November 28, 1999
Web posted at: 7:00 p.m. EST (0000 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Billionaire developer Donald Trump is outlining more details of his possible presidential bid, including Cabinet possibilities and how much of his own fortune he would be willing to spend.

"If I decide to run," Trump told Wolf Blitzer Sunday on CNN's "Late Edition," "I would spend close to $100 million for my campaign." Trump said that figure would include the $13 million in federal funds that the Reform Party candidate is expected to receive.

"I think that you are going to have to spend a great deal of money in order to get elected," Trump said, "especially coming out of the Reform Party, which has a big disadvantage, because it hasn't been there very long. If I spend the money, I think I could win."

Trump says he plans to decide whether to run in February. "It's really a decision as to whether or not I can win the whole thing," he said. "I think we can get the Reform Party (nomination), but can you win from the Reform Party the whole thing? I'm really looking at myself, the polls, the numbers, and how I do -- how I stack up against various other candidates."

Trump said Pat Buchanan, the only announced candidate for the Reform Party nomination, has "zero chance of being president."

GOP presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain of Arizona " might be a very interesting candidate" for secretary of defense, Trump said.

Trump said others he would consider as possible Cabinet members include Rep. Charles Rangel (D-New York) as secretary of housing and urban development and retired Gen. Colin Powell as secretary of state.

As for possible choices for treasury secretary or vice president, Trump mentioned General Electric head Jack Welch. "He's ... probably the greatest corporate leader in the history of a major company," Trump said. "Somebody like that would be absolutely incredible."

Trump also mentioned talk show host Oprah Winfrey again as a possible running mate, even though Winfrey has said she is not interested.

Trump said that Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley, a former U.S. senator from New Jersey, "was a terrible senator. He did a terrible job, very little legislation. I think that it would be very, very bad to have Bill Bradley as a president."

When asked about Bradley's rival for the Democratic nomination, Vice President Al Gore, Trump said, "I always said he was very, very underrated."

On international policy, Trump said he would cut U.S. financial aid to Russia if Moscow continued its offensive in Chechnya.

Trump called for the development of a defense shield to protect the U.S. from missile attack. And he said it is essential to address the subject of North Korea's alleged nuclear weapons program.

"You go and you start negotiating, and if you don't stop them ... you will have to take rather drastic actions, because if you don't take them on now, you're going to be in awfully big trouble in five years from now when they have more missiles then we do," Trump said.

Sunday, November 28, 1999

• Trade conference may create political headaches for Gore, Clinton
• Polls: Tight race in New Hampshire; Bush well ahead in South Carolina
• Stockdale on McCain: Harsh POW treatment made him more stable
• Close-knit, loyal group of top Bradley aides

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