‘We’re losing this country, that’s why I won election easily’ – Trump to CBS
US President-elect Donald J. Trump has given his first official TV interview to CBS, focusing on hot topics at the center of his campaign, from a border wall, gay marriage and abortion, to taxes, anti-Trump demonstrations and ending wars in the Mid-East.
The president-elect believes that his victory has been partly determined by how disappointed and angry people are about the US foreign policy – instead of focusing on things back at home.
“It’s a moment in time where politicians for a long period of time have let people down. They’ve let them down on the job front. They’ve even let them down in terms of the war front. You know, we’ve been fighting this war for 15 years,” Trump said.
“We’ve spent $6 trillion in the Middle East, $6 trillion, we could have rebuilt our country twice. And you look at our roads and our bridges and our tunnels and our airports… [They] are, like, obsolete,” he added.
So instead, the new US leader pledges to pay much more attention to things at home – but first and foremost, to how that home is protected.
“For certain areas I would [build a fence], but [for] certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. I’m very good at this. It’s called construction,” Trump said, referring to the plan that’s been one of the cornerstones of his campaign: a wall on the Mexican border.
The step has been blasted by many, from the Mexican president to Pope Francis (whom Trump branded “disgraceful” in return).
Dealing with illegal migrants also promises to be quite tough, as voiced by the president-elect.
“What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate [them].”
When it comes to other migrants, Trump seemed less certain about his plans.
“After the border is secured and after everything gets normalized, we’re going to make a determination on the people that you’re talking about who are terrific people… It’s very important. We want to secure our border.”
Trump also implied that he will push for his anti-abortion position, appointing “pro-life judges.”
When faced with the direct question if some women won't be able to have an abortion, he was evasive, saying that “it's a long way to go” and “it'll go back to the states.”
The interviewer, Leslie Stahl, later confronts him with the question if Trump is “in any way intimidated, scared about this enormous burden [of office],” to which the president-elect responds, “I respect it. But I'm not scared.”
On the personal side, Trump declared he won’t be taking any vacations soon, and also pledged not to take the president’s salary.
As for his notorious social media use, he promised to be “very restrained,” though the leader-in-waiting emphasized the potential reach that social media give.
“Between Facebook and Twitter and I guess Instagram, I have 28 million people. It’s a great form of communication. Now, do I say I’ll give it up entirely and throw out, that’s a tremendous form – I pick up… I’m picking up now, I think I picked up yesterday 100,000 people. I’m not saying I love it, but it does get the word out… I have a method of fighting back.”
Trump highlighted his ability to make a strong leader for the US, too, protecting the country’s interests.
“I’m a sober person. I think the press tries to make you into something a little bit different. In my case, a little bit of a wild man. I’m not. I’m actually not. I’m a very sober person,” the president-elect said.
“I’ll conduct myself in a very good manner, but [it] depends on what the situation is, sometimes you have to be rougher. When I look at the world and… at how various places are taking advantage of our country, and I say it very proudly, ‘It’s going to be America first.’ It’s not going to be what we’re doing [presently] — we’re losing this country. We’re losing this country. That’s why I won the election. And… won it easily.”
