Trump doubles down on mass deportation of illegals, but says he wants immigrants

While reaffirming his campaign stance of deporting illegal migrants, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he still wants immigrants to enter the country legally.

“We obviously have to make the border strong and powerful, and at the same time, we want people to come into our country,” , his first since being elected to a second term.

“I’m not somebody that says, ‘No, you can’t come in.’ We want people to come in,” he added.

When asked about the cost of mass deportation of illegal migrants, he responded, “It’s not a question of a price tag.”

“When people have killed and murdered, when drug lords have destroyed countries… there is no price tag” for deportations, he added.

Trump said that his mandate is to bring “common sense” to the country. “You can’t have defund the police, these kinds of things. They don’t work, and the people understand that,” he said.

He also stated that “the Democrats are not in line with the thinking of the country,” leading to a political realignment that has seen him gain support among Latinos, Asian Americans, women, and young voters compared to 2020. Surveys show gains among Black voters as well.

Trump described his calls with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris as “very nice calls, very respectful both ways,” and said he expected to have lunch with Biden.

Trump also mentioned that he has spoken with 70 world leaders, including Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, but not with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among the leaders he has spoken to. PM Modi posted on X, “Had a great conversation with my friend, President @realDonaldTrump congratulating him on his spectacular victory. Looking forward to working closely together once again to further strengthen India-US relations across technology, defense, energy, space, and several other sectors.”