5 things Donald Trump told "60 Minutes" during his campaign
President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign was filled with its fair share of controversy and shocking moments. From policy proposals to off-the-cuff comments, Trump managed to offend many minority groups.
Now that he has reached the highest office in the land, the country is wondering what his message and agenda will actually be. “60 Minutes” will air an interview with the president-elect on Sunday night, his first major sit down since winning the election, to discuss just that.
Some of his most contentious campaign topics have already been featured on “60 Minutes” in his two appearances during the campaign. He spoke with Scott Pelley once in September 2015 when the campaign was just getting started, and with Lesley Stahl in July shortly after naming his Vice President, Mike Pence.
The Wall
“We’re going to build a wall and we’re going to create a border. It’s going to be a great wall and it’s not going to be very expensive,” Trump told Scott Pelley in September 2015. When Pelley asked how he would build and pay for it, Trump answered “It will be a real wall. It’ll be a wall that works.”
And on the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S., Trump told Pelley he planned to “round them up” in a “humane way.”
“And they’re going to be happy because they want to be legalized. And, by the way, I know it doesn’t sound nice. But not everything is nice,” Trump said.
Trump still promises to build the wall, and to make Mexico pay for it.
The Muslim Ban
Donald Trump’s call to temporarily ban all Muslims from entering the United States shocked people from across the political spectrum -- including his eventual vice president pick, Indiana Governor Mike Pence. Pence had tweeted “Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional.”
But when the two spoke with Lesley Stahl in July, they were in agreement on the ban.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of the people of this country, and Donald Trump is right to articulate that view,” Pence said.
Trump doubled down on his ban. “Call it whatever you want, change territories, but there are territories and terror states and terror nations that we’re not gonna allow the people to come into our country. And we’re gonna have a thing called ‘extreme vetting.’”
The Enemy
When it comes to defeating ISIS, Trump offered up a hands-off strategy in Syria. “If you look at Syria. Russia wants to get rid of ISIS. We want to get rid of ISIS. Maybe let Russia do it. Let ‘em get rid of ISIS. What the hell do we care?” he told Pelley.
And in Iraq, Trump told both Pelley and Stahl he would put troops on the ground to fight ISIS. He went as far as to suggest he might declare war.
“Now look, we are going to get rid of ISIS, big league. And we’re going to get rid of ‘em fast. And we’re going to use surrounding states. We’re going to use NATO, probably. And we’re going to declare war. It is war,” he said in July.
Trump has also said that he won’t reveal too much of his plan, because he doesn’t want to give away his strategy to the enemy.
The Media
It’s no secret that as Donald Trump’s campaign went on,his attitude toward the media grew more and more hostile. Even back in September 2015, that relationship was already soiled. When Pelley questioned whether Trump’s quick tendency to pick a fight means he has thin skin, Trump fought back.
“You know, some of the media is among the worst people I’ve ever met. I mean a pretty good percentage is really a terrible group of people. They write lies, they write false stories. They know they’re false. It makes no difference. And frankly I don’t call it thin-skinned, I’m angry.”
The Establishment
Trump ran on an “anti-establishment” platform, painting himself as an outsider. But in July, he told Stahl he used to consider himself part of it.
“I am a person that used to be establishment, when I’d give them hundreds of thousands of dollars. But when I decided to run, I became very anti-establishment because I understand the system better than anyone.”
His pick of Mike Pence for Vice President, he said, was partially to encourage unity with those Republicans worried about his candidacy by picking someone who is “very establishment.”