Iconic investor Donald Trump offered CNBC his take on the economy, financials and the state of real-estate investing.
The author of "The Art of the Deal" said the economy still looks moribund, as the flow of liquidity has not resumed.
Trump said this stagnation is largely due to banks that received "billions and billions" in TARP money from the government — but are not lending it as was expected. He says it behooves the Obama administration to act on this.
"The policy makers have to make the banks loan the money that they're giving to the banks," Trump said.
Trump, who also hosts NBC's* Apprentice series, said he is investing in commercial real estate — but cautioned that a bottom may still be elusive.
"The only problem with buying [now] is you just don't know how low is low. The only positive I see, frankly, is that the stock market is going up — but I just don't know why the stock market is going up."
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More CNBC Investor Intelligence:
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REITs & Commercial Real Estate Players:
Vornado Realty Trust
iShares Dow Jones US Real Estate
Simon Property Group
Regency Centers
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Disclosures:
*NBC is a unit of General Electric, which is also CNBC's parent company.