Source: Politics<\/p>\n
Donald Trump revealed Wednesday he knows his vice presidential pick already, even though he wouldn\u2019t say who it was. The former president has choice words about Chris Christie dropping out of the race earlier in the day. And he signaled again that he thinks abortion is a political liability for Republicans.<\/p>\n
Those were among the highlights of an hourlong Fox News town hall Wednesday night moderated by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum. Trump was pressed on everything from his authoritarian rhetoric \u2014 \u201cI am not going to be a dictator,\u201d he declared \u2014 to millions in payments his businesses received from foreign governments during his first term.<\/p>\n
The town hall took place at the same time Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis were debating on CNN<\/a>. Trump skipped that event, as he has all the Republican primary debates.<\/p>\n Here are the key moments from Trump\u2019s Fox News sitdown:<\/p>\n Trump kicked off the town hall by shrugging off news that Christie decided to drop out of the GOP presidential primary<\/a> and any suggestion that it could hurt his odds in New Hampshire.<\/p>\n \u201cI have polls that show me leading by a tremendous amount in New Hampshire and a lot in Iowa and nationwide, we’re leading by almost 60 points, so I’m not exactly worried about it,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI understand New Hampshire very well. I’ve won it twice and did very well with New Hampshire. I love the people, they love me.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump was eager to weigh in on the viral hot mic moment<\/a>, captured on a Christie campaign livestream, of the former New Jersey governor telling a group of Republicans in New Hampshire that he thought Haley is \u201cgoing to get smoked\u201d and \u201cis not up to this.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought actually, the biggest story wasn’t the fact that he dropped out. Nobody cared too much about that. But he had a hot mic,\u201d Trump said. \u201cShe’ll be creamed in the election, and I mean, I know very well, and I happen to believe that Chris Christie is right. That’s one of the few things he’s been right about, actually.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked by a DeSantis supporter whether he would be able to attract people to work for him in the White House since he \u201cpublicly criticized and personally demeaned so many of them,\u201d Trump said he would have no problem making hires.<\/p>\n And he already has someone in mind for his biggest hire, vice president.<\/p>\n MacCallum asked who he expects his running mate to be.<\/p>\n “Well, I can’t tell you that really. I mean, I know who it’s going to be,\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n MacCallum pressed him to share names and asked if he would ever consider mending fences with any of his primary rivals and consider them for the spot once filled by Mike Pence.<\/p>\n \u201cOh I will. I’ve already started to like Christie better,\u201d Trump said to laughter in the audience.<\/p>\n Trump blamed the press for blowing out of proportion comments he made in December that he would be a \u201cdictator\u201d for one day<\/a> if he won.<\/p>\n “I am not going to be a dictator,\u201d he said, complaining that the media took his comments out of context for the past month.<\/p>\n Trump had in the past repeatedly<\/a> doubled down on his dictator comment<\/a> since he first made them.<\/p>\n Trump was also asked by Baier what he meant when he said there could be \u201cbedlam\u201d in the country due to his various legal challenges earlier this week. He called the various charges he is facing in federal and state courts a political ploy, and said \u201cof course\u201d political violence is not acceptable when asked directly by Baier.<\/p>\n Trump said DeSantis wouldn\u2019t even be in politics today if not for his endorsement of the Florida governor in 2018.<\/p>\n \u201cYou like Ron DeSantis, but he wouldn’t even be around today. He’d be working in a pizza shop or perhaps a law firm, if I didn’t endorse him,\u201d Trump told a voter who said she would caucus for DeSantis.<\/p>\n \u201cI endorsed him, took him from nothing to winning an election. And I was all for him, and then one day, he said he\u2019d run against me four years later after I got him in, and I said, \u2018That’s not a loyal person.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Trump said sanctuary cities, which limit cooperation with the federal government in enforcing immigration law, are eventually \u201cgoing to be ended\u201d because Democrats \u201ccan\u2019t sustain it.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re going to have the largest deportation effort in the history of our country,\u201d he said when asked about the country\u2019s undocumented immigrants. \u201cWe’re bringing everybody back to where they came from. We have no choice.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump also touted his 2017 temporary ban on refugees and travelers from seven majority-Muslim countries, claiming it prevented terrorist attacks during his term.<\/p>\n Trump did not commit to divesting from his businesses should he win a second term.<\/p>\nTrump reacts to Christie news and \u2018hot mic\u2019 moment<\/h4>\n
Trump says he has a VP pick in mind<\/h4>\n
\u2018I am not going to be a dictator\u2019<\/h4>\n
Trump: DeSantis would have been serving pizza without me<\/h4>\n
Trump promises \u2018largest deportation effort in the history of our country\u2019<\/h4>\n
Trump won\u2019t divest from businesses in second term<\/h4>\n