WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump said he cannot guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trading partners will not raise prices for American consumers, again suggesting that some political rivals and federal officials who have filed lawsuits against him would do. being imprisoned.
In a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, the president-elect also addressed 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 warning “things are changing.”
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A look at some of the issues covered:
Trump wonders if trade sanctions could raise prices
Trump has threatened broad trade sanctions but said he did not believe economists’ predictions that additional costs for U.S. companies would lead to higher domestic prices for consumers. He did not keep the promise that American households will not pay more when they shop.
“I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” Trump said, appearing to open the door to accepting the reality of how tariffs typically work when goods reach the retail market.
That’s a different approach from Trump’s typical speeches during the 2024 campaign, when he described his election as a sure way to curb inflation.
In the interview, Trump defended tariffs in general, saying tariffs are “going to make us rich.”
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 stem illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He has also threatened China with tariffs to force it to crack down on fentanyl production.
“All I want is I want to have an even, quick but fair playing field,” Trump said.
Trump suggests retaliation against his opponents while claiming he has no interest in revenge
He made conflicting statements about how he would approach the legal system after winning the election, despite being convicted of 34 crimes in a New York court and charged in other cases over his handling of national security secrets and attempts to reverse his loss to Democrat Joe in 2020. Biden.
“Frankly, they should go to jail,” Trump said of members of Congress investigating the riot at the Capitol by his supporters who wanted him to stay in power.
The president-elect underscored his claim that he can use the justice system against others, including special counsel Jack Smith, who led the case into Trump’s role in the siege on January 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his plan to pardon supporters who were convicted . for their role in the riot, and said he would take that action on his first day on the job.
As for the idea of revenge fueling possible prosecutions, Trump said: “I have the absolute right. I’m the head of law enforcement, you know that. I’m the president. But I’m not interested in that.”
At the same time, Trump named lawmakers on a special House committee who had investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.
“Cheney was behind it…as was Bennie Thompson and everyone else on that committee,” Trump said.
When asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said “No” and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly investigate his political enemies.
But at another point, Trump said he would leave the matter to Pam Bondi, his pick for attorney general. “I want her to do what she wants to do,” he said.
Such threats, regardless of Trump’s inconsistencies, have been taken so seriously by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration.
Trump seemingly backed away from his campaign rhetoric calling for investigations into Biden, saying, “I have no intention of going back to the past.”
There will be rapid measures on immigration
Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the US-Mexico border and deport millions of people living illegally in the US through a mass deportation program.
“I think you should do it,” he said.
He suggested he would try to use executive action to end “birthright” citizenship, under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — even though such protections are enshrined in the Constitution.
When Trump was asked specifically about the future of people who were brought into the country illegally as children and protected from deportation in recent years, he said, “I want to work something out,” indicating he might seek a solution from Congress .
But Trump also said he “doesn’t want to break up families of mixed legal status,” “so the only way you don’t break up the family is to keep them together and send them all back.”
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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.
