COFOUNDER -- ORACLE COFOUNDER
LARRY ELLISON.
YOU WERE A BIG DONOR DURING THE
2016 ELECTION.
YOU SUPPORTED MARCO RUBIO.
HOW'S PRESIDENT TRUMP DOING?
>> WELL, I THINK THE ECONOMY'S
DOING GREAT, SO, AGAIN, I WAS
BILL CLINTON'S SECOND LARGEST
CONTRIBUTOR WHEN HE RAN FOR
OFFICE.
YOU KNOW?
I'M NEITHER A DEMOCRAT, NOR A
REPUBLICAN.
I TEND TO BE IN THE MIDDLE WHICH
MEANS VERY LONELY --
[LAUGHTER]
THE COUNTRY'S BECOME VERY
POLARIZED.
MARIA: I WOULD PUSH BACK ON
THAT.
I FEEL LIKE WE'RE ALL HANGING
OUT IN THE MIDDLE.
VERY FEW OF US HAVE THESE
MONOLITHIC VIEWS THAT YOU'RE ALL
REPUBLICAN EVERYTHING IN YOUR
LIFE OR ALL DEMOCRAT EVERYTHING
IN YOUR LIFE.
>> I KNOW THERE ARE PEOPLE THAT
ARE VERY PASSIONATE ON LEFT, AND
THERE ARE PEOPLE VERY, VERY
PASSIONATE ON THE RIGHT.
I TEND TO BE IN THE
DISPASSIONATE MIDDLE, YOU KNOW?
THE KIND OF BORING,
DISPASSIONATE MIDDLE, AND I
THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, VERY CLOSE
FRIENDS WITH TONY BLAIR AND BILL
CLINTON.
THAT WAS CALLED THIRD WAVE BACK
THEN.
THAT WAS -- BILL CLINTON WAS A
CENTRIST.
YOU KNOW, TONY BLAIR WAS A
CENTRIST.
MARCO RUBIO'S A CENTRIST, MITT
ROMNEY'S A CENTRIST.
THOSE ARE MY POLITICS.
IN TERMS OF ASSESSING THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION, I THINK, I THINK
THERE'S STYLE AND THEN THERE'S
SUBSTANCE, AND I'M NOT GOING TO
COMMENT ABOUT STYLE.
BUT I'M VERY HAPPY THAT THE
UNITED STATES ECONOMY IS DOING
WELL.
I'M VERY HAPPY WE'RE AT RECORD
LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES.
THERE ARE A LOT OF GOOD THINGS
THAT HAVE HAPPENED.
PEOPLE WANT TO ASSIGN SOME OF
THE CREDIT TO MA, SOME -- BARACK
OBAMA, SOME TO DONALD TRUMP.
THAT'S THEIR -- EVERYONE HAS
THEIR OWN OPINION.
I JUST THINK IT'S WONDERFUL TO
SEE THE U.S. ECONOMY GROWING
AGAIN OVER 4%.
I THINK OUR BIG COMPETITOR, YOU
KNOW, IS CHINA, AND THAT IF WE
LET CHINA'S ECONOMY PASS US UP,
BE WE LET CHINA DEVELOP -- IF WE
LET CHINA PRODUCE MORE ENGINEERS
THAN WE DO, IF WE LET CHINA'S
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES BEAT OUR
TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES, IT WON'T
BE LONG THAT OUR MILITARY IS
BEHIND TECHNOLOGICALLY ALSO, OUR
ECONOMY'S BEHIND
TECHNOLOGICALLY.
WE HAVE A SERIOUS COMPETITION
GOING ON WITH CHINA.
I'M ON TEAM USA.
I WOULD LIKE US TO BE
SUCCESSFUL.
I'D LIKE US TO DEVELOP AND
PROTECT OUR TECHNOLOGIES.
I THINK WE HAVE TO DO THAT.
I THINK WE HAVE TO INVEST,
INVEST IN OUR ECONOMY AND GROW
OUR ECONOMY SO WE CAN COMPETE
WITH THE FIRST SERIOUS, THE
FIRST SERIOUS THREAT, IF YOU
WILL, FIRST SERIOUS COMPETITOR
WE'VE HAD SINCE THE 1930s.
MARIA: I COULDN'T AGREE MORE.
AND CHINA WON'T EVEN ADMIT
THEY'VE BEEN STEALING OUR IP FOR
DECADES.
SO FIRST, WE'VE GOT TO GET THEM
TO ADMIT IT IN ORDER FOR THEM TO
CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR.
AND IT'S GOOD THAT THIS
ADMINISTRATION HAS PUSHED BACK
ON CHINA.
>> YEAH, NO, I THINK THE
APPROPRIATION OF OUR IP IS A
HUGE ADVANTAGE FOR THEM.
I MEAN, THEY CAN SPEND --
THEY'VE GOT ALL OF OUR IP AND
ALL OF THEIR OWN IP, AND THERE
ARE SOME TALENTED ENGINEERS IN
CHINA, AND THEY'RE PRODUCING AT
LOT OF THEM.
WE'VE GOT TO DO A BETTER JOB.
MARIA: YESTERDAY WHEN I WAS
SPEAKING ABOUT MARK, I ASKED
ABOUT THE DoD CONTRACT.
ORACLE'S COMPETING FOR A
BUSINESS WITH THE PENTAGON.
AMAZON WANTS IT TOO, BUT GOOGLE
WALKED AWAY.
AND YET THEY ARE ALL IN ON GOING
INTO CHINA AND HAVING THEIR
SEARCH ENGINE CENSORED.
YOUR REACTION.
>> WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S
ACTUALLY KIND OF SHOCKING.
HERE JEFF BEZOS AND I ABSOLUTELY
AGREE.
I THINK U.S. TECH COMPANIES WHO
SAY WE WILL NOT SUPPORT U.S.
MILITARY, YOU KNOW, WE WILL NOT
WORK ON ANY TECHNOLOGY THAT
HELPS OUR MILITARY BUT YET GOES
INTO CHINA AND FACILITATES
CHINESE GOVERNMENT SURVEILLING
THEIR PEOPLE IS PRETTY SHOCKING.
I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT
THE U.S. TECHNOLOGY COMPANIES
SUPPORT OUR COUNTRY, OUR
GOVERNMENT.
WE ARE A DEMOCRACY .
WE DON'T LIKE OUR LEADERS, WE
CAN THROW THEM OUT.
IF YOU DON'T LIKE THE LEADERS IN
CHINA, YOU CAN FILL IN THE
BLANK.
YOU KNOW?
MARIA: YOU'RE DEALING WITH A
DICTATOR FOR LIFE.
>> YEAH.
XI IS THE MOST IMPORTANT LEADER
IN CHINA SINCE MAO.
HE'S NOW BEEN ELEVATED, YOU
KNOW, TO THAT LEVEL.
AND I DON'T SEE HOW A COMPANY
LIKE GOOGLE CAN SAY, OKAY, WE'RE
GOING TO AGGRESSIVELY PURSUE
BUSINESS IN CHINA AND STAY AWAY
FROM DOING ANYTHING WITH OUR
U.S. MILITARY.
I THINK IT'S A TERRIBLE
MISCALCULATION.
I MEAN, OUR DEMOCRACY -- AND THE
DEMOCRATIC SYSTEMS ARE IN
COMPETITION NOW WITH
COMMUNIST/SOCIALIST SYSTEMS.
AND WE'D LIKE TO SEE OUR