Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation,” Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s supporter Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ) said Trump’s first priority is to deport criminal undocumented immigrants and then he will “take a deep breath and look at where we’re at in the country, and then find a humane way to deal with those who remain.”
Partial transcript as follows:
DICKERSON: On the question of the 11 million undocumented, there’s been some confusion. And Donald Trump at one point said they would be leaving America so fast, it would make your head spin. Now he’s saying something that will be worked out. In the way we have seen immigration talked about, that kind of softening, to use his word, usually is prelude to not ultimately dealing with all 11 million. That’s what it feels like here. Why is that not the case? Why is this not basically moving away from his position he had in the primary?
CHRISTIE: Listen, we want — we want candidates and leaders to listen, and if they hear new information or different information that leads them to conclude different things in their positions, we want them to do that, John. We don’t want people stuck in cement. Be really clear. Donald Trump is going to get rid of very early on the two to three million criminals that are here illegally in this country. That will be priority number one. And once we remove those two to three million from the country, return them to their countries of origin because of their criminal conduct, then I think what Donald Trump wants to do is take a deep breath and look at where we are in the country then, and find out if you could find humane way to deal with those who remain.
And so I think what he’s talking about is a pause. After the two to three million get put out of the country because they’re committing crimes, hurting Americans, selling drugs, doing things that are illegal, once those people are dealt with first — and I think everyone agrees on that issue — then we can deal with the remaining eight million people.
That’s what Donald Trump wants to do. I think that is a humane way to deal with it. And I’m proud of the fact that he’s been willing to stand up and say what he really believes on this as he’s learned more about the topic.
DICKERSON: So, your point is that this is an evolution to a pause, which shows his — his ability to adapt to changing information?
CHRISTIE: Absolutely.
And that’s something that Hillary Clinton will tell you Donald Trump can’t do. But what I will tell you about Hillary Clinton, John, is that she doesn’t evolve. We don’t even know if she evolves, because she doesn’t talk to anybody, except for mega-rich donors in the Hamptons and all over America, and Hollywood and the Hamptons are the two places where Hillary Clinton answers questions, not on shows like yours.
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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