President-elect Donald Trump revealed many policy plans during an over hourlong interview on Sunday, some of which have been long-held Democratic priorities.
Trump hasn’t done many interviews since he was elected president in November, mainly staying in the public eye with social media posts about his Cabinet nominations.
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Among the policy items Trump revealed during his interview with NBC News’s Kristen Welker, he said he would take a second look at the federal minimum wage and would work to keep “dreamers,” illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, in the country with a legislative solution.
Open to raising minimum wage
Trump said he would consider raising the minimum wage to a number higher than the current $7.25 an hour, which has been in place since 2009. Washington, D.C.’s minimum wage is $17.50 an hour.
Trump said on Meet the Press he would want to consult with the nation’s governors, but added, “I will agree, it’s a very low number.”
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‘Dreamers’ and birthright citizenship
When it comes to alleviating scrutiny on “dreamers,” Trump said he will work with Democrats on a legislative plan to keep them in the country. “We’re going to have to do something with them,” he said.
Such a move isn’t indicative that Trump is going lighter on immigration. He still plans to operate mass deportations and floated the idea of eliminating birthright citizenship. Doing that would mean changing the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship for all children born in the United States’s territory.
“We’ll maybe have to go back to the people,” Trump said. “But we have to end it.”
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Jan. 6 pardons
Trump also touched on issuing pardons for Jan. 6 rioters “on Day One,” saying that “these people are living in Hell.”
But as for Trump’s political opponents, he veered toward much harsher grounds. He called Sen.-elect Adam Schiff (D-CA) “a real lowlife” though wouldn’t go as far as to say he would appoint a special prosecutor to investigate President Joe Biden.
“I’m not looking to go back into the past,” the GOP leader said. “Retribution will be through success.”
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Trump also suggested members of the Jan. 6 committee should go to jail. They were “political thugs and, you know, creeps,” he said, arguing that they committed offenses in going about their work.
Foreign policy and tariffs plan
On foreign policy, Trump mentioned that he is actively trying to end the war in Ukraine but said the country can “possibly” expect less military aid. Like in previous statements, Trump would not commit to staying in NATO if member countries don’t pay more.
On some domestic issues, Trump said he couldn’t guarantee prices wouldn’t go up for Americans when he levies his promised tariffs on imports into the U.S. He also said he wouldn’t change the Social Security age and would not make cuts to the program. As for replacing Obamacare, Trump did not present a specific plan for doing so.
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Trump said he would steer away from his 2017 “American Carnage” inauguration speech, instead going toward a theme of unity. His message to people who didn’t support him indicates that could hold water.
“I’m going to treat you,” he said, “every bit as well as I have treated the greatest MAGA supporters.”
