Donald Trump: I'd be willing to pay higher taxes
Just two days after Warren Buffett wrote an op-ed for the New York Times urging politicians in Washington to raise taxes on the "mega-rich," Donald Trump - business mogul and perennial potential future presidential candidate - said he'd also be willing to have his tax rates raised. But he says an increase wouldn't fly with the super-wealthy on Wall Street.
In an interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos, Trump said he "would be willing" to see his tax rates increased from 17 percent to 25 percent. "But a lot of people wouldn't be," he said. "A lot of people would leave the country."
"I'm talking about big people, job-producing people," Trump continued. "A lot of people will say, 'No thank you, I'm going to Switzerland. I'm going to Germany. I'm going to here, I'm going to there.'"
When asked whether or not he thought that was "patriotic," Trump said no.
"They're not patriotic," he continued. "They're business machines. And they're going to say, 'Thank you very much, George. I appreciate you letting us know, we're moving to Switzerland.'"
Trump, who earlier this year publicly flirted with a bid for the GOP presidential nomination, said he had been partially turned off from the idea by Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., whose 2012 budget plan he called "ridiculous."
"When Paul Ryan came out with this ridiculous plan, and I'm not even going to knock the plan, but the timing of the plan, his seat, his new seat of power wasn't even warm," Trump said, of Ryan. "And he comes out with a plan. And they can address it any way they want. But he's attacking Medicare, Medicaid and essentially Social Security. What the hell did he do that for?"
"How stupid," Trump added. "He's not a chess player."
Still, the reality television star said he still hadn't ruled out a presidential bid conclusively - and that, if the Republican nominee in 2012 was disappointing, he might run as an independent.
"If the Republicans don't choose the right candidate, which is possible, and if the economy continues to be terrible, and I think it's only going to get worse because we have no leadership, then I will reconsider," he said.
But in the meantime, he said his role for 2012 was largely to provide commentary.
"The role I play is that everybody calls me, including you," he told Stephanopoulos. "So I do interviews. And the reason I do interviews is because I love the country."
