Washington (AFP) – US President Donald Trump said in remarks airing Sunday that he does not know whether he must uphold the US Constitution, the nation’s founding legal document. In a wide-ranging NBC News interview, the 78-year-old Republican also said he was not seriously considering running for a constitutionally-barred third White House term, and blamed his presidential predecessor Joe Biden for the “bad parts” of the current economy.
Trump has drawn widespread criticism for repeatedly brushing up against constitutional guardrails since returning to the White House in January, notably over his policy of mass deportations of undocumented migrants, some without the benefit of a court hearing. He insists such rapid expulsions are necessary in the face of what he has declared to be a “national emergency,” and that giving every migrant a court trial would take “300 years.”
When NBC’s “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker asked if people in the United States — citizens and non-citizens alike — deserve the due process of law, as the US Constitution states, Trump said: “I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.” Pressed more generally on whether he believes he needs to uphold the supreme law of the land, Trump repeated: “I don’t know.” The remarks in the interview — recorded Friday and broadcast Sunday — quickly made waves in Washington, including among some Republicans. “We’re either a free society governed by the Constitution or we’re not,” Republican Senator Rand Paul, a self-described constitutional conservative, posted on X without additional comment.
– No third term? – Trump’s suggestion of possibly seeking a third term has been sharply questioned by legal and constitutional scholars. The 22nd Amendment states that “no person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.” But Trump said in March he was “not joking” about seeking a third term, adding there are “methods” that would allow it to happen.
Changing the Constitution to allow a third term would be difficult, requiring a two-thirds majority in both houses of Congress and ratification by at least 38 of the 50 states. But “this is not something I’m looking to do,” Trump told NBC — even while acknowledging that the Trump Organization’s official store is selling red “Trump 2028” hats. “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward.” Asked who that might be, he mentioned Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, adding: “We have a lot of good people in this party.”
But Trump appeared to bristle when asked for his reaction to critics who warn he is leading the country toward authoritarianism. “Why don’t you ask it a different way? Many people want to come into our country. Many people love Trump,” he said. “I won the election.” Trump’s first 100 days in office were marked by economic turmoil, primarily over his plans to impose sweeping tariffs on most countries. But despite the world’s largest economy shrinking in the first quarter of 2025, he struck an optimistic if defiant tone in the interview, insisting US economics were sound and that “tariffs are going to make us rich.” “I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy,” said Trump.
– ‘We subsidize Canada’ – The president also exaggerated some of the success he has had in bringing down prices, claiming gas has dropped to $1.98 per gallon in some states. According to the American Automobile Association, the lowest US price per gallon this week was $2.65, with the average at $3.16.
With two days before Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney visits the White House, Trump was asked whether he planned to reiterate his call for Canadians to give up their sovereignty and become the 51st US state. “I’ll always talk about that,” Trump said, as he griped about how “we subsidize Canada” through a massive trade deficit. Trump, when pressed, said it was “highly unlikely” that he would use military force against Canada. “I think we’re not going to ever get to that point,” he said.
But he did speak glowingly about US power, ruminating on an upcoming military parade in Washington to coincide with his 79th birthday, on June 14. “We’re going to have a big, beautiful parade,” he said, dismissing concern about the event’s high cost as his administration lays off thousands of government workers. “We have the greatest weapons in the world, and we’re going to celebrate it.”
© 2024 AFP
