Meet the Press: Former President Donald Trump

Interview

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

As to whether or not I believed it was rigged? Oh, sure.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It was my decision.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That's false. But let me tell you --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

But let me tell you --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Sure. I'm going to. I'll testify --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No. No. Let me just tell you what I'd do.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

When I talk about retribution, I'm talking about fairness. We have to treat people fairly. These people on January 6th, they went -- some of them never even went into the building, and they're being given sentences of, you know, many years.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And nothing is happening.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I'm going to look at them, and I certainly might if I think it's appropriate. No, it's a very, very sad thing. And it's -- they're dividing the country so badly, and it's very dangerous.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I'm looking to appoint an attorney general who's going to be tough on crime and fair. Very simple.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, not at all. I think, look, you look at the terrible things that have been happening with respect to Biden. Look at everything: Jamie Comer, Jim Jordan, who are fantastic people and very legitimate people. I watched Jamie Comer just a little while ago talking about a lot of different facets of what's going on, and he was the one that said, "I guess there were -- there were 12 things where it looks like it's stone-cold guilty, and the gun charge is only one of the 12." He said, "This is the only one that doesn't implicate Joe Biden."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, no. I don't talk to him like that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, no. I don't do that. I don't think he'd do that. I mean, he wouldn't do it based on me, no.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, I don't have to talk -- they're more proactive than I am. They think it's terrible.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No. I think if they don't get a fair deal -- we have to save our country. We have $35 trillion in debt. We have to save our country. You know, the --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I'd shut down the government if they can't make an appropriate deal, absolutely.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

If you would say it properly, I'm facing four Biden indictments. He told the Justice Department to indict him, or Merrick Garland said, "Let's indict him."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

They indicted their political opponent --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, I don't really. I don't even think about it. I'm built a little differently I guess, because I have had people come up to me and say, "How do you do it, sir? How do you do it?" I don't even think about it. These are corrupt people that I'm dealing with. 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. The president of the United States sees how we're doing. We have a movement the likes of which has never happened in this country before. And you see it with the polls. I mean, I'm up on these people by 60 points and 59 points. And, I don't mean I'm at 59, I'm leading them by 59. You almost say, like, "Why are they campaigning?" Asa Hutchinson, he's at zero. Christie's at two. Other ones are at one. DeSanctimonious is at nine. I just see a poll come -- I mean, I'm leading him by 60 points.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And you say, "Why are they doing that?" But here's what they did. They saw this happening, and he went to the attorney general of the United States, and he told them, "Indict Trump."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Oh why? Because you mean he's honest --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Look at all the lies he's told--

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Kristen, wait a minute, wait, wait. Could I say one thing? Look at all the lies he's told over the last couple of weeks. He said he was at the World Trade Center and he wasn't. He said he flew airplanes, right? He didn't. He said he drove trucks, and he didn't. Everything he says is, like, a lie. It's terrible.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Even his handicap in golf, he said he's a six --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

He's not a six.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Okay.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I'd like you to, but you keep interrupting me.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I see somebody that loves this country, and me, that loves this country. I see tremendous unfairness. I think very few people would have been able to handle what I handled.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I hope he's loyal to me.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I mean, I didn't do anything wrong --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I didn't do anything wrong.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That's false.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That's false, but let me tell you --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Sure. I'm going to. I'll testify --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It's a fake --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- charge by this deranged lunatic prosecutor, who lost in the Supreme Court nine to nothing. And he tried to destroy lots of lives. He's a lunatic. So it's a fake charge. But, more importantly, the tapes weren't deleted. In other words, there was nothing done to them. And they were my tapes. I could've fought them. I didn't even have to give them the tapes, I don't think. I think I would have won in court. When they asked for the tapes, I said, "Sure." They're my tapes. I could have fought them. I didn't even have to give them. Just so you understand, though, we didn't delete anything. Nothing was deleted.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Number one, the statement is false. Much more importantly, when the tapes came, and everybody says this, they weren't deleted. We gave them 100%.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And, and, and, just so you know, I offered them. I said, "If you want to look at tapes, you can look at them."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Because I didn't respect them --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- as lawyers. 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.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

You know who I listen to? Myself. I saw what happened. I watched that election, and I thought the election was over at 10 o'clock in the evening.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

My instincts are a big part of it. That's been the thing that's gotten me to where I am, my instincts. But I also listen to people. There are many lawyers. I could give you many books. There are books that are written on how the election was rigged. There are numerous books that were written on how the election was rigged.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I was listening to different people. And when I added it all up, the election was rigged. There are books that are written --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

In fact, Mollie Hemingway wrote a great book --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- called "Rigged" --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Excuse me. Mollie Hemingway, who's highly respected and great, she wrote a book, a bestselling book called "Rigged."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

As to whether or not I believed it was rigged? Oh, sure.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It was my decision. But I listened to some people. Some people said that. Like, guys like Bill Barr, who was a stiff, but he wasn't there at the time. But he didn't do his job because he was afraid. You know what he was afraid of? He was afraid of being impeached. He was petrified to be impeached. And he -- how do you not get impeached? Don't do anything.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I wanted to go down peacefully and patriotically to the Capitol. Secret Service, who I have great respect for, said, "Sir, it's better if you don't do that. It could be unsafe." Because -- they didn't mean because of riots because, you know, it takes one guy with bad intentions, okay. So I didn't have a dispute with them. You know you had that one person said I grabbed the man around the neck. Actually, I wish I was so strong to be able to do that. These are all tough guys, smart guys --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Dispute it? Who wouldn't dispute it? She's -- the craziest account I've ever heard. You mean that I was in "The Beast," and she said I was in "The Beast," and the Secret Service didn't want -- so I took a guy who was like a black belt in karate and grabbed his neck and tried to choke him --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

How ridiculous. Just so you understand, and I have great respect for Secret Service, by the way. They're fantastic. The Secret Service said, "Sir, it would be better if you didn't." I said, "I'd love to do it." They said, "It would be better." And so we went back to the White House. Just so you understand: I spoke. I made a very nice speech.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I'm not going to tell you. I'll tell people later at an appropriate time. Just so you understand, however --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And I made beautiful statements.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Let me just tell you --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Did you see the statements I made in the Oval Office and just outside of the Oval Office?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

"Go home. Our police are great. We love our police. We love everybody. Go home."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

This was --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- a beautiful statement --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

When that statement was made --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- I don't know --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

But there --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- but there were tweets that were put out --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- before that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

By the way, Nancy Pelosi --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I don't have -- why would I tell you that? Listen. Nancy Pelosi --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- was in charge of security. She turned down 10,000 soldiers. If she didn't turn down the soldiers, you wouldn't have had January 6th.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

What?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I'm not going to tell you anything. I told --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Let me put it this way. I behaved so well. I did such a good job. Nancy Pelosi turned down 10,000 soldiers. If she didn't do that --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- and now I understand -- I understand that the police testified against -- listen to me, Kristen. Listen to me. I understand that the police testified against her -- the chief, very strongly against her. Capitol Police, they're great people. They testified against her. And they burned all the evidence. Okay? They burned all the evidence.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

They destroyed all the evidence about Nancy Pelosi.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, no. She has authority over the Capitol.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Uh, frankly, just so you understand, I assumed that she took care of it. She turned down --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, you don't realize anything until quite a while. National Guard are not coming. I asked her to be there three days in advance. And she turned it down.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Oh, stop it. Let me just tell you --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

The mayor of D.C. --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

The mayor of D.C. gave us a letter, saying that she turns it down, okay? We have it. Nancy Pelosi also was asked, and she turned it down. The police commissioner of Capitol Police --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Wait a minute.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Capitol Police said that he wanted it. And Nancy Pelosi wouldn't accept it. She's responsible for January 6th.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Nancy Pelosi is responsible. And the J6 Committee refused to interview her.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Yes. Absolutely. I did.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I could've pardoned myself. Do you know what? I was given an option to pardon myself. I could've pardoned myself when I left. People said, "Would you like to pardon yourself?" I had a couple of attorneys that said, "You can do it if you want." I had some people that said, "It would look bad, if you do." Because I think it would look terrible. I said, "Here's the story. These people are thugs, horrible people, fascists, Marxists, sick people. They've been after me from the day I came down the escalator with Melania. And I did a great job as president." People are -- great economy, great jobs, great this, great that, rebuilt the military, Space Force, everything. We -- I could go on forever. Let me just tell you. I said, "The last thing I'd ever do is give myself a pardon." I could've given myself a pardon. Don't ask me about what I would do. I could've. The last day, I could've had a pardon done that would've saved me all of these lawyers, and all of these fake charges, these Biden indictments. They're all Biden indictments, political. They indicted -- they want to arrest their political opponents. Only third-world countries do that, banana republics. So, ready? I never said this to anybody. I was given the option. I could've done a pardon of myself. You know what I said? "I have no interest in even thinking about it." I never even wanted to think about it. And I could've done it. And all of these questions you're asking me about, the fake charges, you wouldn't be asking me because it's a very powerful, it's a very powerful thing for a president. I was told by some people that these are sick lunatics that I'm dealing with. "Give yourself a pardon. Your life will be a lot easier." I said, "I would never give myself a pardon."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Oh, I think it's very unlikely. What -- what did I do wrong? I didn't do anything wrong.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Okay.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ready? Little bit of a long answer. I hope you have time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

So you have Roe v. Wade, for 52 years, people including Democrats wanted it to go back to states so the states could make the right. Roe v. Wade -- I did something that nobody thought was possible, and Roe v. Wade was terminated, was put back to the states. Now, people, pro-lifers, have the right to negotiate for the first time. They had no rights at all, because the radical people on this are really the Democrats that say, after five months, six months, seven months, eight months, nine months, and even after birth you're allowed to terminate the baby --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

What's going to happen, this is an issue that's been going on for a long time. And it's a very polarizing issue. Because of what's been done, and because of the fact we brought it back to the states, we're going to have people come together on this issue. They're going to determine the time, because nobody wants to see five, six, seven, eight, nine months. Nobody wants to see abortions when you have a baby in the womb. I said, with Hillary Clinton when we had the debate, I made a statement, "Rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month, you're allowed to do that, and you shouldn't be allowed to do that."

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Again, listen, look --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Look, the Democrats are able to kill the baby after birth.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Nobody wants that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

So we're going to come together --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

We are going to come together --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, no. Let me just tell you what I'd do. I'm going to come together with all groups, and we're going to have something that's acceptable. Right now, to my way of thinking, the Democrats are the radicals, because after four and five and six months. But you have to say this, after birth. You have New York State and other places that passed legislation where you're allowed to kill the baby after birth.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Yeah.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I think they'll -- I think they're all going to like me. I think both sides are going to like me.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

What's going to have to happen is you're going to have to --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Kristen, you're asking me a question. What's going to happen is you're going to come up with a number of weeks or months. You're going to come up with a number that's going to make people happy. Because 92% of the Democrats don't want to see abortion after a certain period of time.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Are you talking about a complete ban?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, people, people are starting to think of 15 weeks. That seems to be a number that people are talking about right now.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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. I mean, DeSanctus is willing to sign a five-week and six-week ban.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I think what he did is a terrible thing and a terrible mistake. But we'll come up with a number, but at the same time, Democrats won't be able to go out at six months, seven months, eight months and allow an abortion.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I care about it too. Oh, I care about it too.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, I don't think you should have -- I don't think you should be allowed to have abortions well into a pregnancy.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

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. And for the first time in 52 years, you'll have an issue that we can put behind us.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It could be state or it could be federal. I don't frankly care.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I will say this. Everybody, including the great legal scholars, love the idea of Roe v. Wade terminated so it can be brought back to the states.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I, I would, I would say this: From a pure standpoint, from a legal standpoint, I think it's probably better, but I can live with it either way. It's much more important, the number of weeks is much more important. But something will happen with the number of weeks, the amount of time, after which you can't do it. And you know what? The most -- the most powerful people that are anti-abortion are okay with that now. And you know what? They weren't okay with that even a year ago.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, Mike Pence said something about 15 weeks too, which was a big change for Mike Pence, because Mike Pence had no exceptions. 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.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

And a lot of people, when they don't have exceptions -- now, I will tell you that I think most people, most Republicans are willing. You go: life of the mother, rape, incest. I think most of them are there.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

That's a big statement.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I don't know, I don't know what he's saying, because before, he wanted, you know, you couldn't have abortions at all --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Now all of a sudden -- excuse me -- now all of a sudden he's saying 15 weeks. I said, "Wow, where did that come from? That's a radical change." Look, something is going to happen that's going to be good for everybody. And that's what I'm -- I'm almost like a mediator in this case. They wanted Roe v. Wade terminated because it was inappropriate. We got it done. Something is going to happen. It's going to be a number of weeks. Something is going to happen where the both sides are going to be able to come together. And then we'll be able to go onto other things, like, the economy, our military --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

What I say is very simple, because you can't put words in my mouth like that --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- because you've been hearing me talk about this--

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- issue --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

-- and I think talk about it very productively. It could be a state ban, it could be a federal ban, but Democrats want that too. 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, and Republicans should go out and say the following. They -- cause, I think the Republicans speak very inarticulately about this subject. I watch some of them without the exceptions, et cetera, et cetera. I said, "Other than certain parts of the country, you can't -- you're not going to win on this issue. But you will win on this issue when you come up with the right number of weeks." 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. And they're allowed to do that, and you can't do that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I think that Europe has to do more. We're in for $200 billion. They're in for $25 billion. And it affects them more than it affects us. It certainly affects them much more than it affects us.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I think Europe is taking advantage of a stupid president.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Look. Look. Biden should say to them, "You have to equalize. You have to catch up." You know, Europe is about the same size as our economy if you add them all up, add the countries up. It's about the same size. And Biden should say to them, like I did with NATO -- you know, NATO, they all owed money. I said, "Get your money in." And we had over $430 billion put in almost immediately. And the head of NATO, Stoltenberg, secretary general, nice guy, he said to me, the most amazing thing I've ever done -- and he said it publicly too.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Yeah.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, look, it would have been easier if the war didn't start. And you'd have hundreds of thousands of people living, most importantly. But it would have been a lot easier if it didn't. But I can get it done and I can get it done quickly.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No, no, no, no. I'd make a fair deal for everybody. Nope, I'd make it fair.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

You know, that's something that could have been negotiated. Because there were certain parts, Crimea and other parts of the country, that a lot of people expected could happen. You could have made a deal. So they could have made a deal where there's lesser territory right now than Russia's already taken, to be honest. And you could have made a deal where nobody was killed. They had a deal. They would have had a Ukraine country. Now nobody even knows if Ukraine is going to be totally taken over. I will say this: something's going on, and it's not good for Ukraine.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Well, I like that he said that. Because that means what I'm saying is right. I would get him into a room. I'd get Zelenskyy into a room. Then I'd bring them together. And I'd have a deal worked out. I would get a deal worked out. It would've been a lot easier before it started. Essentially, for four years, I kept them from doing anything. Because you know what? I will tell you this. I never said this. Ukraine was the apple of his eye. I said, "Don't ever do it. Don't ever do it." He would have never done it. But again, oil prices. He wouldn't have done it because of me. But oil prices. The prices were so high that he had so much money. So he had all this money to prosecute the war. The one who drove up the prices was Biden.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It's all terrible. It's all terrible.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Look, I had a very good relationship with him. And yet nobody was tougher on Russia than me. I stopped Nord Stream 2. You never heard of Nord Stream 2. That was the pipeline until I got involved. I said, "Nord Stream 2." People that were sophisticated, military people, and political people never heard of Nord Stream 2. I had it ended. The pipeline was dead. Biden came in and he approved it. There was nobody tougher than me with Russia. And yet I got along with Putin. Let me tell you, I got along with him really well. And that's a good thing, not a bad thing. He's got 1,700 nuclear missiles. And so do we. But, look, that's a good thing. Getting along is okay. But I got along through strength. And the war would have never happened. The war would have never happened. Now what's happened, it's so bad, the oil price is so high, it's hard to get it stopped. The oil price is so high. When he goes above $50 and $60 a barrel, he makes a lot of money on the war. Now, it's a humanitarian thing. It's a lot of different reasons. But I will get that war stopped very, very quickly.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

It's too bad we have to wait so long.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

No. Not at all. Because China, he's another one I got along to, until we had the China virus come in. Once Covid came in, okay? It was like -- And I made a great trade deal with China, one of the greatest deals ever made for the farmers and for the manufacturers, $50 billion a year. It was a great deal. I don't even talk about it. Because once Covid came in, it was, like, I didn't want to talk about anything. I was a much different person. What happened to this world, not our country, the whole world. What happened with Covid. And it just shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have happened. What happened, what China did to the world was so bad. But I had a great relationship with --

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I had a great relationship with President Xi, a really great relationship. And he was going to stop fentanyl from coming in. He was going to do a lot -- He was going to criminalize it if you made it. You know, in China, they have a death penalty for drug dealers. He was going to make that with fentanyl dealers too. But then the election didn't work out and he never had to do that.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I won't say. I won't say. Because if I said, I'm giving away -- You know, only stupid people are going to give that -- I heard the other day, DeSanctimonious said something about he was willing to do this or he was going to do that. I say, "Well, why is he saying the strategy?" You can't say that. So when you ask me that question, I would never say that. Because you give away all your options.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

I don't take anything off the table, no.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source