DON GONYEA, HOST:
President Trump is questioning the due process rights of people in the United States. During a wide-ranging interview on NBC News' "Meet The Press" with Kristen Welker, Trump said the courts and legal proceedings are getting in his way from deporting millions. When asked whether he needs to uphold the Constitution, Trump said, quote, "I don't know." Here with more on the president's words is NPR reporter Luke Garrett. Hi, Luke.
LUKE GARRETT, BYLINE: Hello.
GONYEA: So let's start with Trump's comments on due process. What did he say about the Fifth Amendment, which guarantees the right to due process, and about upholding the Constitution?
GARRETT: Right. NBC's Kristen Welker asked the president if he thinks both citizens and noncitizens deserve due process, their day in court. Trump responded by saying he wants to deport millions and doesn't know if deportees deserve this due process. When asked whether this violates the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution, Trump said he was elected on the promise of mass deportation, but the courts were preventing him from doing that. NBC's Welker then pressed the president on this very issue.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")
KRISTEN WELKER: Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I don't know. 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.
GARRETT: And it's worth noting here that Trump's comments are in line with what's being said by the Department of Homeland Security. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin has repeatedly told NPR that people the administration deems terrorists get a different sort of due process as allowed under the Alien Enemies Act. Ultimately, the Supreme Court is likely to rule on this issue, but the lower courts have already started to weigh in. Last week, a court partially blocked Trump's use of the act to deport Venezuelans.
GONYEA: OK, let's move on to the economy. What did the president have to say about the possibility of a recession?
GARRETT: President Trump said he wasn't worried about an economic recession, but he didn't rule one out. Last week, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank by an annual rate of 0.3% in the first quarter of the year. Economists commonly define a recession as two consecutive quarters of decline. And during the interview, Trump did acknowledge some, quote, "bad parts" of the economy, but he blamed those on former President Biden. But when asked by NBC's Welker on whether a short-term recession was worth potential long-term gains for the U.S. economy, Trump notably said...
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")
TRUMP: Look, yeah, it's - everything's OK. What we are, I said, this is a transition period. I think we're going to do fantastically.
GARRETT: He said ultimately, tariffs would make the U.S., quote, "rich," though most economists say tariffs would increase how much Americans pay for goods.
GONYEA: What about tariffs? Did Trump announce any of the promised trade deals he's been talking about with other countries?
GARRETT: So, no, he didn't. But Trump did say relations with China on tariffs are improving.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")
TRUMP: At some point, I'm going to lower them because otherwise you could never do business with them.
GARRETT: But then later, Trump talking about his overall tariff policy said he's never going to take the possibility of permanent tariffs off the table.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "MEET THE PRESS")
TRUMP: No, I wouldn't do that because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?
GARRETT: And last week, a Chinese official told NPR Beijing is, quote, "assessing the situation" after what it says have been multiple overtures from the United States seeking trade talks. So Don, next week, all eyes will be looking out for these promised finalized tariff deals, especially with China.
GONYEA: That's NPR's Luke Garrett. Luke, thank you.
GARRETT: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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