Set to accept the GOP nomination this week, Donald Trump told 60 Minutes that “the Constitution, there’s nothing like it — but it doesn’t necessarily give us the right to commit suicide as a country.”
Trump was sitting alongside his new running mate, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, when Pence was asked if he stands by a tweet he issued after the real-estate mogul first suggested a ban on Muslims coming into the country.
“Calls to ban Muslims from entering the U.S. are offensive and unconstitutional,” Pence tweeted in December.
“We have no higher priority than the safety and security of the people of this country. And Donald Trump is right to articulate that to you,” the governor told 60 Minutes host Lesley Stahl in an interview aired Sunday.
As Pence was pressed about changing his position, Trump interjected with the comment on the Constitution.
“And I’ll tell you this. Call it whatever you want, change territories, but there are territories and terror states and terror nations that we’re not going to allow the people to come in to our country,” Trump said. “And we’re going to have a thing called extreme vetting. And if people want to come in, they’re going to be extreme vetting. We’re going to have extreme vetting. They’re going to come in and we’re going to know where they came from and who they are.”
“You just asked me if I’m comfortable with that, and I am,” Pence said. “Clearly, this man is not a politician. He doesn’t speak like a politician. He speaks from his heart.”
“I think that’s a good thing,” Trump added. “Well, I think I speak from my heart and my brain, just so we understand. People speak from their heart.”
Asked if he was comfortable bringing back waterboarding, Pence replied, “I don’t think we should ever tell our enemy what our tactics are.”
“I like that answer,” Trump approved.
“What I’m OK with is protecting the American people. What I’m OK with is when people have the intent to come to this country and take American lives, that we are — that we are prepared to do what’s necessary to gain the information to protect the people of this country,” Pence said.
“You know what, those techniques get information. I don’t care what anyone says,” Trump added.
When Stahl later noted that Trump is “not known to be a humble man,” the soon-to-be GOP nominee interjected, “I think I am, actually, humble. I think I’m much more humble than you would understand.”
“I’m not thinking of, oh gee, isn’t this wonderful? Isn’t this great, what I’ve done? I’ve had people that said, it doesn’t matter if you win or lose, what you’ve done has never been done before. You’re going to go down in the history books,” Trump continued.
“You know what I say to ’em? I say, you’re wrong. I will consider it, ’cause I funded my own primaries, I’m funding now a lot of this campaign. I’m putting in — you know, I’ve spent $55 million in the primaries. I’m spending a fortune now. I’ll tell you, it is spinning. Our world is spinning out of control. Our country’s spinning out of control. That’s what I think about. And I’ll stop that.”
Pence added: “Talking with him in private settings, I love the words you used because this man is awed with the American people and he is not intimidated by the world. And Donald Trump, this good man, I believe, will be a great president of the United States.”
“I love what he just said,” Trump approved.
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