Trump says he’ll end birthright US citizenship and pardon January 6 rioters
Donald Trump has outlined ambitious plans for his return to office, including ending birthright citizenship and pardoning those convicted in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
The incoming president shared a wide range of plans during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press. Trump hinted at a flurry of executive actions after his inauguration on January 20. These orders would address immigration, energy policy, and economic reforms. While Trump expressed willingness to work with Democrats on certain immigration issues, such as protections for undocumented individuals brought to the U.S. as children, his overall tone signalled a hardline stance.
Trump indicated he would prioritise reviewing cases involving the Capitol rioters, many of whom have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the storming of Congress following his 2020 election defeat.
“These people are living in hell,” Trump said, describing the conditions of their imprisonment as “filthy” and “disgusting.” He pledged to act “very quickly,” with pardons being a priority on his first day in office.
On immigration, Trump vowed to end automatic citizenship for anyone born on U.S. soil, a right enshrined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
“We’re going to have to get it changed,” Trump said, suggesting the need for legislative or constitutional amendments. Birthright citizenship currently guarantees that anyone born in the U.S. is granted citizenship, regardless of their parents’ status.
The president-elect also reiterated his campaign promise to deport undocumented immigrants, even those with family ties to U.S. citizens. “I don’t want to be breaking up families,” Trump explained. “So the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and send them all back.”
Although Trump suggested he would not pursue a Justice Department investigation into Joe Biden, he criticised lawmakers who investigated the Capitol riot and suggested some of them should be jailed.
The president-elect made other news in the NBC interview aired on Sunday:
- When asked if the US will stay in NATO: “If they’re paying their bills, and if I think they’re doing a fair – they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely, I’d stay with Nato”
- Trump said he would not seek to impose restrictions on abortion pills, but cant make a guarantee
- Ukraine should “probably” expect less aid when he returns to the White House
- He promised that he will not seek to cut Social Security, nor raise its eligibility age, though he said he would make it “more efficient”, without offering further details
- Pressed on whether his plan to impose tariffs on imports from major US trading partners would raise consumer prices for Americans, he said: “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow”
