Billionaire businessman Donald Trump offered kids helicopter rides in a show of wealth as he bragged Saturday that he is willing to spend $1 billion on his presidential campaign.
“I’m turning down so much money,” Trump said at a press conference kicking off his weekend trip to Iowa to visit the State Fair, with his black helicopter emblazoned with “Trump” and children standing in the background.
{mosads}Trump touted turning down a $5 million donation offer this week before saying he would spend $1 billion on his 2016 bid “if I had to.”
“Nobody else would do the job that I will do,” Trump said, mentioning jobs, the military, care for veterans and the “catastrophe” of ObamaCare, which he said he would get rid of.
Trump whirled into the Iowa State Fair this weekend on his private helicopter, descending on a scene scouted out by many other presidential hopefuls from both parties.
Trump flew to Iowa on Saturday morning on his 757 after a rally in New Hampshire the previous night, before taking his helicopter from the airport toward the fair.
He said his campaign planned to put out position papers in the next few weeks, including one on taxes. The first, on immigration, is expected to come Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Still, he downplayed the need for specifics, suggesting it was only of interest to the media.
“I don’t think the people care. I think they trust me, I think they know I’m going to make good deals for them,” Trump said.
“I don’t think I’ve made mistakes,” the real estate mogul said, noting that his poll numbers have risen after a series of controversies starting with his remarks on immigrants from Mexico.
Trump continued to take several shots at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a Republican presidential rival, saying he was “a puppet to his donors” and blasting his recent remarks concerning Iraq.
He also took a shot at Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential front-runner, suggesting she may only be eclipsed by Secretary of State John Kerry because of the recently negotiated Iran deal.
“Hillary Clinton was the single worst secretary of State in the history of this country,” Trump said. “The world collapsed around us while she was secretary of State.”
Trump’s highly anticipated appearance at the Iowa State Fair, including a throng of media, comes as he opened his first campaign office there this week and stood in the top spot in Hawkeye State polling.
— Updated at 2:35 p.m.