Trump Interview
During the Time interview, Trump was asked about various topics including immigration, January 6th, reproductive rights, and more.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
The former president mostly declined to go into detail about some topics, but he was keen to dive into specifics around his immigration plans.
National Guard
Trump talked about his plans to use local police to start taking action against migrants with criminal records. When asked if plans would include the military, Trump answered affirmatively.
Source: The National Guard/Wikimedia
“It would,” Trump said. “when we talk military, generally speaking, I talk National Guard.”
A Step Further
In the interview, Trump commented that he was not just satisfied with mobilizing the National Guard.
Source: Kenny Eliason/Unsplash
“I can see myself using the National Guard and, if necessary, I’d have to go a step further,” Trump said. “We have to do whatever we have to do to stop the problem we have.”
Not Civilians
Trump was assertive in his desire to use the military in deportation efforts, despite military use against civilians being something restricted by laws and needing congressional approval.
Source: K E/Unsplash
“These aren’t civilians,” Trump said of migrants. “These are people that aren’t legally in our country. This is an invasion of our country.”
Fighting Age Males
When Trump brought up reasons to justify the intensity of his immigration plans, he mentioned a wariness around immigrants from China, citing a statistic from an unknown source.
Source: Freepik
“Again, we have a major force that’s forming in our country, when you see that over the last three weeks, 29,000 people came in from China, and they’re all fighting age, and they’re mostly males,” Trump said. “Yeah, you have to do what you have to do to stop crime and to stop what’s taking place at the border.”
China Immigrant Influx
Although Trump’s immigration claim about immigrants from China was described by CNN as a “conspiracy theory” there has been a recent surge of immigration to America from this country.
Source: Alejandro Luengo/Unsplash
In November, The New York Times reported that immigration from China is growing and that more than 24,000 Chinese nationals were caught trying to cross the US-Mexico border the previous year: a figure that is more than the last ten years combined.
Too Nice Before Now
When asked about former advisors and cabinet members who refuse to endorse him, Trump asserts that one of the big lessons he learned from his first term is that he was too nice to them.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
“I let them quit because I have a heart. I don’t want to embarrass anybody,” Trump says. “I don’t think I’ll do that again. From now on, I’ll fire.”
Trump More Confident
In contrast to his first term, Trump says that he doesn’t have to rely on people so much. He was an outsider candidate in 2016 but now he feels confident that he has learned the ropes.
Source: Library of Congress/Unsplash
“When I first got to Washington, I knew very few people,” Trump said. “I had to rely on people.”
Not a Mystery
Trump is doubling down on an agenda that has been promised for years, but these details flesh out the landscape more for voters ahead of the November election.
Source: Michael Vadon/Wikimedia Commons
“I don’t think it’s a big mystery what his agenda would be,” said Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway. “But I think people will be surprised at the alacrity with which he will take action.”
Detention Camps
Former President Trump was asked about the possibility of using detention camps for his immigration strategy, which he was evasive on.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
Trump said “We wouldn’t have to do very much of that,” but when pressed further he said “No, I would not rule out anything. But there wouldn’t be that much of a need for them, because of the fact that we’re going to be moving them out.”
Admitting the Possibility
When confronted with comments by close aide Stephen Miller that detention camps would be part of the immigration strategy, Trump relented on the possibility of using them.
Source: Wikimedia Commons
“It’s possible that we’ll do it to an extent but we shouldn’t have to do very much of it, because we’re going to be moving them out as soon as we get to it,” Trump said.