Real estate mogul Donald Trump is dominating GOP polls in the race for the White House. He is the new darling of the conservative faithful. A tough-talking outsider who, his supporters believe, will stand up to China, Japan and Mexico in order to Make America Great Again.
Yet unlike serious candidates for president, he receives his military advice from armchair pundits on cable television.
Here’s the full transcript of Trump’s exchange with NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Chuck Todd, which The Huffington Post has published in its entirety for full comedic effect:
CHUCK TODD:
Who do you talk to for military advice right now?
DONALD TRUMP:
Well, I watch the shows. I mean, I really see a lot of great– you know, when you watch your show and all of the other shows and you have the generals and–
CHUCK TODD:
So you do the–
DONALD TRUMP:
And you have certain people that you like–
CHUCK TODD:
But is there a go-to for you? You know–
DONALD TRUMP:
Probably there are–
CHUCK TODD:
–every presidential–
DONALD TRUMP:
–two or three–
CHUCK TODD:
–candidate has a go-to–
DONALD TRUMP:
Yeah, probably there are two or three. I mean, I like Bolton. I think he’s, you know, a tough cookie, knows what he’s talking about. Jacobs is a good guy–
CHUCK TODD:
Do you mean Ambassador John Bolton–
DONALD TRUMP:
Yes. I think he’s terrific–
CHUCK TODD:
You mean Colonel Jack Jacobs?
DONALD TRUMP:
Colonel Jack Jacobs is a good guy. And I see him on occasion. I actually had dinner– I was given a very high award by the Marines at the Waldorf Astoria a couple of months ago. And your new head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the head Marine, was a very impressive guy. He just got appointed. I think–
CHUCK TODD:
You hear good things–
DONALD TRUMP:
–that he will do–
(OVERTALK)
DONALD TRUMP:
–a terrific job.