Donald Trump's three-point plan to solve the national debt
If he鈥檚 elected president, how would Donald Trump solve the national debt problem? Easy 鈥� he鈥檇 pay to settle it himself.
Just kidding! Mr. Trump has said nothing of the sort. He doesn鈥檛 have that kind of money, anyway. Warren Buffet might 鈥� but he鈥檚 already promised his to charity.
The subject of the Donald and the deficit comes up because on Thursday Trump blasted Obama鈥檚 recent speech outlining his proposed fiscal path for the nation.
It 鈥渨asn鈥檛 a deficit-cutting speech,鈥� said Trump, speaking with New York Talk 1300 radio host Fred Dicker.
It was a 鈥渟tump speech. That was the beginning of his run for president,鈥� Trump continued.
Obama vs. Paul Ryan: five ways their debt plans differ
OK, Mr. Billionaire, how would you handle it then? You鈥檙e talking about maybe running for president, after all.
As it happens Trump does not appear to have addressed that question at length. For some weird reason interviewers seem much more interested in asking him about where Obama was born than how a President Trump might govern the country.
But you can piece together bits of a policy from various pronouncements Trump has made in recent weeks. We鈥檒l call it 鈥淭rump鈥檚 three-point plan to solve the debt crisis.鈥�
SOAK THE RICH ... COUNTRIES. Trump鈥檚 big thing is international respect. People are laughing at us around the world, he says, and he wants that to stop. One way to do this would be to end the fact that they are 鈥渞ipping us off鈥� (Trump鈥檚 words) by letting the US pick up the tab for being the world鈥檚 policeman.
鈥淎s an example, we are protecting South Korea from North Korea. Why aren鈥檛 they paying us?鈥� Trump said in a February interview on CNN.
More recently he鈥檚 charged that the Arab League is letting us get rid of Muammar Qaddafi for it without offering to kick in a dime.
鈥淚f the United States were properly run, and if we had leaders that knew what they were doing, the United States would be flowing in cash,鈥� said Trump March 31 on MSNBC.
IN PICTURES: Will these Republicans run in 2012?
CHERISH THE SENIORS. OK, so Trump doesn鈥檛 like Obama鈥檚 debt plan. Does he approve of the GOP alternative, drawn up by Rep. Paul Ryan (R) of Wisconsin? Umm ... not really. There are big parts of it Trump does not like. Specifically, he thinks Representative Ryan鈥檚 proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program, with the government subsidizing seniors鈥� purchase of private health insurance, is politically risky.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think the Republicans should be out on this ledge,鈥� said Trump April 7 on CNN.
So how would Trump solve the problem of Medicare, which is the largest single driver of the nation鈥檚 long-term debt?
鈥淲ell, I鈥檓 studying that situation very closely, and if and when I decide to run ... I鈥檒l have a plan,鈥� said Trump.
鈥淭he seniors have to be cherished. They have to be taken care of,鈥� he added.
LET鈥橲 MAKE A DEAL! Trump has said he considers himself a tea party adherent. On NBC鈥檚 "Today" show April 7 he decried 鈥渢his ridiculous, absolutely killer of a spending that鈥檚 going on,鈥� added that 鈥�Obamacare鈥� has been a 鈥渄isaster.鈥�
But at heart he seems to regard straightening out the nation鈥檚 fiscal crisis as more of a process problem more than a challenge of ideology. When a shutdown of the government loomed last week he faulted Obama, not for resisting further budget cuts, but for not getting the necessary deal done.
鈥淚鈥檇 bring everybody together and we鈥檇 have a budget and it would get done,鈥� said Trump on 鈥淭oday.鈥�
Wow, why didn鈥檛 Obama think of that?
