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Trump brings up Obama's birthplace question before Romney event in Las Vegas
BY LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS ***************
Posted: May 29, 2012 | 11:14 a.m.
Hours before hosting a fundraiser for Mitt Romney in Las Vegas, Donald Trump said Tuesday he's renewing questions about whether President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. because "a lot of people agree" with him and it might help Republicans win the White House.
In an interview with the Las Vegas ***************, the hotel-casino mogul and reality TV star said he knows Romney doesn't agree with his views, but Trump believes he has struck a chord with Americans who want more proof that Obama was born in Hawaii and not Kenya.
"A lot of people agree with me on this issue," Trump said by phone from the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. "I don't know if they like me, but they agree with what I say. Whether it's about Obama's birth certificate, or whether it's China ripping us off or whether it's OPEC ripping us off."
As for Romney, Trump said the presumptive GOP presidential nominee doesn't have to agree with him about Obama, and he doesn't think he's hurting Romney's campaign by bringing it up again.
"I don't think he has to take that stance, but I think it helps him. I have the largest base of fans," said Trump, the star of "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC. "Mitt Romney's been extremely respectful, and he's a great guy and I hope he can be president. And he's got a great chance of it."
Romney is in Las Vegas to attend the private fundraiser and in the afternoon to visit a Las Vegas furniture company owned by Debbi Somers, a successful businesswoman.
Nevada is one of more than half a dozen toss-up states that could decide who wins the White House. Obama overwhelmingly won the Silver State by 12 percentage points in 2008, but Nevada has suffered the highest unemployment and home foreclosure rates in the nation under his watch.
GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., are both set to campaign with Romney Tuesday for the first time. The two Republicans endorsed Romney in April after it was apparent he would be the GOP nominee and others dropped out of the race.
Trump endorsed Romney just before the Feb. 4 GOP presidential caucus in Nevada, which the former Massachusetts governor easily won with 50 percent of the vote.
The Trump endorsement came after the New York developer decided against an independent run for president after generating attention by questioning Obama's origins. In response, Obama released his long-form birth certificate showing he was born in Hawaii to his American mother and Kenyan father.
Trump renewed his attacks after learning that 1991 promotional material for Obama's memoirs described him as born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia. The publisher said it was an error.
"Life doesn't work that way," Trump said, adding he wants to see more documentation before he lets the matter drop. "There are no records in the hospital, as I've been saying."
Asked why he keeps pressing a controversial issue that seems resolved, Trump said, "The purpose is, if he wasn't born in this country he cannot be president. That's the purpose."
"Romney doesn't have to embrace it, but I have to embrace it because there are questions that are unanswerable," Trump said. "It's a serious situation, frankly, for a lot of people."
Romney's campaign has dismissed it as a non-issue, saying the GOP candidate believes Obama was born in the United States. On Monday, Romney said he had no problem with Trump.
"You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me, and my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in," Romney told reporters on his charter plane. "But I need to get 50.1 percent or more, and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."
The Obama campaign, in response, released a video Tuesday suggesting Romney should repudiate Trump just as the 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain sometimes rebuked supporters at rallies who questioned whether Obama was born in the United States.
Trump dismissed the Obama video, saying, "Look what happened to John McCain."
Tuesday evening, Trump is hosting a fundraiser for Romney at the Trump International Hotel on the Strip with contributions ranging from $2,500 to attend to $250,000 to be an event chair. The event could raise from $1 million to $2 million for Romney's campaign, according to organizers.
Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and GOP presidential candidate, also is set to attend.
Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson was a strong Gingrich backer during the primary campaign as he and his wife contributed more than $20 million to a political action committee helping Gingrich.
Romney is expected to meet with Adelson during his Las Vegas stop. The Sands chief has been invited to the Trump fundraiser along with Steve Wynn, another conservative casino mogul.
"We're going to raise a lot of money," said Trump, who also plans to help raise campaign cash for Romney at a New York event as well. "We have a lot of people coming. It'll be very interesting."
Trump also plans to start his own political action committee to raise money to help elect Romney.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.
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Trump brings up Obama's birthplace question before Romney event in Las Vegas
BY LAURA MYERS
LAS VEGAS ***************
Posted: May 29, 2012 | 11:14 a.m.
Hours before hosting a fundraiser for Mitt Romney in Las Vegas, Donald Trump said Tuesday he's renewing questions about whether President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. because "a lot of people agree" with him and it might help Republicans win the White House.
In an interview with the Las Vegas ***************, the hotel-casino mogul and reality TV star said he knows Romney doesn't agree with his views, but Trump believes he has struck a chord with Americans who want more proof that Obama was born in Hawaii and not Kenya.
"A lot of people agree with me on this issue," Trump said by phone from the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas. "I don't know if they like me, but they agree with what I say. Whether it's about Obama's birth certificate, or whether it's China ripping us off or whether it's OPEC ripping us off."
As for Romney, Trump said the presumptive GOP presidential nominee doesn't have to agree with him about Obama, and he doesn't think he's hurting Romney's campaign by bringing it up again.
"I don't think he has to take that stance, but I think it helps him. I have the largest base of fans," said Trump, the star of "Celebrity Apprentice" on NBC. "Mitt Romney's been extremely respectful, and he's a great guy and I hope he can be president. And he's got a great chance of it."
Romney is in Las Vegas to attend the private fundraiser and in the afternoon to visit a Las Vegas furniture company owned by Debbi Somers, a successful businesswoman.
Nevada is one of more than half a dozen toss-up states that could decide who wins the White House. Obama overwhelmingly won the Silver State by 12 percentage points in 2008, but Nevada has suffered the highest unemployment and home foreclosure rates in the nation under his watch.
GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., are both set to campaign with Romney Tuesday for the first time. The two Republicans endorsed Romney in April after it was apparent he would be the GOP nominee and others dropped out of the race.
Trump endorsed Romney just before the Feb. 4 GOP presidential caucus in Nevada, which the former Massachusetts governor easily won with 50 percent of the vote.
The Trump endorsement came after the New York developer decided against an independent run for president after generating attention by questioning Obama's origins. In response, Obama released his long-form birth certificate showing he was born in Hawaii to his American mother and Kenyan father.
Trump renewed his attacks after learning that 1991 promotional material for Obama's memoirs described him as born in Kenya and raised in Indonesia. The publisher said it was an error.
"Life doesn't work that way," Trump said, adding he wants to see more documentation before he lets the matter drop. "There are no records in the hospital, as I've been saying."
Asked why he keeps pressing a controversial issue that seems resolved, Trump said, "The purpose is, if he wasn't born in this country he cannot be president. That's the purpose."
"Romney doesn't have to embrace it, but I have to embrace it because there are questions that are unanswerable," Trump said. "It's a serious situation, frankly, for a lot of people."
Romney's campaign has dismissed it as a non-issue, saying the GOP candidate believes Obama was born in the United States. On Monday, Romney said he had no problem with Trump.
"You know, I don't agree with all the people who support me, and my guess is they don't all agree with everything I believe in," Romney told reporters on his charter plane. "But I need to get 50.1 percent or more, and I'm appreciative to have the help of a lot of good people."
The Obama campaign, in response, released a video Tuesday suggesting Romney should repudiate Trump just as the 2008 GOP presidential nominee John McCain sometimes rebuked supporters at rallies who questioned whether Obama was born in the United States.
Trump dismissed the Obama video, saying, "Look what happened to John McCain."
Tuesday evening, Trump is hosting a fundraiser for Romney at the Trump International Hotel on the Strip with contributions ranging from $2,500 to attend to $250,000 to be an event chair. The event could raise from $1 million to $2 million for Romney's campaign, according to organizers.
Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker and GOP presidential candidate, also is set to attend.
Sands CEO Sheldon Adelson was a strong Gingrich backer during the primary campaign as he and his wife contributed more than $20 million to a political action committee helping Gingrich.
Romney is expected to meet with Adelson during his Las Vegas stop. The Sands chief has been invited to the Trump fundraiser along with Steve Wynn, another conservative casino mogul.
"We're going to raise a lot of money," said Trump, who also plans to help raise campaign cash for Romney at a New York event as well. "We have a lot of people coming. It'll be very interesting."
Trump also plans to start his own political action committee to raise money to help elect Romney.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact reporter Laura Myers at lmyers@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2919. Follow @lmyerslvrj on Twitter.
