Trump Reflects on Election Outcome and Proposed Policies in 60 Minutes Interview
In the days since Donald Trump was elected the next President of the United States, minorities nationwide have felt vulnerable and scared, wondering what Trump’s first days in the Oval Office may look like.
Protests have taken place in a number of large city centers. In Chicago, many have marched to Millennium Park, where Trump Tower stands, to demonstrate their opposition to a Trump presidency. Units for sale at Trump Tower cost over $1 million on average, nearly four times more expensive than the median home price in Chicago — $285,000. Trump, a real estate mogul who has been criticized for his lack of political or military experience, has incited a lot of hate in the U.S. and worldwide with his promises to deport undocumented immigrants and ban an entire religion from entering the country. “The threat of deporting 3 million people who are working in the U.S., raising children in the U.S., serving their communities … to me, that’s already an act of hate. He’s threatening their livelihoods,” said Carmen Simon, who resides in Lincoln Park. A number of Trump supporters have also taken to the streets. Some are counter-protesting, but some have been documented perpetuating white supremacist ideas, practicing hate speech, and attacking women and people of color. On Sunday, Nov. 13, Trump appeared on CBS’s “60 Minutes” to give an extended interview regarding his upcoming term, as well as to address the events taking place following his election. A much more composed individual than we’re used to seeing on television sat across from interviewer Lesley Stahl. When told that Latinos, Muslims, and gays were facing harassment from his supporters, Trump said that he was deeply saddened to hear that. “And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it — if it helps, I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it,'” Trump said, soberly, looking directly into the camera. When asked about his proposed wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, Trump seemed much less adamant about his original idea to deport all 11 million undocumented Mexican immigrants. When asked if he would deport “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants, he responded with the following: “What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, we have a lot of these people, probably 2 million, it could be even 3 million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate,” said Trump. Trump said that after he deports these people, he would make a decision regarding the remainder of undocumented immigrants in the country, whom he called, “terrific people.” He also said that a fence would be acceptable in some areas along the border, in lieu of a wall. Since his election, Trump has presented himself in a much softer manner, admitting that he had been harshly divisive during his campaign. “I wish it were softer. I wish it were nicer,” her said. |