"I think eminent domain is wonderful if you're building a highway and you need to build—as an example, a highway—and you're going to be blocked by a hold-out or—in some cases, it's a hold-out. Just so you understand, nobody knows this better than I do, because I built a lot of buildings in Manhattan and you'll have 12 sites and you'll get 11 and you'll have the one hold-out and you end up building around them and everything else, ok. So I know it better than anybody.
"I think eminent domain, for massive projects, for instance, you're going to create thousands of jobs and you have somebody that's in the way—and you pay that person far more—don't forget eminent domain, they get a lot of money. And you need a house in a certain location because you're going to build this massive development that's going to employ thousands of people, or you're going to build a factory that without this little house, you can't build the factory. I think eminent domain is fine. Now the club for growth doesn't like it because of me. They came to my office, right upstairs, they said would you give us $1 million—put it in writing," Trump said.
Baier then asked Trump, "in 2005, you said you agree with the Kelo [v. New London] case in the U.S. Supreme Court, 100%. That basically upholds eminent domain."
"Eminent domain—number one, a person has a house and they end up getting much more than the house is ever worth. Eminent domain is not like they take it. These people—because they're not very smart people, the Club for Growth people. And actually, I don't want to use the word extortion, but pretty close, they wanted $1 million, they would have been," Trump replied.
"If you have a road or highway, if you have a factory and you have thousands of jobs and you need eminent domain, it's called economic development.
"The way they talk people would say 'oh, it's turned over.' It's turned over for four, five, six ten times sometimes what it's worth. People pay them a fortune. But sometimes you have people that want to hold out just for—most of the time—I've done a lot of out parcels. most of the time they just want money. It's very rarely that they say 'I love my house, I love my house it's the greatest thing.' Because these people buy a house now that's five times bigger, in a better location. So eminent domain when it comes to jobs, roads, the public good—I think it's a wonderful thing. I'll be honest with you. And remember, you're not taking property—the you know, the way you asked the question—you're paying a fortune for that property. those people can move two blocks away into a much nicer house.
"I fully understand the conservative approach, but I don't think it was explained to most conservatives," Trump also said.
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