The former president did not rule out further political violence.
With November’s election looming, former President Donald Trump has laid out what he would do if he wins the White House again, a plan that has raised some eyebrows.
In an extensive interview with Time magazine published Tuesday, President Trump discussed his agenda for a second term, including deploying the National Guard to deport millions of illegal immigrants.
The presumptive Republican nominee argued that he was too lenient in his first term. “My advantage now is that I know everyone. I know people,” he told the publication. “I know the good and the bad, the stupid and the wise. I know everyone.”
Here are some key takeaways from the interview, including how he would respond to hot-button issues like abortion.
President Trump plans mass deportation
The former president said the United States has “no choice” but to deport the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants. He also hinted that if re-elected, he might use the National Guard to support these efforts. It is worth noting that this is not the first time President Trump has proposed such a measure. During the president’s first term, the Department of Homeland Security considered sending in the National Guard to detain illegal immigrants, but those plans ultimately fell through.
“I have no problem using the military if I think things are getting out of control,” he told TIME. “We have to have security in this country. There has to be law and order in our country. No matter who gets us there, the National Guard will do the job.” I think you will.”
While the U.S. military has historically been used at the border to support immigration officials, using active-duty soldiers like the National Guard to directly deport immigrants across the country would greatly escalate an already tense situation. That’s going to happen. In December alone, Border Patrol agents apprehended nearly 250,000 immigrants.
There are also questions about the legality of using military forces against civilians. Federal law prohibits the use of active-duty federal military personnel in law enforcement agencies within the United States without Congressional approval. But when asked specifically about these restrictions, President Trump said the people being targeted are not civilians. “These are people who are not in our country legally,” he said. “This is an invasion of our country.”
Trump hasn’t ruled out political violence even after losing
President Trump is confident of winning without any violence this fall, but he did not completely rule out the possibility of it happening before or after the November election.
“And if we don’t win, it depends on the situation,” he said. “It’s always about the integrity of elections.”
Trump is currently charged with attempting to interfere with the 2020 election and knowingly spreading election lies that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. denies this.
To this day, President Trump has yet to accept his defeat against President Biden, and in interviews he has spoken out against more than 800 supporters who have pleaded guilty or been convicted by juries in connection with crimes committed. The day he said he would “absolutely” consider a pardon.
He wants to leave abortion to the states.
President Trump has repeatedly claimed credit for nominating three of the Supreme Court justices who voted to overturn Roe v. Wade’s landmark decision, but his He seemed reluctant to make his plans public.
First, he declined to say whether he would veto additional federal regulations if they came to his desk. In fact, he was skeptical that such a measure would even come to fruition, as he did not believe the narrow Senate would reach the 60-vote threshold needed for such a bill to pass.
More than 20 states now have full or partial abortion bans, and President Trump says these policies should continue, even though some states, such as Arizona, have previously said they go too far. thinking. And when asked if he would be comfortable with states monitoring pregnancies or prosecuting women who have abortions, he said that because he doesn’t believe the federal government should play a role in these decisions. It’s irrelevant,” he said.
“You don’t have to get comfortable, you don’t have to get uncomfortable,” Trump said. “Each state is going to make that decision. It’s up to the states to decide what’s comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.”
He also left open the possibility of banning abortion pills nationwide. “I have an opinion on that, but I’m not going to explain it,” Trump said. “I’m not going to say it yet. But I have pretty strong opinions about it. And we’ll probably release it within the next week.”
President Trump criticizes Israel, but vows to protect it
Trump has not hesitated to criticize Israel’s handling of the war with Hamas.
He claimed that US allies were engaging in bad public relations by sending too many images of death and destruction in Gaza. “I don’t think the Israel Defense Fund and other groups should be sending out pictures every night of buildings collapsing and people who may have been in the buildings getting bombed. That’s what they’re doing. ” he said.
The former president specifically named Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said he had a “bad experience” with Israeli leaders and blamed him for leaving the US operation to kill Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader Qasem Soleimani in January 2020.
Regarding the future of the country, President Trump cast doubt on the possibility of a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, saying it would be “very tough.” The war between Israel and Hamas continues to rage, and there are fears of a wider war following the conflict with Iran.
Despite this uncertainty and criticism, Trump touted his loyalty to Israel. “I’ve done more for Israel than any other president,” he said. “Yes, we will protect Israel.”
