CNN
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President-elect Donald Trump said in a phone interview with NBC News on Saturday that mass deportations would begin “very soon” after taking office. This is one of several plans he has discussed.
President-elect Trump, who is about to be sworn in on Monday, also told “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker that he “will probably delay” the impending U.S. ban on TikTok and will “probably” travel to Los Angeles next week. He said he would visit. He said he planned to inspect the damage caused by the wildfires and was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “very soon.”
The president-elect also promised to sign a “record number” of executive actions on his first day in office. Asked if he intended to sign “more than 100” actions, Trump said that number “at least falls into that category.”
President Trump said his administration plans mass deportations of illegal immigrants “very soon” after taking office and reiterated his desire to “keep criminals out of our country.”
“It’s going to start very, very quickly,” he told NBC News. “I can’t say which cities because the situation is evolving.”
“We must drive criminals out of the country,” he added.
President Trump has long teased plans for mass deportations of immigrants. CNN previously reported that the incoming Trump administration will first focus on deporting undocumented immigrants with criminal records in major metropolitan areas such as Chicago, Denver, and Washington, D.C.
President Trump said he would “most likely” extend the ban on TikTok for 90 days after taking office, but said he had not yet made a final decision.
President Trump said it was “appropriate” to approve an extension for the Chinese-owned social media platform, which must sell to a U.S. buyer by Sunday or face a ban in the United States. The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the controversial ban, and the popular video app announced it would cut access to more than 170 million Americans on Sunday unless President Joe Biden intervenes.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would consider. The 90-day extension is appropriate, so it will most likely be implemented,” President Trump said in an interview.
“If we decide to do that, we’ll probably make an announcement on Monday,” he added.
A law passed last year allows the president to extend the ban for 90 days, but requires evidence that the parties coordinating the sale of TikTok to a U.S.-owned company are making significant progress. There is.
TikTok CEO Hsu Chu has been meeting with the president-elect at his home in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, in recent weeks and is scheduled to attend President Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The president-elect said he would “probably” travel to the Los Angeles area next week to assess the damage caused by the devastating wildfires that have devastated the area.
President Trump told NBC News he may travel to California “over the weekend,” saying he wanted to go on Friday but decided to wait until after the inauguration.
“I was actually going to go yesterday, but I thought it would be better if I went as president. I think it would be a little more appropriate,” he said in an interview Saturday.
President Trump said he has not spoken to California Governor Gavin Newsom since the wildfires broke out. The president-elect criticized the governor and other Democratic leaders over their efforts to extinguish the fires, calling them “incompetent” witnesses to “one of the worst disasters in the history of our country.”
President Trump said he had told Netanyahu to “keep doing what needs to be done,” emphasizing his desire to see the war between Israel and Hamas end. He renewed his warning that “all hell will break out” if the two countries do not abide by the recently negotiated ceasefire and hostage agreement, which is scheduled to begin on Sunday.
President Trump told NBC News he planned to meet with Prime Minister Netanyahu “very soon,” but did not provide details.
President Trump recalled telling Israeli leaders, “‘Keep doing what you have to do.'” “‘You have to – this has to end. We want this to end, but we want to keep doing what needs to be done.’
Trump added that the United States will demand “respect” to ensure the agreement is honored and warn of the consequences if it is not followed.
“America needs to be respected again, and we need to make sure we’re respected soon. But the main word I use is respect,” he said. “If they respect us, it will stand. If they don’t respect us, all hell will break out.”
Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden’s teams worked together on the deal, a rare clash of interests between rivals who saw an opportunity for both sides in the wake of Mr. Trump’s election victory. .
Brett McGuirk, Biden’s longtime Middle East negotiator, had been stationed in the Qatari capital for weeks in hopes of a final deal. He joined Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in a final push in Qatar in recent days.
The president-elect spoke out about his decision to move Monday’s inauguration ceremony indoors amid dangerously cold temperatures expected in Washington, D.C. He said he believed he had made the “right decision” and promised the ceremony was “actually going to be amazing.”
“The weather looked really bad in terms of cold and I think it would have been dangerous for a lot of people and the crowd and everything else. So I think we made the right decision and we’re very comfortable right now,” he said. said.
“It’s going to be an indoor, more or less indoor parade, and it’s going to be beautiful,” he continued.
Monday’s ceremony is currently scheduled to be held in the Capitol Rotunda, with Capitol One Arena scheduled to livestream the event.
President Trump told NBC News that “the words of unity and strength and equity” will be the theme of his inaugural address. “Because we have to treat people fairly. …You know, we went through four years of hell with these guys. So, you know, we’ve got to do something about it. .”
