‘This Week’ Transcript: Donald Trump

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT FOR 'THIS WEEK' ON May 8, 2016 and it will be updated.

STEPHANOPOULOS: I sat down with Trump at Omaha's airport on Friday, just before a rally. And I began by asking him what he plans to tell Paul Ryan when they meet face-to-face on Thursday.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TRUMP: I'm going to say, look, this is what the people want. I just don't understand why he didn't. You know, most people have come out in favor. We've gotten tremendous endorsements over the last short period of time.

Uh, even Governor Perry came out. I mean he was very rough and then he came out and he had a very beautiful statement. I mean he came out with a magnificent statement.

Look, I've had so much support. I've had support from all the people that Paul Ryan works with. I mean you see all the congressmen. They're coming forward. They're coming forward in waves right now. And I'm actually a little surprised that this is happening this quickly.

And just about the -- I mean I understand why a Jeb Bush or a Lindsey Graham, who I don't even care if he supports me. And I was rough with him and I beat him badly, I mean 48-2 in his own state. And -- and I understand that.

But Paul Ryan is a different...

(CROSSTALK)

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- you're saying he's going to have to come to you, you're not going to come to him.

TRUMP: No, I'm going to certainly come down the middle, but I'm just going to have to see what he's looking for. I was very surprised and very disappointed because, you know, you should be -- we've got to be cheerleaders for the Republican Party. We don't have to play cute.

STEPHANOPOULOS (voice-over): That became his line of the weekend.

TRUMP: You know, he called me three weeks ago. We couldn't have had a nicer conversation that's great and we'll, you know, work together. Well, everything is fine.

And then all of a sudden, he wants to be cute.

But, you know, we'll see. We'll see.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As for Republicans who say they won't support or endorse him...

TRUMP: I don't even want -- if -- if somebody doesn't want to endorse, I don't want their endorsement. It's OK. I'm going to release them.

STEPHANOPOULOS: It's quite a list. Presidents George -- George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, ex-rivals Lindsey Graham and Jeb Bush.

TRUMP: Well, I understand Jeb Bush. I was rough with Jeb Bush. And I think if I was Jeb Bush, I wouldn't vote for me either, if you want to know the truth, George.

But, you know, they should do that. They're Republicans.

STEPHANOPOULOS (on camera): But Paul Ryan is different. He's the speaker of the House. He's the highest ranking...

TRUMP: No.

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- elected Republican in the country right now. He's the chairman of the convention.

Back in March, you said he'd pay a price if he didn't get along with you.

What is that price?

TRUMP: Well, we're going to see what happens. He wants to meet. He'd like to meet. And I think we're meeting on Thursday. And we'll just see what happens. It's just more drama.

But I think it's a mistake not to do this. We want to bring the party together.

Does the party have to be together?

Does it have to be unified?

I'm very different than everybody else, perhaps, that's ever run for office. I actually don't think so. I think that...

STEPHANOPOULOS: It doesn't have to be unified.

TRUMP: No, I don't think so. I think it would be better if it were unified. I think it would be, uh, there would be something good about it. But I don't think it actually has to be unified in the traditionally sense.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But the party (INAUDIBLE).

TRUMP: I'm going to do what I have to do. I have millions of people that voted for me because I have strong borders, because I want strong trade. I want good trade. I want trade. I don't want to be an isolationist, but what's happening with China, what's happening with Japan, what's happening with Mexico, they're just absolutely eating our lunch. It's a shame. It's terrible.

So I have to say true to my principles, also. And I'm a conservative, but don't forget, this is called the Republican Party. It's not called the Conservative Party. You know, there are Conservative Parties. This is called the Republican Party.

I am a conservative.

STEPHANOPOULOS (voice-over): While Trump swats away critics in his own party, Hillary Clinton is focused on locking in her base by playing that women's card.

HILLARY CLINTON (D-NY), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: He doesn't think much of equal pay for women because, of course, he doesn't think much of women, it turns out.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Trump digging in with this remarkable statement.

TRUMP: I mean all of the men, we're petrified to speak to women anymore. We may raise our voice.

You know what?

The women get it better than we do, folks, all right?

They get it better than we do.

STEPHANOPOULOS: But he's also up against the president.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Republican women voters are going to have to decide is that the guy I feel comfortable with in representing me and what I care about.

TRUMP: Well, I'll tell you what my reaction is. I won in massive doses and massive -- by a massive number, New York, Pennsylvania, everything. I won overall. But I won with women. I won with men. I won with older. I won with soldiers. I won with highly educated and not so highly educated. I won with everybody.

STEPHANOPOULOS (on camera): So you're not worried about Obama...

TRUMP: I won with...

STEPHANOPOULOS: -- out there campaigning against you?

TRUMP: Look, you know what?

Once we start, I think it's going to be good.

You know, Hillary Clinton, the only thing she's got going, she plays the woman card 100 percent. I saw her in a speech, well Donald Trump spoke a little bit harshly to Megyn Kelly. Well, Megyn Kelly was really terrific. She called me and came up to my office. She wanted to make peace. And we did. We did. I mean, it was very nice.

Some of the stuff is said as, you know, an entertainer, because I have The Apprentice, or some of it was said in fun with certain shows like Howard Stern, who is a friend of mine...

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, you're not worried about the tapes of that coming back?

TRUMP: It comes back.

I mean, look, what am I going to do? Everyone else thinks it. You know, these politicians, I watch the politicians, what they say behind the scenes makes whatever I said jokingly to Howard and other people like baby stuff.

What they tell me behind the scenes talking about everything is far worse than anything that you've seen or you ever will see about me. And then they act like, oh, that's so terrible. That's so terrible.

I mean, you know when it's called? Give me a break. And I watch Hillary Clinton like she's a baby. I mean, just look at what happens with her family. I watch Hillary Clinton like, oh, the way he talks to women, the way he talks to women, well -- you know, take a look at her husband and what do you think he talks to women?

So, when I watch her and she's playing the women card so much and so loud. And frankly I think it's her only chance of getting elected. You know what, listen, she's going to get hit for it, because it's not appropriate.

STEPHANOPOULOS: You know, there was an article in GQ about your wife Melania this week. And you said that spouses should be off the table, but you are willing to talk about Bill Clinton. Should he be off the table as well?

TRUMP: It depends on if he's involved in the campaign. I think if he's involved in the campaign, he shouldn't be. And he probably will be involved.

I think he gets involved when she plays the women card. When she said Donald Trump was nasty to a woman, number one I've worked so well with women for so many years. I broke -- you know, you talk about the glass ceiling, what I've done in terms of jobs for women and I've gotten so much credit, and to this day I have so many women in my company that are doing so well, making so much money, I mean, in many cases making more money than men in comparable positions.

But, no, if he's involved in the campaign, he should absolutely, you know, he could be brought into it.

STEPHANOPOULOS: So, not -- fair game.

TRUMP: I think fair game, yeah. No, I think fair game.

STEPHANOPOULOS: As Trump make clear Friday night.

TRUMP: Nobody in this country, and maybe in the history of the country politically, was worse than Bill Clinton with women. He was a disaster.

STEPHANOPOULOS: And Saturday.

TRUMP: Hillary Clinton's husband abused women more than any man that we know of in the history of politics, right. She's married to a man who was the worst abuser of women in the history of politics. She's married to a man who hurt many women. And Hillary, if you look and you study, Hillary hurt many women.

STEPHANOPOULOS: To Trump, the rules of the game are clear -- if you're on the field, you get hit.

TRUMP: Now, my wife was a very successful person. She did great. She was a very successful model. And now she's a homemaker. I mean, she just wants to -- she loves taking caring of (inaudible). She's a very good woman.

And, you know, people that are married to people like me, especially people like me -- I hope there are others out there, who knows -- but they get really hit unfairly by so many different articles and writers. And they're not looking to hurt them, they're looking to hurt me.

But, you know, she's a very good woman. A tremendous heart. She's very -- you know, very charitable. And it's sort of unfair when they get treated nastily. Not so bad, but nastily.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Much more of an interview with Donald Trump coming up, but let's break in now with our roundtable.

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