AP Photo Trump: Waterboarding will make us stronger

Laws that keep the U.S. military from waterboarding and torturing Islamic State militants are making America weak, Donald Trump said Sunday, and he plans to change them.

Asked by CBS’s “Face the Nation” host John Dickerson about his shifting statements on controversial interrogation practices like waterboarding and torture, Trump said laws prohibiting the U.S. from engaging in such techniques put America at a disadvantage.


“I think we are weak. We cannot beat ISIS. We should beat ISIS very quickly. General Patton would have had ISIS down in about three days,” Trump said, referring to the World War II military commander.

“Look, we have an enemy in the Middle East that's chopping off heads and drowning people in massive steel cages, OK? We have an enemy that doesn't play by the laws,” he added. “They're laughing at us right now. I would like to strengthen the laws so that we can better compete. You know it's very tough to beat enemies that don't have any, that don't have any restrictions, all right?”

Trump, who has himself been quick to threaten a third-party run for the White House, expressed surprise and disappointment that more mainstream Republicans have grown vocal about their distaste for Trump and talked openly of plans to fight him all the way to the Republican convention if necessary. The billionaire real estate mogul pointed to his strong poll numbers and high turnouts in GOP primaries and caucuses as evidence that he can unify the party

Trump also warned that a third-party bid from the political right would all but hand the presidency to a Democrat, ceding control over judicial nominations for another four years.

“I'm going to appoint conservative judges,” Trump said. “A third party means absolutely they will have four or five very liberal judges appointed as opposed to four or five very conservative judges. So I think it's really playing with fire.”