Trump, in a new interview, says he doesn't know if he backs due process rights
Share this @internewscast.com

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump expressed uncertainty about the constitutional duty to ensure due process rights for both U.S. citizens and noncitizens, stating in a recent interview that he is unsure if that guarantee should apply to everyone.

He also mentioned that he does not foresee the necessity of using military force to make Canada the “51st state” and downplayed the likelihood of pursuing a third term in the White House.

These remarks were made during a comprehensive and occasionally contentious interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” as the Republican president’s efforts to swiftly implement his agenda are encountering increased challenges among Americans, coinciding with his second term surpassing the 100-day milestone, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Trump, however, made clear that he is not backing away from a to-do list that he insists the American electorate broadly supported when they elected him in November.

Here are some of the highlights from the interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker that was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.

Trump doesn’t commit to due process

Critics on the left have tried to make the case that Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States. Most notably, they cite the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned without communication.

Trump says Abrego Garcia is part of a violent transnational gang. The Republican president has sought to turn deportation into a test case for his campaign against illegal immigration despite a Supreme Court order saying the administration must work to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.

Asked in the interview whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Trump was noncommittal.

“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed by Welker.

The Fifth Amendment provides “due process of law,” meaning a person has certain rights when it comes to being prosecuted for a crime. Also, the 14th Amendment says no state can “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”

Trump said he has “brilliant lawyers … and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”

He said he was pushing to deport “some of the worst, most dangerous people on Earth,” but that courts are getting in his way.

“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” Trump said.

Military action against Canada is ‘highly unlikely’

The president has repeatedly threatened that he intends to make Canada the “51st state.”

Before his White House meeting on Tuesday with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump is not backing away from the rhetoric that has angered Canadians.

Trump, however, told NBC that it was “highly unlikely” that the U.S. would need to use military force to make Canada the 51st state.

He offered less certainty about whether his repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland from NATO-ally Denmark can be achieved without military action.

“Something could happen with Greenland,” Trump said. “I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security. … I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you.”

President bristles at recession forecasts

Trump said the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” but he expects it to do “fantastically” despite the economic turmoil sparked by his tariffs.

He offered sharp pushback when Welker noted that some Wall Street analysts now say the chances of a recession are increasing.

“Well, you know, you say, some people on Wall Street say,” Trump said. “Well, I tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we’re going to have the greatest economy in history.”

He also deflected blame for the 0.3% decline in the U.S. economy in the first quarter. He said he was not responsible for it.

“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” referring to his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.

Trump doubled down on his recent comments at a Cabinet meeting that children might have to have two dolls instead of 30, denying that is an acknowledgment his tariffs will lead to supply shortages.

“I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”

Trump plays down third-term talk

The president has repeatedly suggested he could seek a third term in the White House even though the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution says that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”

Trump told NBC there is considerable support for him to run for a third term.

“But this is not something I’m looking to do,” Trump said. “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward.”

Trump’s previous comments about a third term sometimes seem more about provoking outrage on the political left. The Trump Organization is even selling red caps with the words “Trump 2028.”

But at moments, he has suggested he was seriously looking into a third term. In a late March phone interview with NBC, Trump said, “I’m not joking. There are methods which you could do it.”

So JD Vance in 2028? Marco Rubio? Not so fast.

Trump said in the interview that Vice President JD Vance is doing a “fantastic job” and is “brilliant.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Trump last week tasked to simultaneously serve as acting national security adviser, is “great,” the president said.

But Trump said it is “far too early” to begin talking about his potential successor.

He is confident that his “Make America Great Again” movement will flourish beyond his time in the White House.

“You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic,” Trump said. “You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party. And you know what I can’t name? I can’t name one Democrat.”

Hegseth is ‘totally safe’

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been under fire for his participation in Signal text chains in which sensitive information about military planning was shared. But Trump said he is not looking to replace his Pentagon chief.

“No. Not even a little bit. No. Pete’s going to be great,” Trump said. Hegseth’s job is “totally safe.”

The president also said his decision to nominate national security adviser Mike Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was not punishment for starting the chain to which Waltz inadvertently added a reporter.

“No. I just think he’ll do a nice job in the new position,” Trump said. He said his decision to have Rubio take over Waltz’s duties will likely be temporary.

“Marco’s very busy doing other things, so he’s not going to keep it long term. We’re going to put somebody else in,” Trump said, adding that it would nonetheless be possible to do both jobs indefinitely. “You know, there’s a theory. Henry Kissinger did both. There’s a theory that you don’t need two people. But I think I have some really great people that could do a good job.”

One person he said he is not considering for the post? Top policy aide Stephen Miller.

“Well, I’d love to have Stephen there, but that would be a downgrade,” he said. “Stephen is much higher on the totem pole than that, in my opinion.”

Trump insists he’s not profiting from the presidency, plans to donate his salary once again

Trump denied he is profiting from the presidency, even as he continues to promote a series of business ventures, including cryptocurrency holdings.

“I’m not profiting from anything. All I’m doing is, I started this long before the election. I want crypto. I think crypto’s important because if we don’t do it, China’s going to. And it’s new, it’s very popular, it’s very hot,” Trump said, adding that he hasn’t even “even looked” at how much he’s made from the venture.

Just days before taking office, Trump launched his own meme coin, which surged in value after it announced that top holders would be invited to an exclusive dinner at the president’s Washington-area golf club later this month and a tour of the White House. He also helped launch World Liberty Financial, another cryptocurrency venture, last year.

That’s in addition to a long list of other business ventures, from Trump Media & Technology Group, which runs his Truth Social site, to branded sneakers, watches and colognes and perfumes.

“Being president probably cost me money if you really look,” Trump said. “In fact, I do something that no other president has done, they think maybe George Washington has done.”

He added: “I contribute my entire salary to the government, back to the government. And I’m doing it again.”

Another TikTok deal extension

Trump said he is open to extending the deadline for a deal on TikTok once again.

“I’d like to see it done,” he said. “I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok. TikTok is — it’s very interesting, but it’ll be protected.

He later added: “If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension, might not need it.”

Last month, Trump used executive action to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership.

White House officials had believed they were close to a deal in which the app’s operations would have been spun off into a new company based in the U.S. and owned and operated by a majority of American investors. But Beijing hit the brakes after Trump slapped wide-ranging tariffs on nations across the globe.

“We actually have a deal. We have a group of purchasers, very substantial people. They’re going to pay a lot of money. It’s a good thing for us. It’s a good thing for China. It’s going to be, I think, very good,” he said. “But because of the fact that I’ve essentially cut off China right now with the tariffs that are so high that they’re not going to be able to do much business with the United States. But if we make a deal with China I’m sure that’ll be a subject, and it’ll be a very easy subject to solve.”

___

Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like
Sovereignty outduels 3-1 favorite Journalism in stretch to win 151st Kentucky Derby in the slop

Sovereignty Triumphs Over 3-1 Favorite Journalism in the Stretch to Win the 151st Kentucky Derby on a Muddy Track

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Sovereignty outdueled 3-1 favorite Journalism down the stretch…
Former State Department analyst pleads guilty to embezzling more than $650K

Ex-State Department analyst admits to embezzling over $650K

A former budget analyst from the State Department has confessed to embezzling…
Ballistic missile explosion over a city at night.

“Netanyahu Promises Significant Retaliation Against Houthi Rebels and Iranian ‘Terror Leaders’ Following Airport Explosion”

ISRAEL has vowed to hit back hard against the Houthis after they…
Outcast son in wealthy family's 'Shakespearean' downfall held advantage he didn't realize: author

Outcast Son of Wealthy Family Unknowingly Held Advantage in Their ‘Shakespearean’ Downfall: Author

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please…
4 signs most affected by Pluto retrograde in Aquarius

4 Zodiac Signs Most Influenced by Pluto’s Retrograde in Aquarius

Gather ’round as we discuss themes of death, renewal, and the impactful…
Person wearing a helmet with a camera mounted on top.

Concerns Rise as Death of Experienced Skydiver, 32, During Farm Jump Suspected to be Intentional

A “HIGHLY-experienced” skydiver’s death is feared to be an “act to end…
Security personnel outside the Wuhan Institute of Virology.

China Unconventionally Asserts COVID-19 Pandemic Originated in the US to Deflect “Lab Leak” Allegations from Wuhan

CHINA has brazenly claimed the Covid pandemic may have started in the…
Battle for biblical archaeology intensifies as Israeli researchers face academic boycott

Israeli Scholars Encounter Heightened Academic Boycott Challenges in Biblical Archaeology

TEL AVIV – A leading archaeology Naomi Khan, who is the director…
'We are being governed by morons'

“Are Our Leaders Failing Us?”

Nearly 2,000 residents filled a town hall on Long Island with Democrat…
Nigel Farage and Sarah Pochin at a by-election.

“Farage Claims Victory as Reform Party Wins Over 10 Councils, Challenging Labour’s Stronghold in Red Wall”

REFORM UK has created a seismic shift in Britain’s political landscape, achieving…
MGM Grand's Palm Tree Beach Club opening: Sydney Sweeney, MGK, more

Star-Studded Opening of MGM Grand’s Palm Tree Beach Club: Featuring Sydney Sweeney, Machine Gun Kelly, and More

Palm Tree Beach Club launched with flair on Saturday, May 3rd, at…
Francis' 'pope-mobile' being converted into Gaza mobile clinic

Francis’ ‘Pope-Mobile’ Transformed into Mobile Clinic for Gaza

The Vatican has announced that the “pope-mobile” used by Pope Francis during…