NEWT GINGRICH on the Trump campaign: an interview. [archive] The interviewer plays gotcha, and Gingrich turns the tables:
You are a smart guy, you know exactly what Trump is doing. I heard Trump say at a rally that if you are a Christian living in Syria, Obama won’t let you into America. If you are a Muslim living in Syria, it’s the easiest thing in the world to come to America. And then Trump said, essentially, we all know why Obama acts this way, but I am not going to say it. You and I both know what he is playing to when he says that stuff, and it isn’t our finest impulses as Americans.
Well, what do you think he is playing to, other than the fact that it is true?
It’s true that it’s the easiest thing in the world for a Muslim in Syria to come to the United States?
Well, it is certainly in Obama’s interest to allow you to come as a refugee. He’d let a lot more people come if he could.
Well, people are suffering.
People are suffering everywhere. How about everybody in Darfur? Should they all come to Miami? The suffering thing is liberal tripe. It is nonsense.
That doesn’t sound so much like the Reaganite conservatism you mentioned earlier.
What doesn’t?
Saying suffering is liberal tripe. I thought he was a champion—
Suffering is an excuse and allows people to be guilt-tripped into doing bad policy. Look at who is going to Germany right now. These are population migrations, not refugee streams, and they are going to change Europe permanently to our disadvantage.
I want to get back to what Trump is doing, and we both know he is playing on impulses—
No, no we don’t.
We don’t?
What we know is that Trump has had the nerve to raise questions in a clear language because he represents the millions of Americans who are sick and tired of being told that they have to be guilt-ridden and keep their mouth shut.