Trump says he can't guarantee tariffs won't raise US prices and won't rule out revenge prosecutions
Donald Trump said he can't guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won't raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned.
The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC's 바카라 게임 웹사이트Meet the Press바카라 게임 웹사이트 that aired Sunday, also touched on monetary policy, immigration, abortion and health care, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere.
Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning 바카라 게임 웹사이트things do change.바카라 게임 웹사이트
A look at some of the issues covered:
Trump hems on whether trade penalties could raise prices
Trump has threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn바카라 게임 웹사이트t believe economists' predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. households won't be paying more as they shop.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I can바카라 게임 웹사이트t guarantee anything. I can바카라 게임 웹사이트t guarantee tomorrow,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail market.
That's a different approach from Trump's typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb inflation.
In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying they are "going to make us rich.바카라 게임 웹사이트
He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened additional tariffs on China to help force that country to crack down on fentanyl production.
바카라 게임 웹사이트All I want to do is I want to have a level, fast, but fair playing field,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said.
Trump suggests retribution for his opponents while claiming no interest in vengeance
He offered conflicting statements on how he would approach the justice system after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a New York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national security secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Honestly, they should go to jail,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power.
The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the justice system against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump바카라 게임 웹사이트s role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would take that action on his first day in office.
As for the idea of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: 바카라 게임 웹사이트I have the absolute right. I바카라 게임 웹사이트m the chief law enforcement officer, you do know that. I바카라 게임 웹사이트m the president. But I바카라 게임 웹사이트m not interested in that."
At the same time, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who had investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
바카라 게임 웹사이트Cheney was behind it ... so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said.
Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, 바카라 게임 웹사이트No,바카라 게임 웹사이트 and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies.
But at another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. 바카라 게임 웹사이트I want her to do what she wants to do,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said.
Such threats, regardless of Trump's inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, to protect key members of his outgoing administration.
Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, 바카라 게임 웹사이트I바카라 게임 웹사이트m not looking to go back into the past.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Swift action on immigration is coming
Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program.
바카라 게임 웹사이트I think you have to do it,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said.
He suggested he would try to use executive action to end 바카라 게임 웹사이트birthright바카라 게임 웹사이트 citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens 바카라 게임 웹사이트 although such protections are spelled out in the Constitution.
Asked specifically about the future for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and have been shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, 바카라 게임 웹사이트I want to work something out,바카라 게임 웹사이트 indicating he might seek a solution with Congress.
But Trump also said he does not 바카라 게임 웹사이트want to be breaking up families바카라 게임 웹사이트 of mixed legal status, 바카라 게임 웹사이트so the only way you don바카라 게임 웹사이트t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump commits to NATO, with conditions, and waffles on Putin and Ukraine
Long a critic of NATO members for not spending more on their own defense, Trump said he 바카라 게임 웹사이트absolutely바카라 게임 웹사이트 would remain in the alliance 바카라 게임 웹사이트if they pay their bills.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Pressed on whether he would withdraw if he were dissatisfied with allies바카라 게임 웹사이트 commitments, Trump said he wants the U.S. treated 바카라 게임 웹사이트fairly바카라 게임 웹사이트 on trade and defense.
He waffled on a NATO priority of containing Russia and President Vladimir Putin.
Trump suggested Ukraine should prepare for less U.S. aid in its defense against Putin바카라 게임 웹사이트s invasion. 바카라 게임 웹사이트Possibly. Yeah, probably. Sure,바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said of reducing Ukraine assistance from Washington. Separately, Trump has .
Asked about Putin, Trump said initially that he has not talked to the Russian leader since Election Day last month, but then hedged: 바카라 게임 웹사이트I haven바카라 게임 웹사이트t spoken to him recently.바카라 게임 웹사이트 Trump said when pressed, adding that he did not want to 바카라 게임 웹사이트impede the negotiation.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump says Powell is safe at the Fed, but not Wray at the FBI
The president-elect said he has no intention, at least for now, of asking Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell to step down before Powell's term ends in 2028. Trump said during the campaign that presidents should have , including interest rates.
Trump did not offer any job assurances for FBI Director Christopher Wray, whose term is to end in 2027.
Asked about Wray, Trump said: 바카라 게임 웹사이트Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious바카라 게임 웹사이트 that if the Senate confirms Kash Patel as his then 바카라 게임 웹사이트he바카라 게임 웹사이트s going to be taking somebody바카라 게임 웹사이트s place, right? Somebody is the man that you바카라 게임 웹사이트re talking about.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Trump is absolute about Social Security, not so much on abortion and health insurance
Trump promised that the government efficiency effort led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will not threaten Social Security. 바카라 게임 웹사이트We're not touching Social Security, other than we make it more efficient,바카라 게임 웹사이트 he said. He added that 바카라 게임 웹사이트we're not raising ages or any of that stuff.바카라 게임 웹사이트
He was not so specific about abortion or his long-promised overhaul of the Affordable Care Act.
On abortion, Trump continued and said he would 바카라 게임 웹사이트probably바카라 게임 웹사이트 not move to restrict access to the abortion pills that now account for a majority of pregnancy terminations, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which supports abortion rights. But pressed on whether he would commit to that position, Trump replied, 바카라 게임 웹사이트Well, I commit. I mean, are -- things do -- things change. I think they change.바카라 게임 웹사이트
Reprising a line from his against Vice President Kamala Harris, Trump again said he had 바카라 게임 웹사이트concepts바카라 게임 웹사이트 of a plan to substitute for the 2010 Affordable Care Act, which he called 바카라 게임 웹사이트lousy health care.바카라 게임 웹사이트
He added a promise that any Trump version would maintain insurance protections for Americans with preexisting health conditions. He did not explain how such a design would be different from the status quo or how he could deliver on his desire for 바카라 게임 웹사이트better health care for less money.바카라 게임 웹사이트
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Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Jill Colvin and Michelle L. Price in New York contributed to this report.