Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump stated of his policies, “everything, honestly, is going to be up, and we have to negotiate, we have to see, I can’t make these decisions myself. … So I would say that certain things will be changed, certain things will be — stay exactly the same” during an interview broadcast on Thursday’s “Special Report” on the Fox News Channel.
Trump was asked, [relevant remarks begin around 17:50] “You are going from running in the primary, to eventually running in the general election. How many of your policy issues you’ve talked about on the trail, do you think will evolve in that transition to a general election nominee?”
He answered, “I think that what I will be really talking about a lot, will be illegal immigration, but I think in order will be, the economy number one and jobs and good trade deals, because that’s ultimately part of the economy.”
He was then asked, “Congressman Chris Collins (R) from New York, endorsed you, he’s a member of your congressional leadership team. You know, he’s against mass deportation of illegal immigrants, he’s against a temporary ban on Muslims. He says, that when you become the nominee, and then his idea, when you become president, that you are going to be more nuanced than you are on the trail. What do you say to that?”
He responded, “Well, we’re going to see. I mean, I have to see. Look, everything, honestly, is going to be up, and we have to negotiate, we have to see, I can’t make these decisions myself. … we have to deal with a lot of people. I mean, I can’t just take executive orders like Obama, and somebody was saying my tax plan is very, very steep. I mean I have the biggest tax plan, but I’m not the one that does the tax plan. It’s me and lots of congressmen, and lots of senators, and lots of everything. So I would say that certain things will be changed, certain things will be — stay exactly the same. But you know, there is a negotiation back and forth. I mean, I’m somebody that would like not to sign too many executive orders. … But, I’m very strong on illegal immigration, and that’s — will never change. Now, that doesn’t mean that in terms of implementation, we don’t make a change. I think we have to build a wall. We have to stop the drugs from pouring in, it’s the only way we’re going to do, but we have to do what I say we have to do. Now, with that understanding, there will be negotiation, Bret, because I’m not a dictator.”
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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