President-elect Donald Trump asserted Thursday that border security will be a top priority when he takes office in January, regardless of cost.
“It's not about price,” says the 78-year-old. told NBC News He said this in his first interview since the media predicted him to be the 47th president early Wednesday. “Not really. We really don't have a choice.”
“When people keep killing and drug lords destroy countries, and now they're going to go back to those countries because they're not going to stay here,” Trump added. “There's no price tag.”
During his campaign, Trump promised to round up and remove millions of illegal immigrants living in the United States and hinted at plans for “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
In an interview with the Post last month, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) estimated that 4.5 million illegal aliens would be a “top priority” for removal.
Mr Johnson added that “those who have already committed crimes” would be singled out.
“They're in the system now.” [for] Shoplifting or whatever…or [having] I did something that was unjust or illegal,” he explained. “We know where they are, we know what they did, they are being held here, they have to go.”
“It's clear we have to make our borders strong and strong,” President Trump told NBC News on Thursday. “We have to do that, but at the same time we want people to come to our country.
“And you know, I’m not the kind of person who says, ‘No, you can’t come in.’ We want people to come.”
The soon-to-be 47th president has long said he wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, but later revised that image to include “a big, fat, open, beautiful door.”
During the 2016 election cycle, Trump did likewise. He vowed to deport 2 million to 3 million people. Priority will be given to illegal immigrants and criminals.
However, the administration of the 45th president had fewer deportations than President Biden's administration. According to the data From the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump has greatly increased his support among Latino voters this term, with 45% of the same group favoring him over Vice President Kamala Harris, including an Contains 54%.
“I'm starting to think there could be a realignment because the Democratic Party is not aligned with the way the country thinks,” Trump said Thursday.
“You can’t say, ‘Defund the police.’ … Those things don’t work, and people understand that.”
Trump estimated he had met with “probably” 70 world leaders since he was expected to win the presidency early Wednesday.
The president-elect also spoke by phone with Biden and Harris, saying it was a “very great call and very respectful on both sides.”
Trump added that he and Harris had “spoken about the transition and she said she wanted it to go as smoothly as possible, and of course I agree with that.”
The president-elect declined to discuss his conversations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and acknowledged that he had not yet spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, but said “I think we will talk” at some point.
