Defends property seizure: "I love eminent domain"

During the February 6, 2016 Republican debate in New Hampshire, Trump offered a full-throated defense of eminent domain, the government power to seize private property. He declared "I love eminent domain" and called it an "absolute necessity" for building roads, hospitals, and schools. When challenged by Jeb Bush on his attempt to use eminent domain to seize an elderly widow's home for a casino parking lot, Trump dismissed the criticism, arguing that property owners "get a fortune" when their land is taken.

"I love eminent domain." — Republican primary debate in Manchester, New Hampshire