Former President Donald Trump gave a wide-ranging interview to new “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker. The interview hit on several topics, including the 2020 election, the possibility of Trump going to prison, President Joe Biden’s age, and abortion.
Trump vows to work with Democrats on abortion
Trump criticized Republicans for speaking “very inarticulately” about abortion. He also vowed to work with Democrats to make sure “both sides will be happy.”
Trump said pro-lifers “have the right to negotiate for the first time” because the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. WadeRoe v. Wade in June 2022.
The former president said the Democrats are the “radical people” on the abortion issue. He said Democrats are in favor of abortion “after five months, six months, seven months, eight months, nine months, and even after birth you’re allowed to terminate the baby.”
Welker questioned Trump’s assertion, and he pointed to controversial comments about third-semester abortions made in 2019 by then-Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam – a Democrat.
Trump stated that abortion is a “50/50 issue” with Americans.
Trump promised an abortion policy “where everybody comes together.”
Trump then contradicted his previous remarks by saying, “Democrats don’t want to see abortion in the seventh month, okay. I speak to a lot of Democrats. They want a number. There is a number, and there’s a number that’s going to be agreed to.”
He added, “Because Democrats don’t want to be radical on the issue, most of them, some do. They don’t want to be radical on the issue. They don’t want to kill a baby in the seventh month or the ninth month or after birth.”
“I think the Republicans speak very inarticulately about this subject,” Trump said of his own party. “I watch some of them without the exceptions, et cetera, et cetera.”
When Welker asked Trump if he would sign a 15-week ban on abortion, he replied, “I would sit down with both sides and I’d negotiate something, and we’ll end up with peace on that issue for the first time in 52 years. I’m not going to say I would or I wouldn’t.”
Trump then attacked Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing the Heartbeat Protection Act, which prohibits abortions once the unborn child has a detectible heartbeat or as early as six weeks of pregnancy.
When asked if he would support similar heartbeat bills, Trump proclaimed, “I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake.”
Trump told the “Meet the Press” host, “I have exceptions, by the way. I think people should have exceptions. I think if it’s rape or incest or the life of the mother, I think you have to have exceptions. It’s very important.”
Trump avoided Welker’s question of when he believes abortion should be illegal.
“It could be state or it could be federal,” Trump said. “I don’t, frankly, care.”
On the issue of abortion with Democrats, Trump told Welker, “I think they’ll — I think they’re all going to like me. I think both sides are going to like me.”
He said of Republicans and Democrats, “We’re going to agree — no — we’re going to agree to a number of weeks or months or however you want to define it. And both sides are going to come together and both sides — both sides, and this is a big statement, both sides will come together.”
Trump doesn’t think Biden is too old to be president
Welker asked about calls for a “new generation of leaders in this country.”
“Well, it’s always time for a new generation,” Trump answered. “But, you know, some of the greatest world leaders have been in their 80s.”
“I’m not anywhere very near 80, by the way,” he continued. “And Biden’s not too old. I don’t think Biden’s too old. But I think he’s incompetent, and that’s a bigger problem. I don’t think 80 is old.”
If elected president, Trump would be 78 on Inauguration Day – the same age that Biden was when he began his first term in 2021.
Trump claimed that he has genetics on his side because his father lived to 93 and his mother lived to 88.
Trump says he didn’t listen to advice from his lawyers to not challenge the 2020 election results
Trump said he didn’t listen to his lawyers about challenging the results of the 2020 election because he “didn’t respect them.”
Welker pointed out that Trump hired the lawyers, and he responded, “Sure. But that doesn’t mean – you hire them, you never met these people. You get a recommendation. They turn out to be RINOs, or they turn out to be not so good. In many cases, I didn’t respect them. But I did respect others. I respected many others that said the election was rigged.”
“You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened,” he asserted. “I watched that election, and I thought the election was over at 10 o’clock in the evening.”
Trump says he’s not afraid of going to prison
When asked if he is worried about possibly going to jail, Trump said, “No, I don’t really. I don’t even think about it. I’m built a little differently I guess.”
“I don’t even think about it. These are corrupt people that I’m dealing with,” he stressed. “They’re destroying our country. I don’t even think about it. All I think about is making the country great, making America great. Look, these are political, these are banana republic indictments. These are third-world indictments.”
You can watch the entire Donald Trump interview with “Meet the Press” below.
Full Trump Interview: ‘I don’t consider us to have much of a democracy right now’www.youtube.com
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