Trump, asked if he has to 'uphold the Constitution,' says, 'I don't know'
Trump Doubts Due Process, Questions Whether He Has to Uphold Constitution: ‘I Don’t Know. I’m Not a Lawyer’
Josh Dickey
Sun, May 4, 2025
THE WRAP
President Trump cast doubt on Constitutional due-process rights in an interview aired Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” where he was pressed on whether he believed all people on American soil were entitled to legal hearings in the face of his mass deportation program.
“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”
“Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker had asked Trump whether he agreed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who stated that both citizens and noncitizens are entitled to due process within in the United States. She followed up by noting that the Fifth Amendment is clear on the issue.
“I don’t know. I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said,” Trump said. “What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said – they have a different interpretation.”
Trump’s comments come as his administration carries out an aggressive deportation campaign, with top officials calling into question his obligation to provide due process. The president has called for the impeachment of judges and ignored a previous Supreme Court ruling that the administration must “facilitate” the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly sent to a prison in El Salvador.
Welker: Do you agree that everyone who is here deserves due process? Citizens and noncitizens?
Trump: I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer.
Welker: The 5th amendment says as much.. Don’t you need to uphold the constitution?
Trump: I don’t know pic.twitter.com/1y8POREX9S
— Acyn (@Acyn) May 4, 2025
Trump covered many topics in the wide-ranging interview, including TikTok, whose reprieve the president said he would extend to allow time to make a deal to separate from Chinese owner ByteDance.
Watch the exchange in the video above.
Heather Miller
Sun, May 4, 2025
The Brief
Asked whether Americans and non-Americans deserve due process under the Constitution, President Trump said, "I don’t know."
His comments bolster the case for critics who say Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States, most notably in the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man mistakenly deported.
President Donald Trump says he doesn’t know whether American citizens are entitled to due process rights as defined by the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution.
Trump made the comments in a wide-ranging, and at moments combative, interview with NBC’s "Meet the Press" that was taped at Mar-a-Lago and aired Sunday morning. He also discussed his desire for Canada to become the 51st state and didn’t rule out military action for taking over Greenland.
Big picture view
The comments come as the Republican president's efforts to quickly enact his agenda face more criticism from Americans as his second administration crosses the 100-day mark, recent polls show. Trump, however, made clear that he is not backing away.
What did Trump say about due process and the Constitution?
What they're saying
Asked in the interview whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Trump was noncommittal.
"I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know," Trump said when pressed by "Meet the Press" host Kristen Welker.
The backstory
The Fifth Amendment provides "due process of law," meaning a person has certain rights when it comes to being prosecuted for a crime. Also, the 14th Amendment says no state can "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws."
The other side
Critics have tried to make the case that Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States. Most notably, they cite the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned without communication.
Trump says Abrego Garcia is part of a violent transnational gang. The Republican president has sought to turn deportation into a test case for his campaign against illegal immigration despite a Supreme Court order saying the administration must work to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
Trump said he has "brilliant lawyers ... and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said."
He said he was pushing to deport "some of the worst, most dangerous people on Earth," but that courts are getting in his way.
"I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it," Trump said.
What did Trump say about Canada and Greenland?
What they're saying
Trump has not backed away from his rhetoric that he intends to make Canada the "51st state."
He has a White House meeting Tuesday with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Trump, however, told NBC that it was "highly unlikely" that the U.S. would need to use military force to make Canada the 51st state.
He offered less certainty about whether his repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland from NATO-ally Denmark can be achieved without military action.
"Something could happen with Greenland," Trump said. "I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security. ... I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you."
What did Trump say about the economy?
What they're saying
Trump said the U.S. economy is in a "transition period" but he expects it to do "fantastically" despite the economic turmoil sparked by his tariffs.
He got defensive when Welker noted that some Wall Street analysts now say the chances of a recession are increasing.
"Well, you know, you say, some people on Wall Street say," Trump said. "Well, I tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we’re going to have the greatest economy in history."
He also deflected blame for the 0.3% decline in the U.S. economy in the first quarter to former President Joe Biden.
"I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job," he said.
Trump doubled down on his recent comments at a Cabinet meeting that children might have to have two dolls instead of 30, denying that is an acknowledgment his tariffs will lead to supply shortages.
"I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five."
What did Trump say about a third term?
What they're saying
The president has repeatedly suggested he could seek a third term in the White House. Trump told NBC there is considerable support for him to run for a third term.
"But this is not something I’m looking to do," Trump said. "I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward."
Trump's previous comments about a third term sometimes seem more about provoking outrage on the political left. The Trump Organization is even selling red caps with the words "Trump 2028."
Dig deeper
The 22nd Amendment of the Constitution says that "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice."
The Source
This report includes information from The Associated Press and NBC's "Meet the Press."
Trump, in a new interview, says he doesn't know if he backs due process rights
AAMER MADHANI
Sun, May 4, 2025
Jennifer Vasquez Sura, the wife of Kilmar Abrego Garcia of Maryland, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, speaks during a news conference at CASA's Multicultural Center in Hyattsville, Md., Friday, April 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — President Donald Trump is circumspect about his duties to uphold due process rights laid out in the Constitution, saying in a new interview that he does not know whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens alike deserve that guarantee.
He also said he does not think military force will be needed to make Canada the “51st state” and played down the possibility he would look to run for a third term in the White House.
The comments in a wide-ranging, and at moments combative, interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press" came as the Republican president's efforts to quickly enact his agenda face sharper headwinds with Americans just as his second administration crossed the 100-day mark, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Trump, however, made clear that he is not backing away from a to-do list that he insists the American electorate broadly supported when they elected him in November.
Here are some of the highlights from the interview with NBC's Kristen Welker that was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.
Trump doesn't commit to due process
Critics on the left have tried to make the case that Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States. Most notably, they cite the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned without communication.
He also said he does not think military force will be needed to make Canada the “51st state” and played down the possibility he would look to run for a third term in the White House.
The comments in a wide-ranging, and at moments combative, interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press" came as the Republican president's efforts to quickly enact his agenda face sharper headwinds with Americans just as his second administration crossed the 100-day mark, according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Trump, however, made clear that he is not backing away from a to-do list that he insists the American electorate broadly supported when they elected him in November.
Here are some of the highlights from the interview with NBC's Kristen Welker that was taped Friday at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida and aired Sunday.
Trump doesn't commit to due process
Critics on the left have tried to make the case that Trump is chipping away at due process in the United States. Most notably, they cite the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran man who was living in Maryland when he was mistakenly deported to El Salvador and imprisoned without communication.
Trump says Abrego Garcia is part of a violent transnational gang. The Republican president has sought to turn deportation into a test case for his campaign against illegal immigration despite a Supreme Court order saying the administration must work to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S.
Asked in the interview whether U.S. citizens and noncitizens both deserve due process as laid out in the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Trump was noncommittal.
“I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know,” Trump said when pressed by Welker.
The Fifth Amendment provides “due process of law,” meaning a person has certain rights when it comes to being prosecuted for a crime. Also, the 14th Amendment says no state can “deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
Trump said he has “brilliant lawyers ... and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”
He said he was pushing to deport “some of the worst, most dangerous people on Earth,” but that courts are getting in his way.
“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” Trump said.
Military action against Canada is ‘highly unlikely’
The president has repeatedly threatened that he intends to make Canada the “51st state.”
Before his White House meeting on Tuesday with newly elected Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump is not backing away from the rhetoric that has angered Canadians.
Trump, however, told NBC that it was “highly unlikely” that the U.S. would need to use military force to make Canada the 51st state.
He offered less certainty about whether his repeated calls for the U.S. to take over Greenland from NATO-ally Denmark can be achieved without military action.
“Something could happen with Greenland,” Trump said. “I’ll be honest, we need that for national and international security. ... I don’t see it with Canada. I just don’t see it, I have to be honest with you.”
President bristles at recession forecasts
Trump said the U.S. economy is in a “transition period” but he expects it to do “fantastically” despite the economic turmoil sparked by his tariffs.
He offered sharp pushback when Welker noted that some Wall Street analysts now say the chances of a recession are increasing.
“Well, you know, you say, some people on Wall Street say,” Trump said. “Well, I tell you something else. Some people on Wall Street say that we’re going to have the greatest economy in history.”
He also deflected blame for the 0.3% decline in the U.S. economy in the first quarter. He said he was not responsible for it.
“I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he’s done a terrible job,” referring to his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
Trump doubled down on his recent comments at a Cabinet meeting that children might have to have two dolls instead of 30, denying that is an acknowledgment his tariffs will lead to supply shortages.
“I’m just saying they don’t need to have 30 dolls. They can have three. They don’t need to have 250 pencils. They can have five.”
Trump plays down third-term talk
The president has repeatedly suggested he could seek a third term in the White House even though the 22nd Amendment of the Constitution says that “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice.”
Trump told NBC there is considerable support for him to run for a third term.
“But this is not something I’m looking to do,” Trump said. “I’m looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward.”
Trump's previous comments about a third term sometimes seem more about provoking outrage on the political left. The Trump Organization is even selling red caps with the words “Trump 2028.”
But at moments, he has suggested he was seriously looking into a third term. In a late March phone interview with NBC, Trump said, “I’m not joking. There are methods which you could do it.”
So JD Vance in 2028? Marco Rubio? Not so fast.
Trump said in the interview that Vice President JD Vance is doing a “fantastic job” and is “brilliant.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whom Trump last week tasked to simultaneously serve as acting national security adviser, is “great,” the president said.
But Trump said it is “far too early” to begin talking about his potential successor.
He is confident that his "Make America Great Again" movement will flourish beyond his time in the White House.
“You look at Marco, you look at JD Vance, who’s fantastic,” Trump said. “You look at — I could name 10, 15, 20 people right now just sitting here. No, I think we have a tremendous party. And you know what I can’t name? I can’t name one Democrat.”
Hegseth is ‘totally safe'
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been under fire for his participation in Signal text chains in which sensitive information about military planning was shared. But Trump said he is not looking to replace his Pentagon chief.
“No. Not even a little bit. No. Pete’s going to be great,” Trump said. Hegseth's job is “totally safe."
The president also said his decision to nominate national security adviser Mike Waltz to be the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations was not punishment for starting the chain to which Waltz inadvertently added a reporter.
“No. I just think he’ll do a nice job in the new position," Trump said. He said his decision to have Rubio take over Waltz's duties will likely be temporary.
“Marco’s very busy doing other things, so he’s not going to keep it long term. We’re going to put somebody else in," Trump said, adding that it would nonetheless be possible to do both jobs indefinitely. “You know, there’s a theory. Henry Kissinger did both. There’s a theory that you don’t need two people. But I think I have some really great people that could do a good job."
One person he said he is not considering for the post? Top policy aide Stephen Miller.
“Well, I’d love to have Stephen there, but that would be a downgrade," he said. “Stephen is much higher on the totem pole than that, in my opinion.”
Trump insists he's not profiting from the presidency, plans to donate his salary once again
Trump denied he is profiting from the presidency, even as he continues to promote a series of business ventures, including cryptocurrency holdings.
“I’m not profiting from anything. All I’m doing is, I started this long before the election. I want crypto. I think crypto’s important because if we don’t do it, China’s going to. And it’s new, it’s very popular, it’s very hot,” Trump said, adding that he hasn't even “even looked” at how much he’s made from the venture.
Just days before taking office, Trump launched his own meme coin, which surged in value after it announced that top holders would be invited to an exclusive dinner at the president's Washington-area golf club later this month and a tour of the White House. He also helped launch World Liberty Financial, another cryptocurrency venture, last year.
That's in addition to a long list of other business ventures, from Trump Media & Technology Group, which runs his Truth Social site, to branded sneakers, watches and colognes and perfumes.
“Being president probably cost me money if you really look,” Trump said. "In fact, I do something that no other president has done, they think maybe George Washington has done.”
He added: “I contribute my entire salary to the government, back to the government. And I’m doing it again.”
Another TikTok deal extension
Trump said he is open to extending the deadline for a deal on TikTok once again.
“I’d like to see it done,” he said. “I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok. TikTok is — it’s very interesting, but it’ll be protected.
He later added: "If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension, might not need it.”
Last month, Trump used executive action to keep TikTok running in the U.S. for another 75 days to give his administration more time to broker a deal to bring the social media platform under American ownership.
White House officials had believed they were close to a deal in which the app’s operations would have been spun off into a new company based in the U.S. and owned and operated by a majority of American investors. But Beijing hit the brakes after Trump slapped wide-ranging tariffs on nations across the globe.
“We actually have a deal. We have a group of purchasers, very substantial people. They’re going to pay a lot of money. It’s a good thing for us. It’s a good thing for China. It’s going to be, I think, very good," he said. "But because of the fact that I’ve essentially cut off China right now with the tariffs that are so high that they’re not going to be able to do much business with the United States. But if we make a deal with China I’m sure that’ll be a subject, and it’ll be a very easy subject to solve.”
___
Associated Press writer Jill Colvin in New York contributed to this report.
Hochul: Trump uncertainty on upholding Constitution ‘shocking’
Sarah Fortinsky
Mon, May 5, 2025
Hochul: Trump uncertainty on upholding Constitution ‘shocking’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) said Monday that it was “shocking” to hear President Trump say in an interview the day prior that he doesn’t know whether he needs to follow the Constitution.
“It was shocking, and it tells you all you need to know about this presidency and this man: that he doesn’t give a damn about the U.S. Constitution. And that is frightening in itself,” Hochul said in an interview on “CNN News Central.”
In a Sunday interview with NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Trump sidestepped questions about the Supreme Court, due process and whether noncitizens in the U.S. are granted the right to a trial.
When moderator Kristen Welker mentioned the Fifth Amendment, Trump cut in, saying, “I don’t know. It seems, it seems it might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,” adding that there are “thousands” of murderers in the country and that “I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it.”
“But even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Welker asked.
“I don’t know,” Trump responded. “I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”
Hochul on Monday blasted the president for his remarks, saying Trump “basically said that he doesn’t have to follow or even understand what the Constitution of the United States requires of every person who takes that oath of office.”
“I took the same oath of office 31 years ago to run for town board,” she continued. “I knew I was supposed to uphold the Constitution. I got to think a president who took the oath of office not once, but twice, understands that there are limitations, and that is the body of the Constitution.”
“He must follow it. Otherwise, the democracy that we fought for and upheld for 250 years, it’s just going to go down the drain. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Trump Has Unreal Response to ‘Will You Uphold Constitution?’
Corbin Bolies
Sun, May 4, 2025
DAILY BEAST
Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Donald Trump has said he doesn’t “know” if it’s his job to uphold the Constitution in an extraordinary interview released Sunday.
After an exchange on the case of wrongfully deported dad Kilmar Abrego Garcia on NBC’s Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked Trump whether he agreed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that all people in the U.S.—citizen and migrant alike—are entitled to due process. Trump complained that holding “a million or 2 million or 3 million” trials for migrants was not feasible because they are “murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”
“But even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Welker asked.
“I don’t know,” Trump said. “Again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.”
Trump also said that he is “not a lawyer” and does not know whether he had to abide by the Fifth Amendment’s due process provisions. “I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he said.
The presidential oath of office requires the president to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Trump has taken the oath twice.
Trump’s administration has made a habit of attacking the justice system after court after court has blocked his methods of expelling migrants from the country, some of which include centuries-old wartime laws and rounding up suspected gang members without disclosing evidence of their alleged gang affiliations.
Trump said he would follow Attorney General Pam Bondi’s guidance on whether to seek Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States despite the Supreme Court’s 9-0 ruling that the government must “facilitate” his return.
Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March despite a protective order preventing the deportation. The administration has admitted the expulsion was an “administrative error.”
“I have the power to ask for him to come back if I’m instructed by the attorney general that it’s legal to do so,” he said. “But the decision as to whether or not he should come back will be the head of El Salvador. He’s a very capable man.”
Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele has said the idea that he return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. was “preposterous,” and his regime rejected the Trump administration’s diplomatic note inquiring about Abrego Garcia’s return, according to The New York Times.
Still, Rubio and Bukele have privately spoken about Abrego Garcia’s case, according to CNN.
One constitutional provision Trump said he’d abide by is serving only two terms as president and not seeking a third stint in office, he told Welker, though he called the suggestions “a great compliment.”
Corbin Bolies
Sun, May 4, 2025
DAILY BEAST
Photo Illustration by Eric Faison/The Daily Beast/Getty Images
Donald Trump has said he doesn’t “know” if it’s his job to uphold the Constitution in an extraordinary interview released Sunday.
After an exchange on the case of wrongfully deported dad Kilmar Abrego Garcia on NBC’s Meet the Press, host Kristen Welker asked Trump whether he agreed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that all people in the U.S.—citizen and migrant alike—are entitled to due process. Trump complained that holding “a million or 2 million or 3 million” trials for migrants was not feasible because they are “murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”
“But even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Welker asked.
“I don’t know,” Trump said. “Again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.”
Trump also said that he is “not a lawyer” and does not know whether he had to abide by the Fifth Amendment’s due process provisions. “I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he said.
The presidential oath of office requires the president to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Trump has taken the oath twice.
Trump’s administration has made a habit of attacking the justice system after court after court has blocked his methods of expelling migrants from the country, some of which include centuries-old wartime laws and rounding up suspected gang members without disclosing evidence of their alleged gang affiliations.
Trump said he would follow Attorney General Pam Bondi’s guidance on whether to seek Abrego Garcia’s return to the United States despite the Supreme Court’s 9-0 ruling that the government must “facilitate” his return.
Abrego Garcia was deported to El Salvador in March despite a protective order preventing the deportation. The administration has admitted the expulsion was an “administrative error.”
“I have the power to ask for him to come back if I’m instructed by the attorney general that it’s legal to do so,” he said. “But the decision as to whether or not he should come back will be the head of El Salvador. He’s a very capable man.”
Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele has said the idea that he return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. was “preposterous,” and his regime rejected the Trump administration’s diplomatic note inquiring about Abrego Garcia’s return, according to The New York Times.
Still, Rubio and Bukele have privately spoken about Abrego Garcia’s case, according to CNN.
One constitutional provision Trump said he’d abide by is serving only two terms as president and not seeking a third stint in office, he told Welker, though he called the suggestions “a great compliment.”
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