NBC News exclusive interview with Donald Trump
May 11, 2017
Transcript
DONALD TRUMP: Look he's a show boat, he's a grand stander, the FBI has
been in turmoil. You know that, I know that. Everybody knows that. You take
a look at the FBI a year ago, it was in virtual turmoil, less than a year ago, it
hasn't recovered from that
LESTER HOLT: Monday you met with the deputy attorney general, Rod Rosen
--Rosenstein
DONALD TRUMP: Right.
LESTER HOLT: Did you ask for a recommendation?
DONALD TRUMP: Uh what I did is I was going to fire Comey -- my decision, it
was not [OVER TALK]
LESTER HOLT: You had made the decision before they came in the room?
DONALD TRUMP: I-- I was going to fire Comey. Uh I-- there's no good time to
do it by the way. Uh they-- they were-- [OVER TALK]
LESTER HOLT: Because you letter you said I-- I, I accepted their
recommendation, so you had already made the decision
DONALD TRUMP: Oh I was gonna fire regardless of recommendation-LESTER HOLT: So there was-- [OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: He made-- he made a recommendation, he's highly
respected, very good guy, very smart guy, uh the Democrats like him, the
Republicans like him, uh he made a recommendation but regardless of
recommendation I was going to fire Comey knowing, there was no good time
to do it. And in fact when I decided to just do it, I said to myself, I said you
know, this Russia thing with Trump and Russia is a made up story, it's an
excuse by the Democrats for having lost an election that they should have
won. And the reason they should have won it is the electoral college is
almost impossible for a Republican to win. Very hard. Because you start off at
such a disadvantage. So everybody was thinking, they should have won the
election. This was an excuse for having lost an election.
LESTER HOLT: [OVER TALK] Okay, are you angry with, angry with Mr. Comey
because of his Russia investigation?

DONALD TRUMP: I just want somebody that's competent. I am a big fan of
the FBI, I love the FBI. [OVER TALK]
LESTER HOLT: But were you a fan of him taking up that investigation?
DONALD TRUMP: I think that--about the Hillary Clinton investigation?
LESTER HOLT: About the Russia investigation and possible links [OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: Look, look, let me tell you. As far as I'm concerned, I want
that thing to be absolutely done properly. When I did this now I said, I
probably, maybe will confuse people, maybe I'll expand that, you know,
lengthen the time because it should be over with, in my opinion, should have
been over with a long time ago. Cause all it is, is an excuse but I said to
myself, I might even lengthen out the investigation but I have to do the right
thing for the American people. He's the wrong man for that position.
LESTER HOLT: Let me ask you about your termination letter to Mr. Comey. You
write "I greatly appreciate you informing me on three separate occasions
that I am not under investigation." Why did you put that in there?
DONALD TRUMP: Because he told me that. I mean he told me it.
LESTER HOLT: He told you weren't under investigation [OVER TALK]
regardless--
DONALD TRUMP: Yea and I've--I've heard that from others I think-LESTER HOLT: Was it in a phone call, did you meet face to face?
DONALD TRUMP: Uh I had a dinner with him. He wanted to have dinner
because he wanted to stay on. We had a very nice dinner at the White House
[OVER TALK}
LESTER HOLT: He asked for the dinner?
DONALD TRUMP: A dinner was arranged, I think he asked for the dinner. And
he wanted to stay on as the FBI head. And I said I'll you know consider and
we'll see what happens. But we had a very nice dinner. And at that time he
told me you are not under investigation. [OVER TALK]
LESTER HOLT: That was DONALD TRUMP: Which I knew anyway.

LESTER HOLT: That was one meeting. What was it, what were the other two?
[OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: First of all, when you're under investigation you're giving all
sorts of documents and everything. I knew I wasn't under and I heard it was
stated at the committee, at some committee level, that I wasn't. Number
one.
LESTER HOLT: So that didn't come directly from him?
DONALD TRUMP: [OVER TALK] Then during a phone call he said it. And then
during another phone call he said it. So he said it once at dinner and then he
said it twice during phone calls.
LESTER HOLT: Did, did you call him?
DONALD TRUMP: Uh in one case I called him and one case he called me.
LESTER HOLT: And did you ask "Am I under investigation?"
DONALD TRUMP: I actually asked him yes. I said, If it's possible would you let
me know am I under investigation? He said you are not under investigation.
LESTER HOLT: But he's, he's given sworn testimony that there is an ongoing
investigation into the Trump campaign and possible collusion with the
Russian government? You were the centerpiece of the Trump campaign so
[OVER TALK] was he being truthful when he says you weren't under
investigation?
DONALD TRUMP: [OVER TALK] Well, all I can tell you is, well I know what, I
know that I'm not under investigation. Me. Personally. I'm not talking about
campaigns. I'm not talking about anything else. I'm not under investigation.
LESTER HOLT: Did you ask him to drop the investigation?
DONALD TRUMP: No. Never.
LESTER HOLT: Did anyone from the White House?
DONALD TRUMP: No, in fact I want the investigation speeded up.
LESTER HOLT: Did anyone from the White House ask him to, to end the
investigation?
DONALD TRUMP: [OVER TALK] No. No. Why would we do that? [OVER TALK]

LESTER HOLT: [OVER TALK] Any surrogates on behalf of the White House
DONALD TRUMP: Not that I know of. Look I want to find out if there was a
problem with an election having to do with Russia. Or by the way, anyb- any
anybody else. Any other country. And I want that to be so strong and so
good. And I want it to happen. I also want to have a really competent,
capable director. He's not. He's a showboat.. He's not my man or not my
man. I didn't appoint him. He was appointed long before me. But I want
somebody who's going to do a great job. And I will tell you we're looking at
candidates right now who could be spectacular. And that's what I want for
the FBI.
LESTER HOLT: What you said a moment ago about supporting the idea of
investigation, a lot of people would find it hard to believe that the man who
just said that tweeted very recently it's a total hoax. It's a taxpayer charade.
Oh I think that looking into me and the campaign, look, I have nothing to do,
this was set up by the Democrats. there's no collusion between me and my
campaign and the Russians. The other thing is the Russians did not affect the
vote. And everybody seems to think that. There is an investigation underway
though, an FBI investigation, is that a charade?
DONALD TRUMP: Well I don't know if it's an FBI or -- there's so many
investigations -- I don't know if it's an FBI investigation or if it's Congress, if
it's the Senate and the House [OVER TALK]
LESTER HOLT: Well James Comey testified there was an FBI Investigation.
[OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: Well yea but I think they're also helping the House and the
Senate so you probably have FBI but you have House, you have Senate -they have other investigations.
LESTER HOLT: But when you put out tweets it's a total hoax, it's a taxpayer
charade and you're looking for a new FBI Director are you not sending that
person a message to lay off?
DONALD TRUMP: No I'm not doing that. I think that we have to get back to
work but I want to find out -- I want to get to the bottom. If Russia hacked, if
Russia did anything having to do with our election I want to know about it.
LESTER HOLT: Well there's already intelligence from virtually every
intelligence agency that yes that happened -DONALD TRUMP: I'll tell you this -- uh if Russia or anybody else is trying to
interfere with our elections I think it's a horrible thing and I want to get to the
bottom of it and I want to make sure it will never ever happen.

LESTER HOLT: Were you angry with James Comey when he went public and
said he can't support uh your unsubstantiated charges of wiretapping, that
your predecessor wiretapped you?
DONALD TRUMP: I was surprised he said it but I wasn't angry. Uh there's a
big thing going on right now which is spying and it's -- you can call it
anything you want -- the unmasking and the spying and to me that's the big
story right now. That's a very, very big story.
LESTER HOLD: You didn't take that as a sign of disloyalty that he came out
and contradicted you [OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: No I didn't. I don't think of it as loyalty I mean I want
whoever the director is, I want them to do the right thing.
LESTER HOLT: And what about when he went public and said that there was
in fact an FBI investigation looking at your campaign and Russia? Did that
anger you -- I ask that because there's a sense that you
DONALD TRUMP: Well you know I had that -
LESTER HOLT: that there was a building anger here [OVER TALK]
DONALD TRUMP: No, no I know every once and awhile you'll see that in the
newspaper -- anger somebody will report or there'll have false sources that
maybe don't exist because of the media, the way the media is. Now I will tell
you I think that uhm I want very simply a great FBI Director.
LESTER HOLT: And, and will you expect that they would, they would continue
on with this investigation?
DONALD TRUMP: Oh yea sure I expect that.
LESTER HOLT: General Flynn is a part of this investigation as you know, Sally
Yates recently testified that the White House was notified that he had been
compromised, he was at risk of, of being blackmailed, it was 18 days later
that he was finally fired. During that 18 days he had access, I assume, to all
the nation's top secrets. One day, you meet on the issue of Comey and you
fire him in a humiliating way while he's sitting in a room with his colleagues
and it's appearing on the TV.
DONALD TRUMP: Because my White House Council, Don McGahn, came back
to me and did not sound like an emergency of many it didn't make it sound
like he was you know and she actually didn't make it sound that way either in
the hearings the other day. Like it had to be done immediately, this man has

served for many years, he's a general, he's a in my opinion a very good
person. I believe that it would be very unfair to hear from somebody who we
don't even know and immediately run out and fire a general, now LESTER HOLT: She was the acting Attorney General at the time.
DONALD TRUMP: uh My White House Council came to me, they had I believe
two meetings, and we ultimately fired, but we fired for a different reason.
LESTER HOLT: You're talking about General Flynn.
DONALD TRUMP: General Flynn, yes.
LESTER HOLT: Because, because of lying to the Vice President.
DONALD TRUMP: Yeah but everything plays in, everything plays into it. But,
we fired him because he said something to the Vice President that was not
so.
LESTER HOLT: Did you know that he had had that received payments from
the Russian government, that he had-DONALD TRUMP: No.
LESTER HOLT: --received payments from the Turkish government?
DONALD TRUMP: [OVER TALK] No, but Obama perhaps knew because he had
clearance from the Obama administration. And his clear- And, and this is
something they never want to report, he had clearance from the Obama
administration The highest clearance you can have. And I think it's a very
unfair thing that the media doesn't talk about that. You know you're talking
about 2015. I don't know that I knew him in 2015.
LESRER HOLT: The Senate Committee wants info- information from the
Treasury Department's financial and crimes unit about your finances, youyour business' finance.
DONALD TRUMP: Yep
LESTER HOLT: Can you tell us whether you, your family, your businesses,
your surrogates have accepted any investments, any loans from Russian
individualsDONALD TRUMP: Yeah in fact I just sent a letterLESTER HOLT: [OVER TALK] or institutions?

DONALD TRUMP: -to Lindsey Graham one of the most prestigious law firms in
the country, uh tremendous, highly rated law firm. Uh that have nothing to
do with Russia. I have no investments in Russia, none whatsoever. Uh I don't
have property in Russia. A lot of people thought I owned office buildings in
Moscow. I don't have property in Russia, and I am uh in very I, I mean it in
total compliance in every way. Now I have to tell you uh I file documents,
hundreds of pages worth of documents with the Federal Elections Bureau,
everybody's seen them. I built a great company, but I'm not involved with
Russia uh I have had dealings over the years where I sold a house to a very
wealthy Russian uh many years ago uh I had the Miss Universe pageant
which I owned for quite a while, I had it in Moscow long time ago, but other
than that I have nothing to do with Russia.
LESTER HOLT: And one last uh question on this matter. Did you ever -DONALD TRUMP: [OVER TALK] And I have a certified letter, just so you
understand. Uh I'm not just saying that. I've given the letter, I've given the
letter to Senator Lindsey Graham, he has the letter, and I think frankly uh it's
I assume he's gonna give the letter out but it says I am not involved in
Russia. No loans uh no nothing.
LESTER HOLT: Did you worry at all when you made the decision to fire Comey
when you did, the day before Lavrov was here in the White House and, and
the Russian ambassador, did you think through the optics of the way this
would look?
DONALD TRUMP: I never thought about it.It was set up uh a while ago and
frankly, I could have waited but what difference does it make? Uh I'm not
looking for cosmetics. I'm looking to do a great job for the country. I'm
looking to create jobs. I'm looking to create strength and security. I'm looking
to have strong borders. I'm looking for things like that. I think it's really a
good thing that I meet with people. Now, this is a public meeting because
you know when you cover this the people watching may say, oh he met with
Lavrov well this was announced that I'm meeting with Lavrov. Just like a
number of days ago, I spoke, I had a very good conversation, very public in
the sense that everybody knew this was taking place. I meet I, I took all the
time, just spoke with the head of the new head of South Korea who just got
elected. I speak with the head of India, I speak with the head of China I have
to speak with Putin also. It's called Russia... but when I spoke with Putin, he
asked me whether or not I would see Lavrov. Now what do I, should I say no
I'm not gonna see him? I said I will see him. During that discussion with
Lavrov, I think we had a great discussion having to do with Syria, having to
do with the Ukraine, and maybe that discussion will lead to a lot less people
getting killed and will lead ultimately to peace. So I'm ver- I'm OK with those
discussions, Lester. I think it's a good thing, not a bad thing.