Trump reveals that while he loves 'all people,' he doesn't want 'a poor person' running the economy

President Trump didn't entirely stick to the script Wednesday night in Iowa, peppering his hour-long speech with off-the-cuff remarks about witch hunts, his anti-wind turbine views, and how he doesn't want "a poor person" in charge of the economy.

"I love all people," he said. "Rich or poor. But in those particular positions, I just don't want a poor person. Does that make sense?" Trump was referring to hiring people like former Goldman Sachs CEO Gary Cohn as his chief economic adviser, despite his pledge to "drain the swamp" of insiders. He also claimed there are "phony witch hunts going against me," but it's okay because "all we do is win, win, win," and suggested he was the first pesron to think of putting solar panels on his proposed border wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. "Pretty good imagination, right?" he asked. "Good? My idea."

In one breath, Trump called Democrats "obstructionists," then flipped the script and said he wanted to work with them, then a beat later said, "but who cares." He had harsh words for wind turbines, saying, "I don't want to just hope the wind blows to light up your house and your factory as the birds fall to the ground," repeatedly mentioned "fake news," and said he had to be careful with his words "because they'll say, 'He lied!'"

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up