Former President Donald Trump said in a new interview with Time Magazine that he does not think there will be political violence around the 2024 elections because he believes he will win – but that this “always depends on the fairness of an election”.
The comments were accompanied by a statement that Trump would “consider” pardoning all people who were charged or convicted of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, after the then-president rallied his followers against what he repeatedly and baselessly called a “rigged” election.
Trump also responded to questions probing his campaign stance on abortion policy being left up to the states — and deflecting questions pressing him on any potential federal action, including his stance on whether abortion medication should be available. . And Trump doubled down on previous statements he’s made about Russia doing “whatever they want” to NATO countries that don’t pay their “fair share” and the extent of the military crackdown he plans to order on illegal immigration.
When Trump was asked in an initial interview about the prospect of more political violence in 2024, following the events following the 2020 election, he said no. “I think we will have a great victory. And I don’t think there will be violence,” Trump said.
But asked in a conversation about what will happen if he doesn’t win, Trump was equivocal.
“Well, I think we’re going to win,” Trump responded. “We’re way ahead. I don’t think they’re going to be able to do the things they did last time, which were horrible. Absolutely horrible. So, so many different things that they did, which were a complete violation of what should be happening. And you know that and everyone knows that. We can recite them, make a list that would be long. But I don’t think we will win.
Trump also said he would be reluctant to hire people for a second administration who thought President Joe Biden won the 2020 election: “I wouldn’t feel good about that,” he said.
Regarding the people charged and convicted of violent acts as Congress prepared to certify the 2020 election results on January 6, 2021, Trump complained that they faced a “two-tier system” but, when pressed, said : “I would consider it, yes,” when asked if he would consider pardoning all of the people prosecuted for their actions on January 6.
‘States will have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me’
Trump’s rare long-form interview included him talking about his stance on leaving abortion policy up to the states. When asked directly whether he felt comfortable with states’ decision to punish women who access abortion after a designated state-specific ban, Trump said, “I don’t have to feel comfortable or uncomfortable. The states will make this decision. States will have to be comfortable or uncomfortable, not me.”
Then, asked whether women’s pregnancies should be monitored by state governments to ensure they don’t get abortions after a certain period of prohibition, Trump continued: “I think they could do that. Again, you’re going to have to talk to each state.” ”
Trump also dodged the question of whether women should have access to abortion pills. As the interviewer noted that Trump’s Republican allies have called for “enforcement of the Comstock Act, which prohibits the mailing of drugs used for abortions,” Trump said he will make a statement later but declined to state his position.
“I will make a statement on this within the next 14 days,” Trump said. In the follow-up interview on April 27, Time noted that Trump had not yet made the statement, even though two weeks had passed.
“I’ll do that in the next week or two,” Trump said. “But frankly, I don’t think it will be shocking. But I’ll do it in the next week or two.”
Trump recently said that it should also be individual states that determine the punishment of doctors who perform abortions outside of state law. He classified a question about what he would do regarding possible federal abortion legislation as hypothetical “because it’s not going to happen. You’re never going to get 60 votes.”
‘I can see myself using the National Guard and if necessary I would have to take it a step further’
When asked about immigration, Trump reiterated a consistent campaign promise to use the U.S. military to remove undocumented immigrants from the country.
And Trump said he would be willing to utilize other parts of the U.S. military besides the National Guard to resolve issues in the interior as well as on the border, saying, “I can imagine using the National Guard, and if necessary, I would have to step up. forward.” When the interviewer noted the law that prevents the military from being deployed against civilians, Trump asserted that undocumented immigrants were not civilians and said, “These are people who are not in our country legally. This is an invasion of our country.”
Trump had previously pledged to redeploy thousands of overseas U.S. troops to the southern border to crack down on border security, as well as promising to end “all open borders policies of the Biden administration.”
Trump also floated the idea of migrant detention camps calling it a “possibility,” but something he hopes “we shouldn’t have to do much about.”
At the heart of Trump’s immigration promises over the past year is the use of local law enforcement, although policy specifics surrounding the idea have been thin on the ground.
When asked to clarify, Trump proposed “police immunity from lawsuits” and left the door open to possible federal government incentives for state and local police departments.
‘If you’re not going to pay, then you’re on your own’
In international affairs, Trump again delved into recent comments that Russia could “do whatever it wants” to NATO countries that do not “pay” what he considers appropriate military expenses.
Trump told Time: “Yes, when I said that, I said it with great meaning, because I want them to pay. I want them to pay. This was said as a negotiating point. I said: look, if you’re not going to pay, then you’re alone. And I mean it.”
Trump also supported comments that he would not give Ukraine “a dime” unless other European countries began supporting Ukraine in “equalizing” amounts.
“I said I wouldn’t do it unless Europe started to match,” Trump said. “They have to come. Europe has to pay. We are subjected to much more than the European nations. It is very unfair to us. And I said that if Europe doesn’t pay, who will be seriously affected more than us. If Europe won’t pay, why should we pay?”
Trump also admitted that a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine seems “very, very difficult” and said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “rightly” criticized for the fact that Hamas managed to attack Israel in 7 of October. .
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com read the full story
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