All the pundits and D.C. insiders thought I'd never be standing on the main stage. I am and I'm going to stay there.

We need to enact fundamental tax reform. The weight and complexity of our 73,000-page tax code are crushing everyday Americans. We need to radically simplify the tax code so that we can re-start the real engine of growth in our economy. That means our tax code needs to go from 73,000 pages down to about three pages.

A merger is hard to pull off under any circumstances. It's harder when everybody is against you.

One of the things I would immediately do [as Commander in Chief ], in addition to defeating them here at home, is bring back the warrior class - Petraeus, McChrystal, Mattis, Keane, Flynn. Every single one of these generals I know. Every one was retired early because they told President [Barack] Obama things that he didn't want to hear.

You know, Californians care about protecting their environment. So do I. But they also care about that in the context of a healthy economy.

The truth is in California you can't build a new manufacturing facility, and businesses are leaving in droves because of bad government policy.

If values matter in an organisation, you have to be prepared to act consistently.