Donald Trump said he is willing to take donations for his presidential campaign, but not from lobbyists or special interest groups who will expect something in return.
"I don't want lobbyists. I don't want special interests. I don't want any strings attached. I turned down $5 million last week from a very important lobbyist because there are total strings attached to a thing like that. He's going to come to me in a year or two years and he's going to want something for a country that he represents or a company that he represents. That's the kind of money I won't take," Trump told host John Dickerson on CBS' "Face the Nation," reported the Hill.
Trump said he was skeptical as he himself had been a donor for many years. "Look, I know the people that want something. I've been doing this all my life. I've been a very big contributor to many, many people on all sides for many, many years," stated Trump, according to Breitbart.
He took a shot at hedge fund managers who he said were among the top donors to GOP campaigns and causes. "You know, the hedge fund guys didn't build this country. These are guys that shift paper around. And they get lucky. Look, they're energetic. They're very smart. But a lot of them, it's, like, they're paper pushers. They make a fortune. They pay no tax. It's ridiculous, OK?" said Trump, according to CNN.
"The hedge fund guys are getting away with murder. They're making a tremendous amount of money — they have to pay tax. I want to lower the rates for the middle class. The middle class is the one. They're getting absolutely destroyed. This country, it won't have a middle class very soon," said Trump, while promising that he would hike taxes of hedge fund managers while lowering them for the middle class, reported CNN.
