Trump Fires Off Hot Takes on GOP Rivals, Yellen, Putin, and Saturday Night Live

Former Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump put out a new book Tuesday, entitled Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again, his blueprint for how he’d pull America out of the pit of despair he believes it has fallen into. Ever the showman, Trump used the occasion of the book’s launch to attack the media, his GOP rivals, and Fed chief Janet Yellen and to rift on a host of issues in a way only he can.

Taking questions Tuesday for about half an hour in a New York tower that bears his name, Trump took aim at Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a potential threat that has been rising in the polls in recent weeks. The real estate mogul said Rubio “lives above his means,” referring to the senator’s spotty personal finance record, which includes facing foreclosure on a home in Florida and his heavily taxed withdraw from a retirement account.

The Donald also hit out at surgeon Ben Carson, who has recently overtaken Trump in a handful of national polls. “You look at Ben, he’s very weak on [illegal] immigration, and he wants to get rid of Medicare,” Trump said.

Neither Carson’s nor Rubio’s campaigns responded to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks.

Trump then repeated his threat to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, something he said he would make Mexico finance. “Walls work,” Trump said. “All you have to do is ask Israel.”

Trump also turned his rancor on CNBC anchor John Harwood, who has been criticized for what the GOP field considered unfair questions during last week’s debate. “You don’t want people like Harwood that read a question, buh, buh, buh, buh, that he carefully wrote.… In my opinion, his career is probably ruined or certainly threatened.”

The press conference underscored the likelihood that, as he continues his run for the presidency, measured and often cagey answers will not be Trump’s hallmark when talking to the media. He fired off hot takes on a host of issues, including:

–The U.S. relationship with Russia: “We will have a very good relationship, I think, with Russia. Now maybe we won’t. … I believe that I will have a very good relationship with [Russian President Vladimir] Putin.”

–On Fed chief Yellen’s refusal to raise interest rates, something expected since March 2015: President Barack “Obama told her not to because he wants to be out playing golf in a year from now, and he wants to be doing other things, and he doesn’t want to see a big bubble burst during his administration.”

–On equal pay for women in the workplace: Trump said he often pays his female employees more than their male counterparts. “Women have always appreciated that about me.”

–When asked a question by a French journalist, Trump said this of the relationship between Paris and Washington: “We don’t have to worry about the French right now.”

–On his record creating jobs: “I’m a job machine.”

–On his economic record: “Nobody for the economy … is even close.”

–On the Democratic front-runner: “Beating Hillary Clinton is going to be easy, because her record is so bad.”

–On his upcoming appearance on Saturday Night Live: “I’m meeting with Lorne Michaels in a little while. … and we’ll start the preparation.” Trump added he’s “not too nervous.”

–On whether he’ll do an impression of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another candidate he’s running well ahead of, during the SNL show: “I don’t like showing a person sleeping at the podium.”

–On “Sarah,” a reporter for CNN: “Terrific person.”

–On why he will win the White House: “I’m going to make America great again. Nobody else is going to be able to do that,” Trump said. “I’m going to make it, in my opinion, better than ever before. And I think that’s awfully tough to compete with.”

Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images