>> WE WILL NO LONGER TOLERATE
SUCH ABUSE.
WE WILL NOT ALLOW OUR WORKERS TO
BE VICTIMIZED, OUR COMPANIES TO
BE CHEATED AND OUR WEALTH TO BE
PLUNDERED AND TRANSFERRED.
AMERICA WILL NEVER APOLOGIZE FOR
PROTECTING ITS CITIZENS.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT.
WELL HE ALWAYS SAID HE IS
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES,
HE IS NOT THE PRESIDENT OF THE
WORLD.
HE LOOKS OUT FOR THE UNITED
STATES AND THE PRESIDENT HAD A
MESSAGE TO THE UNITED NATIONS.
MAYBE THAT IS WHAT A LOT OF YOU
GUYS SHOULD DO AS WELLS LOOK AT
YOUR SOVEREIGN NATIONS, INSTEAD
OF SEEING US ALL AS A BIG OL'
WORLD.
FORBES MEDIA CHAIRMAN, STEVE
FORBES.
IT WAS A CONSISTENT READ ON THAT
FRONT, STEVE, THAT WE IN THE
UNITED STATES ARE STARTING TO
LOOK AFTER OURSELVES.
WE OBVIOUSLY WANT TO BENEFIT
EVERYONE BUT CAN'T BE
DISPROPORTIONATELY SO.
A MESSAGE TO CHINA ON THAT
FRONT.
CERTAINLY FROM THE TRADE
AMBASSADOR MESSAGE TO CANADA ON
THAT FRONT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THAT
MESSAGE?
>> I THINK THE MESSAGE, YOU HAVE
TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TRADE
ABUSES WHERE WE REALLY HAVE BEEN
VICTIMIZED BY COUNTRIES
INCLUDING CHINA AS THE BIGGEST
ONE, STEALING OUR INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY, FORCING MERGERS,
FORCING COMPANIES TO DO THINGS
THEY WOULDN'T DO OTHERWISE,
KEEPING THEM OUT OF THE CHINESE
MARKET.
THEY HAVE GOT TO LIVE UP TO THE
AGREEMENTS THEY SIGNED WITH THE
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION 18
YEARS AGO.
SO ENFORCING THAT IS A GOOD
THING.
HOPEFULLY, NEIL, IN THE NEXT FEW
WEEKS WE GET NAFTA CLEANED UP
AND THAT AGREEMENT SIGNED WITH
CANADA AND MEXICO AND START
SERIOUS NEGOTIATIONS FOR ZERO
TARIFFS WITH VARIOUS INDUSTRIES
WITH THE EUROPEAN UNION.
IN TERMS OF, IN TERMS OF THOSE,
THOSE ARE VERY GOOD THINGS.
ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO
REDUCE TARIFFS GOOD, BUT THE
THING TO ALSO REMEMBER THOUGH,
IS LONGER THESE TARIFFS REMAIN,
WE ARE GOING TO BE HURT.
THEY MAY BE HURT MORE, BUT WE'LL
BE HURT.
TARIFFS, NEIL, ARE A SALES TAX.
WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT 25% TARIFFS
ON AUTOS, THAT IS 25% SALES TAX
F WE COULD WAVE A MAGIC WAND AND
ALL THESE TRADE AGREEMENTS
MAGICALLY APPEAR EVERYONE IS
HAPPY, YOU WOULD SEE THE MARKET
GO UP 5000 POINTS ON THE DOW AND
ECONOMY WOULD GROW EVEN FASTER
AND WE WOULD HAVE EVEN MORE
SERIOUS LABOR SHORTAGES,
SOMETHING WE NEVER NOW WOULD
HAPPEN THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO
BEFORE THIS MAN BECAME
PRESIDENT.
NEIL: LET ME TALK ABOUT THE
PROSPECT OF TRADE DEALS, FORGET
CHINA BUT CANADA.
TALKING ABOUT THE PROGRESS HE IS
MAKING, HE DID POINT OUT IT IS A
BUMPY RIDE.
SOMETIMES THESE THINGS TAKE
TIME, BUT WE'VE GOT INDICATIONS
FROM THE TRADE AMBASSADOR THAT
CANADA MIGHT NOT BE PART OF A
FINAL NAFTA ACCORD.
THAT THOSE TALKS ARE GOING
NOWHERE, ANECDOTALLY.
THE PRESIDENT PASSING UP A
MEETING WITH THE CANADIAN PRIME
MINISTER AT THE UNITED NATIONS
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THAT?
>> THE KEY WHAT DOES IT ALL LEAD
TO.
WE'VE SEEN IN THE PAST
SITUATIONS LOOKED LIKE THINGS
WERE NOT GOING TO WORK AND
EVERYONE GOES THROUGH THEIR
KABUKI DANCES BUT IN THE END
THEY SIGN AN AGREEMENT.
THE KEY THING FOR A WAY TO THAT
EVERYONE SAYS IT'S A GREAT DEAL
BUT I DON'T TAKE WHAT YOU FIND
IN INTERMEDIATE SERIOUSLY.
WHAT I WANT TO KNOW WILL THEY
REACH A DEAL.
THE FACT THEY REACHED A A DEAL
WITH MEXICO, PUTS PRESSURE ON
CANADA, THE CANADIAN BUSINESS
COMMUNITY WANTS THIS THING TO BE
RESOLVED.
SO I THINK THEY WILL FIND A WAY
TO DO IT IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS
AND EVERYONE WILL SAY, SEE, WE
HUNG TOUGH AND WE GOT A GOOD
DEAL.
THAT IS A TRUE GOOD DEAL.
EVERYONE PROCLAIMS THEY REALLY
TRIUMPHED.
NEIL: ALL RIGHT, SO --
>> BY THE WAY THIS PRESIDENT
ALWAYS ASKS FOR THE MOON KNOWING
THAT IS WHAT YOU GO INTO A
NEGOTIATION WITH.
I THINK THEY WILL COME UP WITH A
AN AGREEMENT.
NEIL: I PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE
REMEMBERED THAT IN THE CONTRACT
NEGOTIATIONS.
>> YEAH, THEY NEVER PAY YOU
ENOUGH, NEIL.
NEIL: I KEEP SAYING THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE HAVE TWO DIFFERENT
READS OUT ON AMERICANS SORT OF
POLITICAL POSITION AHEAD OF THE
MIDTERMS SIX WEEKS FROM TODAY,
THE MIDTERMS.
ONE POLL BY GALLUP HAS
CONFIDENCE FOR REPUBLICANS TO
RUN THINGS HIGHEST IN NINE
YEARS.
MORE PEOPLE HAVE FAVORABLE VIEW
OF REPUBLICANS HANDLING THINGS
THAN DEMOCRATS AND AHEAD OF A
FEW DAYS, AGO FROM CONGRESS, 12
POINT GAP FAVORING DEMOCRATS.
THEY BOTH CAN'T BE RIGHT, CAN
THEY?
>> YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE
INARDS OF THESE THINGS AND WHAT
PEOPLE WERE POLLED.
ONE OF THE SHORT COMINGS OF
CERTAIN POLLS IS THEY
UNDERREPRESENT REPUBLICAN
VOTERS.
THEY ALWAYS HAVE THEM AT 20,
25%, INSTEAD OF 30, 35% IT
SHOULD BE IN AN ACCURATE POLL
BUT THE KEY THING THE POLLS
CAN'T MEASURE YET WHO WILL TURN
OUT TO VOTE.
THE OTHER SIDE, THE DEMOCRATS
ARE GOING TO TURN OUT.
THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS WE'RE
HAVING THE DRAMA IN WASHINGTON
TO GIN UP FOR TURNOUT.
THE REPUBLICANS MAY VOTE FOR HIM
BUT WILL THEY TURN UP IN THE
MIDTERMS?
I WANT TO SEE THE ENTHUSIASM
FACTOR.
I WISH REPUBLICANS WOULD COME
OUT WITH A REAL TAX CUT BILL,
NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT MAKING IT
PERMANENT, BUT GOODIES LIKE
REDUCING TAX RATES.
SAY WE GAVE AWE CHRISTMAS
PRESENT.
IF WE WIN WE'LL GIVE YOU ANOTHER
ONE THIS CHRISTMAS AND LOWER
YOUR TAX BURDEN.
YOU'VE SEEN THE GOOD THING
COMING FROM IT.
WE'LL DO MORE.
GIVE SOMETHING POSITIVE FOR
PEOPLE TO LOOK FORWARD TO.
THAT WOULD GIN UPTURNOUT.
NEIL: REAL QUICKLY ON THE
POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT, DO YOU
THINK REPUBLICANS HOLD ON TO THE
HOUSE AND SENATE?
>> TODAY THEY WOULD HOLD ON TO
THE SENATE.
IF YOU HAD THE ELECTION TODAY,
THEY WOULD LOSE THE HOUSE
BECAUSE OF TURNOUT.
THAT IS WHY, SIX WEEKS AS YOU
KNOW IN POLITICS IS LIKE SIX
YEARS IN THE NORMAL WORLD.
A LOT, A LOT CAN HAPPEN.
THEY HAVE TO COME OUT WITH A
POSITIVE AGENDA TO GET THEIR OWN
VOTERS OUT, FOCUS ON
PERFORMANCE, OF THE PERFORMANCE
IS REAL, THIS ECONOMY IS FOR
REAL, AND SAY THERE IS MORE
COMING IN.
YOU WANT HIGHER TAXES, HIGHER
UNEMPLOYMENT, LESS OPPORTUNITY,
BY GOLLY, NEW BUSINESSES ARE
BEING CREATED IN THE GREATEST
PACE IN A GENERATION.
TALK ABOUT THOSE AND SAY ELECT
US THERE IS MORE COMING.
YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER FUTURE