[NYTr] Trump says Bush should go into 'hiding'

[All the News That Doesn't Fit]

CNN - Sep 25, 2007
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/24/trump.bush/


Trump says Bush should go into 'hiding'

By Alexander Mooney
CNN Washington bureau

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Donald Trump has some advice for President Bush if
he wants a Republican to win the White House: Hide.

The business mogul and vocal critic of the Bush administration told
CNN's Wolf Blitzer on Monday that he thinks the president is a "huge
liability" for any Republican seeking the White House.

Trump went on to say the best thing Bush can do for his party is to go
into hiding.

"I think President Bush has to go into a corner and hide if a
Republican is going to get elected," he said. "There is no way he is an
asset. He is a huge liability, and he is going to have to do a big, big
hiding act if a Republican is going to win."

Once a Republican nominee is determined, Trump added, Bush "should just
go into a corner and say 'OK, that's it. I am finished. It's over.' "

Trump also reiterated his comments to CNN in March that Bush is
probably the worst president in American history, saying, "We've gone
from this tremendous power that was respected all over the world to
somewhat of a laughingstock."

 "And, all of the sudden, people are talking about China and India and
other places. ... Even from an economic standpoint, America's come down
a long way," he added. "It's very, very sad."

But Trump and the president agree on who will likely win the Democratic
nomination: New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"I know her very well. She's very talented, and she has a husband I
also like very much," he said. "I think she is going to get the
nomination rather easily."

Trump also called former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani a "good man" and
said he expects Giuliani to win the Republican nomination.

In the wide-ranging interview, the multimillionaire also sized up
several of the other major candidates running for president.

On Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, Clinton's chief competitor for the
Democratic nomination, Trump said, "He is a very effective guy," but
added "I don't think he has enough experience."

Meanwhile, Trump called former GOP Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, a
"terrific person," but said, "Amazingly, I don't think he is catching
on."

Romney comes in a distant fourth in many national polls but is leading
or tied for the lead in the crucial early voting states of Iowa and New
Hampshire.

In response to Trump's comments, Romney spokesman Kevin Madden said
"Our campaign is in strong position in places where voters are the most
engaged right now, namely Iowa and New Hampshire.

"That support is growing and will continue to grow," Madden said.
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But the "Apprentice" host saved his harshest criticism for former "Law
& Order" star and Tennessee Sen. Fred Thompson, who formally entered
the race earlier this month.

"I don't get Fred Thompson," he said. "I just don't know really what he
has done in the true sense of the word. And I like 'Law & Order' very
much. But I think you need somebody with a lot more experience in that
sense than Fred Thompson."