Donald Trump: 10 things we learnt from US TV interview about his plans if he returns to White House
Donald Trump has faced questions on US television about his current legal woes and what he would do if he wins the presidency for a second time.
He is currently favourite to claim the Republican nomination and take on the Democrats in November 2024.
Here are 10 key takeaways from the wide-ranging Meet The Press interview on NBC.
1. Ukraine and how to end the war
Mr Trump did not spell out exactly how he would pursue the end of the war between Ukraine and Russia “because if I did… I lose all my bargaining chips”.
“But I would say certain things to [Vladimir] Putin. I would say certain things to [Volodymyr] Zelenskyy, both of whom I get along,” he added.
Trump and Vladimir Putin in July 2018. Pic: AP
Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in September 2019. Pic: AP
Asked if he would push for a deal that allowed the Russian president to keep Ukrainian territory, Trump said “no, no, no, no”.
“I’d make a fair deal for everybody,” he said.
2. Appreciation for Putin comment
Mr Trump expressed appreciation for a remark Putin recently made.
The Russian leader said: “We surely hear that Mr Trump says he will resolve all burning issues within several days, including the Ukrainian crisis. We cannot help but feel happy about it.”
In response, Mr Trump said: “Well, I like that he said that.
“Because that means what I’m saying is right. I would get him into a room. I’d get Zelenskyy into a room. Then I’d bring them together. And I’d have a deal worked out. I would get a deal worked out. It would’ve been a lot easier before it started.”
Mr Trump has long declined to overly-criticise Mr Putin, and in February 2022 he called the Ukraine invasion “genius” and “savvy”.
3. Trump won’t rule out sending troops to Taiwan if China invades
Mr Trump said the option of sending US forces to defend Taiwan against China remains open.
But he would not commit to this policy, unlike Democrat President Joe Biden.
“I won’t say. I won’t say,” Mr Trump said. “Because if I said, I’m giving away – you know, only stupid people are going to give that.”
“I don’t take anything off the table,” he added.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Roe v Wade: US abortion rights a year on
4. Trump is against full abortion bans
The former Republican president said members of his own party “speak very inarticulately” about abortion, and he criticised those who push for abortion bans without exceptions in cases of rape and incest, and to protect the health of the mother.
“I watch some of them without the exceptions,” he said.
“I said, ‘Other than certain parts of the country, you can’t – you’re not going to win on this issue. But you will win on this issue when you come up with the right number of weeks.”
He did not state what kind of legislation he would sign to ban abortion after a certain number of weeks – or if he prefers the issue be solved at the federal level rather than on a state-by-state basis – but he tried to portray himself as a dealmaker who could unite “both sides”.
5. Trump might pressure Fed to lower interest rates
He complained US interest rates were too high and indicated if he gets another term in office, he might pressure Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell to loosen monetary policy.
He said: “Interest rates are very high. They’re too high. People can’t buy homes. They can’t do anything. I mean, they can’t borrow money.”
Asked specifically whether he would try to strong-arm Mr Powell into lowering rates, Mr Trump said: “Depends where inflation is. But I would get inflation down.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Trump charges in 60 seconds
6. Trump likes democracy
Mr Trump claimed he still believes democracy is the most effective form of government – but added a key caveat.
“I do. I do. But it has to be a democracy that’s fair,” he said. “This democracy – I don’t consider us to have much of a democracy right now.”
He suggested US democracy was unfair because of the charges he faces for allegedly mishandling classified documents, trying to conceal hush money payments to women ahead of an election and attempting to overturn the 2020 election.
He added: “We need a media that’s free and fair. And frankly, if they don’t have that, it’s very, very hard to straighten out our country.”
7. Not afraid of going to jail
Despite facing four trials, Mr Trump said he’s not consumed with visions of prison.
“I don’t even think about it,” he said. “I’m built a little differently I guess, because I have had people come up to me and say, ‘How do you do it, sir? How do you do it?’ I don’t even think about it.”
He later said: “I truly feel that, in the end, we’re going to win.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Trump speaks to NBC
8. Doesn’t rule out pardoning himself
Trump declined to rule out pardoning himself if he becomes president again. But he called the scenario “very unlikely”.
“What, what did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything wrong,” Trump said. “You mean because I challenge an election, they want to put me in jail?”
9. What about pardoning January 6 rioters?
Mr Trump said he views the prison sentences given to some January 6 rioters following the attack on the US Congress in early 2021 as unfair.
“We have to treat people fairly,” he said.
“These people on January 6, they went – some of them never even went into the building, and they’re being given sentences of, you know, many years.”
Mr Trump was asked if he would pardon the imprisoned rioters.
“Well, I’m going to look at them, and I certainly might if I think it’s appropriate,” he said.
10. Trump says he won’t seek a third term should he win in 2024
Mr Trump was asked if there was any scenario in which he would seek a third term should he win the presidency next year.
“No,” he said, before criticising Republican rival Ron DeSantis, who has promoted his ability to serve two full terms rather than one.
The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution limits presidents to two four-year terms. That was enacted after former President Franklin Roosevelt was elected to four terms in office.
Read more:
What are the investigations Trump is facing?
History’s most famous mugshots before Trump
It’s very, very close – Trump could win again
A judge has postponed sentencing in Donald Trump’s hush money case and granted permission for his lawyers to seek a dismissal.
It comes after the Manhattan district attorney said he wouldn’t oppose a motion to delay the sentencing.
In May, a New York jury found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records to commit election fraud.
It was the first time a US president had been convicted of or charged with a criminal offence.
Trump had tried to cover up “hush money” payments to a porn star in the days before the 2016 election.
When Stormy Daniels‘ claims of a sexual liaison threatened to upend his presidential campaign, Trump directed his lawyer to pay $130,000 (£102,000) to keep her quiet.
The payment buried the story and he later won the presidency.
Trump denied the charges and said the case was politically motivated. He also denied the sexual encounter took place.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan today delayed the sentencing, which had been due to take place on Tuesday.
The New York case revolved around payments to Stormy Daniels. Pic: AP
The office of district attorney Alvin Bragg had asked the judge to postpone all proceedings until Trump finishes his four-year presidency, which starts on 20 January.
Trump’s lawyers say the case should be dismissed because it will create “unconstitutional impediments” to his ability to govern.
Responding to Friday’s decision, a Trump campaign spokesman said: “The American People have issued a mandate to return him to office and dispose of all remnants of the Witch Hunt cases.”
The judge set a 2 December deadline for Trump’s lawyers to file their motion, while prosecutors have until 9 December to respond.
He did not set a new date for sentencing or indicate when he would rule on any motion to throw out the case.
Read more from Sky News:
Jury in civil court finds Conor McGregor raped woman
Parents pay tribute to daughter killed by ‘poisoned’ shots in Laos
Even before Trump’s win in this month’s election, experts said a jail term was unlikely and a fine or probation more probable.
But his resounding victory over Kamala Harris made the prospect of time behind bars or probation even less likely.
Trump, 78, was also charged last year in three other cases.
One involved him keeping classified documents after he left office and the other two centre on alleged efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss.
A Florida judge dismissed the documents case in July, the Georgia election case is in limbo, and the Justice Department is expected to wind down the federal election case as it has a policy of not prosecuting a sitting president.
Trump last week nominated his lawyers in the hush money case, Todd Blanche and Emil Bove, for senior roles in the Justice department.
When he re-enters the White House, Trump will also have the power to shut down the Georgia and New York cases.
US
Pam Bondi: Key proponent of Trump’s false 2020 election claims set to head justice department after Gaetz withdrawal
Donald Trump has pledged for years to surround himself with ultra-loyalists who can mould his government to his vision without barriers.
That’s precisely why he picked Matt Gaetz. Now he’s out, Pam Bondi is in and she’s equally loyal.
Gaetz was uniquely unpopular on Capitol Hill but ultra-MAGA and ultra-loyal to the president-elect.
He was chosen by the president-elect to do his bidding inside the Justice Department as attorney general.
Critics called his pick “a red alert moment for democracy” and the man a “gonzo agent of chaos” – language that would surely only affirm Trump’s decision in his own proudly disruptive mind.
Matt Gaetz has withdrawn despite Trump putting him forward for attorney general. Pic: AP
If it wasn’t for the fact that the president-elect is himself a convicted felon, and a man found liable in a civil court of his own sexual offences, the prospect of Gaetz, with all his baggage, making it through the nomination process would have seemed remote.
But Donald Trump’s return to the White House suggested anything is possible.
And so, beyond his loyalty, Gaetz was Trump’s test for his foot soldiers on Capitol Hill. How loyal were they? Would they wave through anyone he appointed?
It turns out that Gaetz, and the storm around his private life, was too much for a proportion of them.
At least five Senate Republicans were flatly against Matt Gaetz’s confirmation. We understand that they communicated to other senators and those close to Trump that they were unlikely to be swayed.
They included the Republican old guard like Senator Mitch McConnell.
Beyond the hard “no” senators, there were between 20 and 30 other Republicans who were very uncomfortable about having to vote for Gaetz on the Senate floor.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Trump pick Matt Gaetz withdraws
The key question is whether Gaetz was Trump’s intentional wild card crazy choice that he knew, deep down, would probably never fly.
Was Gaetz the candidate he had accepted would be vetoed by senators – who would then feel compelled to wave the rest of his nominees through?
Will Pete Hegseth’s alleged sexual impropriety concern them as they consider the suitability of the former Fox News host and army major to run the Department of Defence?
What about Tulsi Gabbard, the candidate Russian state TV calls ‘our girl’, and the appropriateness of her running America’s intelligence agencies?
These are all appointments that the politicians on Capitol Hill must consider and confirm in the weeks ahead.
Read more:
Trump hands out top jobs: Who is in, who is out
Musk picked to head up Trump’s new efficiency department
We don’t yet know who Trump will choose to direct the FBI.
There are some names being floated which will make the establishment of Washington shudder but then that’s precisely why Trump was elected. He is the disrupter. He said so at every rally, on repeat.
He was quick to pivot to another name to replace Gaetz.
Bondi is the former attorney general of Florida. Professionally she is in a different league to Gaetz. She’s been a tough prosecutor, with a no-nonsense reputation.
She is also among the most loyal of loyalists. Her attachment to Trump stretches way back.
Pam Bondi speaks during a Trump rally in November 2024. Pic: Reuters
I first came across her in Philadelphia in November 2020 when she was among Trump surrogates claiming the election back then had been stolen from them by Joe Biden and the Democrats.
She was a key proponent of the false claims the election had been rigged and Trump was the rightful winner.
The court cases concluding that was all nonsense didn’t seem to convince her.
Now she is poised to head up the Department of Justice as the country’s top law enforcement official.
US
Donald Trump on day one: Pace of change ‘like nothing you’ve seen in history’, warns campaign official
Within hours of taking office, president-elect Donald Trump plans to begin rolling out policies including large-scale deportations, according to his transition team.
Sky News partner network NBC News has spoken with more than half a dozen people familiar with the executive orders that his team plans to enact.
One campaign official said changes are expected at a pace that is “like nothing you’ve seen in history”, to signal a dramatic break from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Mr Trump is preparing on day one to overturn specific policies put in place by Mr Biden. Among the measures, reported by sources close to the transition team, are:
• The speedy and large-scale deportations of illegal immigrants
• Ending travel reimbursement for military members seeking abortion care
• Restricting transgender service members’ access to gender-affirming care
But much of the first day is likely to focus on stopping illegal immigration – the centrepiece of Trump’s candidacy. He is expected to sign up to five executive orders aimed at dealing with that issue alone after he is sworn in on 20 January.
“There will without question be a lot of movement quickly, likely day one, on the immigration front,” a top Trump ally said.
“There will be a push to make a huge early show and assert himself to show his campaign promises were not hollow.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Donald Trump ally Matt Gaetz has withdrawn his name from consideration to be the next US attorney general.
But Mr Trump’s campaign pledges also could be difficult to implement.
Deporting people on the scale he wants will be a logistical challenge that could take years. Questions also remain about promised tax cuts.
Meanwhile, his pledge to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in just 24 hours would be near impossible.
Read more:
Police file on Trump pick, Pete Hegseth
Matt Gaetz withdraws from top job
Watch: Musk and Trump’s bromance
Even so, advisers based at Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort or at nearby offices in West Palm Beach, Florida, are reportedly strategising about ending the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Following his decisive victory on 5 November, the president-elect has moved swiftly to build a cabinet and senior White House team.
As of Thursday, he had selected more than 30 people for senior positions in his administration, compared with just three at a similar point in his 2016 transition.
Stephen Moore, a senior economic adviser in Mr Trump’s campaign, told NBC News: “The thing to realise is Trump is no dummy.
“He knows he’s got two to three years at most to get anything done. And then he becomes a lame duck and we start talking about [the presidential election in] 2028.”
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports8 months agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business2 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway