WORCESTER, Mass. — Donald Trump would be open to putting boots on the ground "if need be" in the fight against ISIS, he told reporters before a rally in Massachusetts Wednesday night.
"We’ve got to get rid of ISIS quickly, quickly. Not for a long time. Let me tell you what I really want to do. I want to get other people to put troops on the ground and we'll back them up 100 percent," he explained.
Trump added to his recently proposed idea of a "swatch of land" in Syria that would act as a safe zone for refugees, telling reporters that other countries would fund it and that it’s the least expensive idea. "We give a little bit but other countries, like the gulf states, should fund it."
He again reiterated that if he wins, refugees who have already come to the United States will go back.
Asked by NBC News during a press conference who he had advising him on international affairs, Trump said "many people, really smart people" — though he declined to give any specific names.
Trump tweeted about Dr. Ben Carson’s foreign policy troubles earlier Wednesday afternoon, saying it would be hard for him to overcome a story of this nature.
“It says he’s incapable of learning foreign policy. That’s a pretty serious problem,” he explained, after declaring multiple times that it was not him, but the press, that brought it up. The GOP frontrunner, on the other hand, grasps concepts quickly.
"When (foreign policy advisors) advise me, within about two seconds, I understand it."
Later, during the rally, Trump returned to talk about Ben Carson — this time of his own accord. Again telling the crowd about reports that Carson is “unable to comprehend foreign policy,” Trump said “we can’t do this” despite the fact that Carson is “a nice guy, probably, who knows?"
"We need someone sharp, someone tough, someone smart, who can figure it out fast," the business mogul told the crowd of about 10,000.
“We gotta get the right guy,” Trump said of the voter’s responsibility this election cycle.
"We need Trump," a crowd goer called out.
"We need Trump," Trump agreed.
But three times during the speech Trump was interrupted by protesters. One was escorted out as he screamed "Trump’s a racist" continuously and was booed by Trump supporters.
As one of the protesters was escorted out, Trump remarked, "I mention food stamps and that guy who’s seriously overweight goes crazy. That’s an amazing sight."
