, Ms. Cothran, her name is Martha
22:40
Cothran. Her dad was a World War II POW. So she
22:46
takes all the desks out. When they come in, they
22:48
say, where's our desk? She says, you don't get
22:49
a desk in my class until you can tell me how
22:52
you earn it. Well, the kid said, well, I guess
22:55
we get good grades. She said, no, that's important.
22:58
You need to do that, but that's not going to
22:59
get you a desk. Another kid said, well, we have
23:03
to behave. She said, oh, you will behave in my
23:05
class, but that won't get you a desk. And none
23:08
of them could figure it out. Second period came,
23:11
same thing. You don't get a desk until you tell
23:13
me how you earn it. Third period, fourth period.
23:17
By now, kids are calling their parents on cell
23:18
phones and saying, Mrs. Cothran has lost her
23:21
mind. She won't let us have a desk. News organizations
23:25
from Little Rock started coming out to Joe T.
23:28
Robinson High School in the early afternoon to
23:30
figure out what has happened with his teacher
23:32
who has snapped because she's taken all the desk
23:34
out of her classroom. Last period of the day,
23:38
the kids came in, asked the same question. Where
23:41
are our desk? And she said, you have to tell
23:45
me how you earn it. None of them did. She said,
23:49
I guess I'm going to have to explain it to you.
23:52
Martha Cothran walked over to the door of her
23:54
classroom. She opened the door and 27 U .S. veterans
24:01
wearing their uniforms from various wars walked
24:05
in carrying a desk. They brought those desk in
24:09
and lined them up in rows. And as they did, Martha
24:12
Cothran said on a day that I'm sure will never
24:15
be forgotten by those students, she said, kids,
24:19
you don't have to earn your desk because these
24:23
guys, they already did. That's why you have a
24:27
school desk. That's why you have an education.
24:30
And that's why you have the United States of
24:33
America. God bless you and thank you. Two amazing
24:54
people, really great people. I've gotten to know
24:57
them very well. Being on the trail, as they say.
25:01
And I'm very happy with what's going on on the
25:05
trail. I've had an amazing period of time. And
25:08
I'm not going to be doing polls tonight. Usually
25:10
I like to get up and do polls. And everybody,
25:12
even Mike, would say, why do you keep doing those
25:14
polls? I say, because they're so good. But we
25:17
have had amazing polls in Iowa. We've had amazing
25:20
polls no matter where we've been. And we're leading
25:23
now by substantial margins in Iowa and every
25:26
single state. We're leading every national poll
25:29
because people are tired and they're sick of
25:38
seeing what's going on with our country, how
25:40
incompetently we're run, how our military is
25:42
being decimated. And for tonight, you know, as
25:45
an example, what's happening tonight, you see
25:47
the kind of love in this room. There's amazing
25:49
love. The veterans are the most amazing, the
25:52
warmest, the best people. And we're going to
25:55
take care of our veterans. I just think it's
25:59
great. So I'm going to introduce somebody who's
26:01
going to speak for a little while. And I said,
26:03
take your time. And he's going to introduce a
26:05
couple of his friends. But he's been through
26:06
a lot. And John Wayne Walding, I think a lot
26:10
of you have heard, actually become a very famous
26:12
person. He should be much more famous than me
26:15
because he's a lot more courageous than I am.
26:17
I will tell you, I'm financially courageous.
26:19
But the other stuff, I don't know. I'm so good.
26:22
So he spent 12 years in the United States Army.
26:26
with seven of those years being in the third
26:28
special forces top of the line group at Fort
26:31
Bragg, North Carolina. He has combat deployments
26:34
to both Iraq and Afghanistan. And during his
26:37
career at the third special forces group, really
26:41
the elite, these are the best, he worked on a
26:44
special forces operator and as an operator at
26:48
the sniper detachment and as a sniper instructor.
26:52
He is a phenomenal world class marksman and shot.
26:56
His military school experience includes special
26:58
operations target interdict in courses, special
27:03
forces, advanced urban combat. Not easy. Third,
27:07
SFG advanced sniper, special forces, qualifications,
27:11
courses and airborne and air assault. He's got
27:14
every single thing in the book. John's awards
27:16
and badges include Silver Star, Bronze Star.
27:21
Purple Heart, Combat Infantry Branch, Airborne
27:25
Air Assault, and Air Special Forces TAB. John
27:29
participated in numerous battles during his deployment.
27:33
Most famous of all was the Battle of Shock Valley,
27:36
which was a tough one, a really tough one. Unbelievable
27:40
bad results and brilliant results. The victory
27:43
was brilliant, but tremendous, tremendous carnage,
27:47
which you can read about in the new book, No
27:49
Way Out. A story of valor in the mountains of
27:53
Afghanistan. John lost a leg. He is an amazing
27:57
guy. And I thought I heard him speak once before.
28:01
I was so impressed. I just asked him to come
28:03
over and say a few words and also introduce you
28:06
very brave friends. Come on up, John Wayne. Come
28:09
on. Thank you. Thank you very much. Man, I tell
28:25
you what, I feel cooler. Burt Reynolds up here
28:28
getting introduced by Donald Trump. This is awesome.
28:32
Please sit down, sit down. If you don't mind,
28:34
I'm going to keep moving as I talk because in
28:35
the military, a moving target is a lot harder
28:37
to hit. So that and, well, I'm one -legged, so
28:41
standing still sucks. So I'm going to keep talking
28:43
to you all as I move. And also in the military,
28:45
this is how we always call everybody, going to
28:47
sleep. But, no, I want to thank all of you all
28:51
for coming out. Trump's here. I'm not here for
28:54
politics. I want to make that absolutely clear.
28:56
I'm here for people. I don't care about Republican
28:59
or Democrat. I care about America. And I've known
29:02
Donald Trump Jr. for a while now. He's never
29:05
asked me for one thing politically. But what
29:08
I know he has done is see me at his hotel, Trump
29:12
International Las Vegas, when I was at a conference
29:14
in Vegas for SHOT Show, have a little gun company.
29:17
And I was in the restaurant. Being Mr. Trump,
29:21
he was eating with Willie Robinson, Duck Dynasty
29:23
guy, real cool guy. Introduced myself, said thank
29:26
you for letting us have, you know, for coming
29:28
and everything. And Mr. Trump left. Well, he
29:31
came back and he squatted next to my table and
29:33
talked to me for almost an hour and didn't ask
29:35
one thing. He just genuinely wanted to say hi
29:38
and let me know that he cared about my service
29:41
and that he wanted me to make sure I had a good
29:43
time. So I'm here for people. I'm here for people
29:45
as great as he is and the Trump organization
29:48
that I hate that how many people just they get
29:51
the bad rap. You know, another story that I know.
29:54
that no one knows is that I remember Donald and
29:56
his son, senior, or correction, his wife, a long
29:59
time ago, they broke down. Nobody would ever
30:02
help them. Finally, a couple stopped. They helped
30:05
them with their vehicle and helped them get transportation.
30:08
Well, guess what they did? They paid off their
30:10
mortgage. Do you ever hear about that? No. Because
30:15
they're people. They're genuine people. And that
30:17
is the movement. That is the movement that I
30:19
think that everybody in America is actually getting
30:21
onto, is that he is unapologetically American.
30:25
That's what we are. We are American. Absolutely.
30:30
America is the greatest thing that's ever happened
30:33
to this planet in its existence. And why should
30:35
I ever say I'm sorry for that? Tell me that.
30:40
Mr. Trump, he says things that may not make you
30:43
feel good, but it is the better thing for this
30:45
great country. And that's what I care about is
30:47
the better things for this country. Now, why
30:50
I'm here. Now, they told me at first I only had
30:53
a little bit of time. So if you know me. By now,
30:57
you know, getting me to talk for a little bit
30:58
is about as easy. Probably find Hillary Clinton's
31:01
emails, you know, just ain't going to happen.
31:04
Right. So I was very pleased to hear him say
31:08
that I can get up and speak to you. And so for
31:10
that, Mr. Trump, thank you very much. But like
31:13
they said, my name is John Wayne Walding. I'm
31:16
a Green Beret born on the 4th of July and I'm
31:19
from Grosbeck, Texas. So you're welcome, America.
31:21
Right. You can't write this. You know, on that
31:28
note, so I asked my dad one day, because this
31:30
is my true name, I really am John Wayne Walding,
31:32
really was born on 4th of July. And I asked my
31:35
dad one day when I was about 16, and I remember
31:38
asking, Dad, why'd you name me that? Thinking,
31:40
probably get this great story about how he's
31:43
a great American and blah, blah, blah, right?
31:45
He said it just like this, and I quote, had a
31:47
cool birthday, figured you'd need a cool name.
31:51
Well, I'm glad you thought, he was kind of a
31:53
hippie, but I'm glad you thought about it, because
31:54
I'm not stuck with it. But I became a Green Beret.
31:57
And like I said, I did 12 years in the military,
31:59
the majority of that, in special forces as a
32:02
Green Beret. And if people didn't know, the actual
32:05
true term for Green Berets is special forces.
32:08
Special operations is what they always make,
32:11
you know, the Navy SEALs and Rangers and everybody
32:13
else. That's what they fall under. Special forces
32:16
are the U .S. Army Green Berets. And one thing
32:19
I didn't know as a Green Beret and while I was
32:21
in, Under that hat of special operations, over
32:25
6 % of all the missions that are done are done
32:27
by Green Berets. Why does no one know that? Well,
32:31
we don't write books. We don't be in movies.
32:33
We do the job. You know, and a good friend of
32:35
mine was Chris Kyle, and he was a Navy SEAL.
32:38
And it was always real fun whenever we'd, you
32:40
know, be out at a training event. And so you
32:43
got the Army sniper and the Navy SEAL sniper,
32:45
and you suck. No, you suck. Well. You know, so
32:49
that was fun banner back and forth. But that's
32:52
statistics. You know, we go the most, we die
32:55
the most, we get hurt the most. Navy SEAL Foundation's
32:58
got, well, this is an old stat, but around 35
33:00
million, and Green Beret Foundation had three.
33:02
You know, it's just one of the things that Americans
33:04
don't realize that we do our job. Our motto is
33:08
quiet professionals. You know, and one thing
33:11
that we've learned, there's a true difference
33:13
between quiet and silent professional. And that's
33:17
what I'm trying to be as humbly as possible to
33:19
let people know that the job of a Green Beret
33:21
is we teach them to die for their country rather
33:25
than us doing it. That's a pretty good mission,
33:28
right? Instead of sending 100 Americans into
33:32
this village to kill a bad guy, why don't we
33:34
send 15 Green Berets in to teach 1 ,000 of their
33:37
army and let them do it? So that's whenever JFK,
33:40
John F. Kennedy back in the 60s. actually don
33:42
the Green Berets and let us have it. That was
33:44
our job, and we're good at it, and that's what
33:46
we love to do. Within 30 days of the towers falling,
33:49
there were Green Berets in Afghanistan and haven't
33:53
left yet, and we're not going to leave. So that's
33:55
my propaganda for there. So I'm a little biased.
33:59
Am I okay to make sure that my family has food?
34:02
Can I still provide? And three things is what
34:07
made me get better. First and foremost is God.
34:11
Because without him, we'd be nothing. Amen? Amen.
34:15
That's the first thing. The second thing is my
34:19
wife and family, my beautiful wife who is Amy
34:22
at home if you're watching. Love you, sugar.
34:24
But that is absolutely my wife and family making
34:29
sure that every single day I have that compass
34:32
to look forward to and say thank you. And the
34:35
third thing that made me want to always continue
34:37
to lean forward and fight hard is you, Americans,
34:39
great Americans that get it. I absolutely get
34:44
it. It's the Americans that say the two words,
34:49
thank you. Never underestimate the magnitude
34:53
of what the two words, thank you, mean to veterans.
34:57
If you don't believe me, ask a Vietnam guy. Ask
35:03
somebody in Vietnam what it's like to come back
35:05
and get spit on. Ask somebody in Vietnam what
35:08
it's like to get called a baby killer. I'll tell
35:11
you right now, if I lost my leg from my country
35:13
and I got spit on, I'd be homeless. single and
35:16
have an addiction problem because those two words
35:19
are absolutely that mental validation that says
35:23
it's worth it. Right? That's what everything
35:26
we do. It says it's worth it. I like to joke.
35:32
I like to have fun. And I always say I make one
35:34
legged look good. You know, I don't, I don't
35:37
have a face for radio. I'm up here. So it's not
35:39
too bad, but I'll be honest with you. If I didn't
35:42
tell you that it sucks being one legged, it sucks
35:45
not being able to do calf raises. It sucks not
35:49
to be able to walk to the bathroom in the middle
35:52
of the night. It sucks whenever your kids are
35:54
wanting to play soccer and you can't do it because
35:57
you've been working all day with a real job trying
35:59
to make your money. But it's worth it. Why? Because
36:03
thank you. Great Americans like yourselves that
36:06
say thank you and it makes that mental validation
36:09
that says it's worth it. And what does that do?
36:11
That makes me not just want to be a husband,
36:13
but a loving husband. Not just a father, but
36:17
it involved an actual loving and compassionate
36:19
father. Somebody that wants to be with them.
36:22
Not just a citizen, but a successful, right?
36:25
A productive citizen of society. Somebody that
36:27
wants to actually be with other Americans and
36:30
not just be in that wall in that prison that
36:32
they call home because nobody ever validated
36:35
their sacrifice. So again, never underestimate
36:38
the magnitude of what thank you means to veterans.
36:43
You're worth it. So when I hear those two words
36:53
and somebody says thank you, I say you're worth
36:56
it. Because you are worth fighting for. You're
37:00
worth fighting for because we are the best place
37:03
in the country to live. All right? God bless
37:09
you. So when you say thank you, I say you're
37:17
worth it and I mean it. But let me tell you something
37:21
else, though. We lose 22 vets a day to suicide
37:27
and lack of transition. And I can tell you I
37:29
felt that firsthand. Because not only when you
37:32
give back, The military gives you a big old shopping
37:35
cart full of drugs and says, hey, you got shot.
37:37
Take these. It'll make you feel better. And about
37:39
after a year, I realized I'm healed. You know,
37:44
I'm healed. My injury, my leg ain't growing back.
37:46
I tried, you know, so never mind. So anyway,
37:50
I've tried. It ain't going to heal. My incision
37:54
stitches everything out. It's not going to heal.
37:56
But guess what? I still hurt. I hurt every single
37:59
day. And I know that will take it away. Fortunately,
38:02
I had. God, my family, and my country behind
38:05
me. But not everybody gets to feel that. And
38:08
you lose that compass, right? Whenever you get
38:11
out, people don't care. You know, they don't
38:15
care. Everybody loves you and they pat you on
38:17
your back. But who's going to pay the bills,
38:19
right? So when you get out, you don't know where
38:21
that compass is spinning. I challenge you to
38:23
find a veteran or someone that has better work
38:26
ethic, better dedication than a veteran. But
38:29
when that compass is spinning, that's when the
38:31
insecurity builds in. That insecurity instantly
38:33
becomes sadness because you're sad. You got the
38:36
boo -boo lip out. That's what I call a boo -boo
38:38
lip. I rarely bring it out. Only when I'm at
38:40
home. But you get that out and that instantly
38:43
becomes depression. You know, you get depressed.
38:45
Man, I suck at life. I can't even pay my bills.
38:47
You know, I don't get a paycheck on the 1st and
38:49
15th. And that four walls become a prison. You
38:53
know, that's how it happens. And I want to punch
38:57
that in the mouth. I want to punch 22 vets committing
38:59
suicide in the mouth. And the way that I do,
39:02
absolutely. And the best thing, and I want to
39:06
speak specifically to veterans right now. If
39:09
you're having that problem that life sucks, right,
39:12
because you're one -legged or no -legged or whatever,
39:15
you know, just a civilian now, which it is kind
39:17
of weird being a civilian. I'm not going to lie.
39:19
It's got a weird feeling to it. But you see that
39:22
compass pin and you don't know what to do. When
39:26
you start getting sad, you need to tell yourself
39:28
that you owe it to the fallen to live well. And
39:31
think about that. All right. I have over 30 names
39:37
that are embroidered into my center console.
39:39
And it's not because I think it's cool to see
39:41
a lot of names. It's because I knew every single
39:43
one of those names and they're dead now. And
39:46
I have to stomach that. You know, the army, the
39:48
military, Green Berets, they teach us how to
39:51
deal death, but not deal with it. And I'm not
39:53
saying that needs to be the mission. They need
39:55
to be able to be shoot, move, communicate, do
39:57
the great things that we do. However, that's
39:59
something that we don't. have the coping mechanism
40:02
and the 35th time that you get that call and
40:04
say hey ryan got it or hey aaron bellagio he's
40:09
no longer with us or even worse what if you're
40:11
stateside and you see that casket being lowered
40:14
with that american flag down and his family's
40:16
there with his wife three month pregnant or three
40:19
month baby that he hadn't even met looking at
40:21
you do you say i'm sorry what do you say to that
40:24
it's impossible to actually make an act a statement
40:29
to say sorry for your loss Here's how you do
40:32
that. You live well for the fallen. That's a
40:35
debt that you owe. If your life sucks, they win.
40:39
Right? If your life sucks, they win. And that's
40:47
something you cannot let happen. So whenever
40:51
you get that feeling that it's over. Hey, guys,
40:56
sleeping over there. There you go. I got you,
40:58
boy. What? Been on TV? Called me out? I'm just
41:02
saying. But whenever you get that feeling of
41:06
hopelessness or that feeling of sadness, remember.
41:09
You owe it to them to live well. And that's the
41:11
best middle finger that you can give to the Taliban
41:13
is to live great and live awesome. So to remind
41:23
myself every single day, I wear this ring right
41:26
here as a symbol of 22. They commit suicide every
41:29
single day. And I want to bring up Jacob Schick
41:31
and Jeff Kyle, two great friend of mine. Well,
41:34
he's there we go. Come on up there, sugar. Jake
41:50
is the executive director of the 22 Kill Project.
41:55
And that's why he breathes air, is to punch 22
41:59
vets, commit suicide in the mouth. And so I want
42:01
to let him talk to you all about the 22 kill
42:04
ring, and we're going to present one with Mr.
42:06
Trump tonight. Thanks, brother. So much America,
42:15
John Wayne. So much America. Love it. I can't
42:20
say it. Sorry, brother. So we wear these honor
42:25
rings. I'm blessed to be a part of a great organization
42:28
to fight. the staggering statistics that 22 warriors
42:32
die by suicide every day. Not only do we lose
42:34
them on the battlefield, but we lose them when
42:37
they come home by their own hand. And on average,
42:39
it's 22 a day. All three of us, we're all war
42:41
fighters, and we've all buried brothers. And
42:44
it's unacceptable. So at 22kill .com, we fight
42:48
like hell every day to end that statistic and
42:50
let these warriors know and their families know
42:52
you're worth it. Keep fighting the good fight.
42:56
People wonder why we're the best military in
42:59
the world. I'll tell you why. Because it's one
43:02
team, one fight. We're all in it together. And
43:15
that is how we're going to end this statistic.
43:19
So we wear these honor rings on our trigger fingers
43:21
for a reason. It's not a fashion thing. It's
43:24
a life thing. Because this life is absolutely
43:28
worth living. So we are so proud to be here and
43:43
honored to be here. And I've only met Mr. Trump
43:46
a short time in his family. But two of my brothers
43:50
know him a lot longer than I have. And I'll tell
43:52
you right now, their word, that's gold. So if
43:55
they say it, it's so. And with that, these honor
44:05
rings mean so much to us because it's a silent
44:07
salute to those who served and or are serving.
44:10
And to highlight the fact that we lose 22 of
44:13
our finest every day by their own hand. And together
44:15
we can crush that. We can stop it. So thank you.
44:23
So with that, before we do this presentation,
44:26
I've. I feel like it would be remiss if I didn't
44:29
say to all those in the audience tonight who
44:34
served and to family members who went through
44:37
those deployments with them, thank you. Thank
44:41
you for being here, and thank you for what you
44:43
did. And to our Vietnam veterans, welcome home.
44:57
Welcome home. And with that, I would like one
45:05
of my best friends and fellow Marine, We're better.
45:09
Get over it, gentlemen. We're better. To present
45:14
Mr. Trump with his personal honoring that we
45:18
brought for you, and we hope that you wear it
45:21
with pride and remember that one team, one fight
45:24
aspect so we can make America great again together,
45:27
brother. That was amazing. Isn't that better
46:18
than this debate that's going on where everyone's
46:20
sleeping? Right? They're all sleeping. They're
46:24
all sleeping. Everybody. You know, I see two
46:27
of my friends in the audience and they've become
46:29
very famous and very rich. Come on, Diamond and
46:32
Silk. Get up here for a second. Diamond and Silk.
46:35
These two are unbelievable. Melania called me.
46:41
She said, you know, there's somebody that's so
46:42
amazing. Come here. You have to see this. And
46:44
I came and I watched these two incredible women,
46:47
these two beautiful women, and they were going
46:48
rap and back forth. Amazing. You know, I really
47:34
believe if we took them into a room and just
47:36
talked to them, it would be fine. We want strength.
47:39
We want good health care. We want protection.
47:42
We want borders. We want the wall. We want the
47:45
wall. But if we could sit with them for about
47:50
10 minutes, maybe, maybe they'd understand. Say
47:53
hello. How people from the other camp want to
48:04
come in here and mess up our stuff because their
48:06
stuff is boring. Donald J. Trump is going to
48:14
make a great again. A rally. but this is for
48:24
our veterans. But I want you all to know that
48:27
it is imperative that you get out for Donald
48:31
J. Trump and vote Donald J. Trump and see why
48:42
they on the other side debating. We got a negotiator
48:47
and a job creator right here. It's up to all
48:55
Donald J. Trump. Tell you what, they are something,
49:14
those two. Right? Was that something? They really
49:17
have. They become a sensation all over the Internet,
49:20
all over everything. And we really appreciate
49:22
it. So just to sum up, we have an amazing country.
49:27
We need strong leadership. We need compassionate
49:30
leadership. We have to take care of our health
49:33
care. We have to take care of our borders. We
49:36
have to make our military so strong, so big,
49:40
so powerful that nobody messes with us. We're
49:42
never going to have to use it. We want nobody,
49:45
nobody to mess with us. All over, and I tell
49:52
this story all the time, I see our generals,
49:54
they're always on talk shows. They're retiring,
49:56
or even when they're not, they're talking about
49:58
where the enemy is. I don't want generals that
50:01
talk. I want generals, and so do you folks. I
50:04
want generals that have action, that know. I
50:07
want General George Patton. I want General MacArthur.
50:11
We want generals. We want people that are going
50:14
to keep us safe. So I just say this. We are a
50:20
country that doesn't win anymore. We don't win
50:22
anymore. When was the last time we won? We don't
50:25
win on trade. We don't win in the military. We
50:29
don't beat ISIS. We don't do anything. We're
50:32
not good. We're just not the same place. We are
50:36
going to win so much. We are going to win at
50:40
the military. We're going to win at the border.
50:42
We're going to win on trade. We're going to get
50:44
rid of Obamacare and come up with great, great,
50:46
powerful, wonderful healthcare. We're going to
50:53
win again. I'll tell you what, we're going to
50:55
win again. We're going to win at every single
50:58
level. And we're not going to be laughed at throughout
51:00
the rest of the world, because believe me, they
51:02
laugh at our stupidity. They cannot believe what's
51:05
happening. We send weapons over to our allies.
51:08
A gun is fired in the air. They hear one sound
51:11
of a bullet. They drop the weapons. The enemy
51:14
takes them. And now people come back from the
51:17
Middle East and they tell me, Mr. Trump. they
51:20
have better weapons than we do they have the
51:23
new versions they have the best weapons the enemy
51:26
not going to happen anymore it's not going to
51:29
happen anymore i will tell you so this is a special
51:36
night for me and i had no idea this was going
51:38
to happen we started out literally 24 hours ago
51:42
maybe less we had no idea and we went out we
51:46
set up the website i called some friends And
51:50
we just cracked the sign was just given. We just
51:52
cracked six million dollars, right? Six million.
52:00
And we have outside a list of the organizations
52:03
and folks that are going to be getting this money.
52:05
We're going to divide it up and they're going
52:06
to get a lot of money. Everybody's going to get
52:08
a lot of money. And they're really great. And
52:10
we watched it. We were very careful in selecting
52:12
because we want to make sure that the costs are
52:15
down, that the people are really doing it with
52:16
the heart. The heart is so important. And we
52:20
have picked out some really amazing. Amazing
52:23
veterans organizations. So this has turned out
52:28
to be a much different evening. I thought this
52:29
would be small. I didn't even know if it was
52:31
going to happen. And it turned out to be a phenomenal,
52:35
a phenomenal night. I've gotten to meet some
52:38
incredible veterans. I've gotten to meet John
52:41
Wayne and your friends, and they are something.
52:43
I'm not going to mess with them, okay? And I
52:47
want to thank my entire family. I'll tell you,
52:50
you have Vanessa and Don and Jared. Big success,
52:54
right, Don? Jared, he's doing good. And Ivanka
52:57
is going to have a baby in two weeks. In fact,
52:58
we have a hospital all lined up. And you know
53:04
what? I'm doing great. I love the people of Iowa.
53:06
But I said, Ivanka, it would be so great if you
53:08
had your baby in Iowa. It would be so great.
53:11
I'd definitely win. Stand up, honey. Say hello.
53:15
Say hello. It happened. I want that to happen
53:23
so badly. And Lara. And my boy Eric has just
53:27
been fantastic. And my staff, it's just been
53:30
great. And again, thank you, sir, for that million
53:33
dollars. And I'll tell you what, special guy,
53:36
and we love him. So just to end, an amazing evening.
53:41
You veterans are incredible people, brave beyond
53:45
comprehension. And I just want to, on behalf
53:48
of everybody in this country, in Iowa, but in
53:50
this country, I want to thank you. for the job
53:53
you do because without you we would not be here
53:57
tonight you didn't frankly have the balls to
53:59
put country before party