Children born in the United States to immigrant parents could face a more complex process to gain U.S. citizenship, potentially ending the principle of birthright citizenship. Similarly, illegal immigrants are expected to be deported in what could be the largest mass deportation plan in the nation’s history.
Health care could also see some changes, but details are scarce. President-elect Donald Trump revealed these plans and more during his first interview after his 2024 election victory over Vice President Kamala Harris.
During an hourlong interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Trump doubled down on various measures, including his plan to overhaul the immigration system and impose new tariffs. He also lamented his decision not to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
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Trump will take office on Jan. 20, 2025, with a ceremony to be held on Inauguration Day outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Critics are concerned about the Trump administration’s bold agenda and its potential threat to Obamacare, which has improved access to affordable health plans for many Black Americans.
The ACA has significantly reduced the number of uninsured Black people, helping close the health coverage gap, particularly for low-income individuals. Additionally, the health care law has protected people with preexisting conditions, many of whom are Black Americans likely to suffer from chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
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Health care was a major topic during Trump’s sit-down with NBC. He slammed Obamacare, calling it “lousy” health care and stating that he wants to find a better health care plan without offering details. He also talked about pardoning January 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol.
Here are five key takeaways from his interview:
Repealing Obamacare
GOP lawmakers said, “It’s no longer feasible to repeal and replace Obamacare because it’s so entrenched in the system,” Kristen Welker of NBC told Trump.
She then asked Trump his thoughts on replacing the health care program. “Right now, we have something that I made the best of,” Trump said of Obamacare.
Trump added that he “inherited Obamacare” and didn’t repeal it despite many lawmakers telling him to “let it rot.” Still, Trump said he’s not a fan of the health care plan, even as it has increased access to low-cost health plans for millions of Americans.
“Obamacare is lousy health care. It’s very expensive health care for the people. It’s also expensive for the country,” he said. “If we find something better, I would love to do it.”
Trump continued: “I inherited Obamacare…it’s got about 20 names. But I inherited it. And I had a decision to make with health and human services. I had a big decision to make. Do I make it as good as we can make it or do I let it rot? And a lot of political people said, ‘Let it rot and let it be a failure.’ I said, ‘That’s not the right thing to do.’ “
‘Concepts of a plan’
The infamous line Trump made during a debate with Harris came up. NBC’s Welker mentioned Trump having “concepts of a plan” for health care. “Do you have an actual plan at this point for health care?” Welker asked.
She also questioned whether Trump had “a fully developed plan.”
Trump insisted he has a plan to strengthen the health care system, but didn’t offer details. “Yes, we have concepts of a plan that would be better,” Trump said.
He added: “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it. But until we have that or until they can approve it — but we’re not going to go through the big deal. I am the one that saved Obamacare.”
Trump went on to say he believes health insurance is too high in the country and his desire to lower the costs.
“I want to have better healthcare for less money, and there are ways of doing it, I believe,” he explained. “And I have the smartest people in that world. You know that’s a separate world unto itself. I have the smartest people in that world looking at it and trying. And if they come up with something, I will present it.”
Mass deportations
Trump reiterated his campaign promise to overhaul the immigration system, beginning with deporting immigrants in the country illegally who have committed crimes.
“I think you have to do it,” Trump said. “It’s a very tough thing to do. It’s – but you have to have rules, regulations, laws. They came in illegally.”
Trump said he does not want to break up families with mixed status, stating the only way to avoid that is to keep them together and “send them all back.”
He indicated that one group of migrants that might be omitted from the program are those brought to the country illegally as children who have lived here for years. “I will work with the Democrats on a plan,” he said. “We’re going to have to do something with them.”
Trump also touched on ending birthright citizenship, a protection in the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which states that “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”
When asked if doing away with it would face legal opposition, Trump said, “We’ll maybe have to go back to the people. But we have to end it.”
Tariffs on imported goods
Trump doubled down on his campaign promise to levy tariffs on imports from America’s biggest trading partners, calling them “beautiful.” Some critics have warned that imposing tariffs would result in price increases on goods for Americans.
Trump said that the tariffs will cost nothing to Americans and that he’s “stopped wars with tariffs.”
At one point, Trump conceded uncertainty when asked if he could “guarantee American families won’t pay more” as a result of his plan.
He disagreed with economists who have said his plan will make goods more expensive, but when asked if he could guarantee this wouldn’t be the case, he said he couldn’t. “I can’t guarantee anything,” he said. “I can’t guarantee tomorrow.”
Pardons for insurrectionists
On his first day in office, Trump insisted that pardons would be issued to the January 6 rioters who stormed the Capitol and were put through a “very nasty system.”
He said there may be some exceptions to his pardons “if somebody was radical, crazy.”
Some rioters remain in prison in Washington, D.C., most of whom are serving lengthy sentences for violent acts against law enforcement officers and others at the Capitol in 2021.
“I’m going to be acting very quickly – first day,” Trump said. “They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.”
