Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said that as a businessman “I’d give to everybody” when he gave to the Clinton Foundation “I assumed it was being put to good use” and that the Clintons “never really did anything for me” on Tuesday’s “O’Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel.
Trump was asked about his donations to the Clinton Foundation, to which he stated that as a businessman, “I would take care of everybody. I’d give to everybody. I got along with Clinton. I got along with the speaker of the House. I got along with everybody. And that was my obligation. I got along with Democrats and liberals and Republicans and conservatives. And they called me, and they loved me, and if they wanted to have dinner they’d call me, and whatever I wanted I got. I mean, that’s part of being a successful businessman.”
After host Bill O’Reilly asked, “Alright, so you bribed them?” Trump denied it was a bribe.
O’Reilly then asked how Trump could attack Clinton for a foundation that he gave to. Trump answered, “It’s very easy. And I have to tell you this, in all fairness, I thought that money was being put to very good use. I assumed it was being put to whether it’s Haiti or all of the different things that I heard about. I didn’t know about the private airplane rides all over the place and if you look at the kind of expenses that they charge and the way they lived, I had no idea that, but I will say, that as far as the foundation’s concerned, I assumed it was being put to good use, and so did everybody else that gave, and there were a lot of people that gave. They never really did anything for me, but I will say this, if I think they probably would have liked me, and, you know, whether you give here or give there, I got along with everybody, Bill. I got along with everybody.
He further stated, “If they want to send it back, I’ll take it gladly. I would love to have it back. by the way, I wish it was put to good use.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett