Trump says he can’t guarantee tariffs won’t raise US prices and promises swift immigration action

WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump said he can’t guarantee that his promised tariffs on key U.S. foreign trade partners won’t raise prices for American consumers and he suggested once more that some political rivals and federal officials who pursued legal cases against him should be imprisoned.

The president-elect, in a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” that aired Sunday, also touched on financial regulation, immigration, abortion and health worry, and U.S. involvement in Ukraine, Israel and elsewhere.

Trump often mixed declarative statements with caveats, at one point cautioning “things do transformation.”

A look at some of the issues covered:

Trump has threatened broad trade penalties, but said he didn’t depend economists’ predictions that added costs on those imported goods for American companies would navigator to higher domestic prices for consumers. He stopped short of a pledge that U.S. an households won’t be paying more as they shop.

“I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow,” Trump said, seeming to open the door to accepting the reality of how import levies typically work as goods reach the retail trade.

That’s a different way from Trump’s typical speeches throughout the 2024 campaign, when he framed his election as a sure way to curb expense boost.

In the interview, Trump defended tariffs generally, saying that tariffs are “going to make us wealthy.”

He has pledged that, on his first day in office in January, he would impose 25% tariffs on all goods imported from Mexico and Canada unless those countries satisfactorily stop illegal immigration and the flow of illegal drugs such as fentanyl into the United States. He also has threatened tariffs on China to assist force that country to crack down on fentanyl production.

”All I desire to do is I desire to have a level, quick, but fair playing field,” Trump said.

He offered conflicting statements on how he would way the fairness structure after winning election despite being convicted of 34 felonies in a recent York state court and being indicted in other cases for his handling of national safety secrets and efforts to overturn his 2020 setback to Democrat Joe Biden.

“Honestly, they should leave to jail,” Trump said of members of Congress who investigated the Capitol riot by his supporters who wanted him to remain in power.

The president-elect underscored his contention that he can use the fairness structure against others, including special prosecutor Jack Smith, who led the case on Trump’s role in the siege on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump confirmed his schedule to pardon supporters who were convicted for their roles in the riot, saying he would receive that action on his first day in office.

As for the concept of revenge driving potential prosecutions, Trump said: “I have the absolute correct. I’m the chief law enforcement officer, you do recognize that. I’m the president. But I’m not interested in that.”

At the same period, Trump singled out lawmakers on a special House committee who had investigated the insurrection, citing Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and former Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

“Cheney was behind it … so was Bennie Thompson and everybody on that committee,” Trump said.

Asked specifically whether he would direct his administration to pursue cases, he said, “No,” and suggested he did not expect the FBI to quickly undertake investigations into his political enemies.

But at another point, Trump said he would leave the matter up to Pam Bondi, his pick as attorney general. “I desire her to do what she wants to do,” he said.

Such threats, regardless of Trump’s inconsistencies, have been taken seriously enough by many top Democrats that Biden is considering issuing blanket, preemptive pardons to protect key members of his outgoing administration.

Trump did seemingly back off his campaign rhetoric calling for Biden to be investigated, saying, “I’m not looking to leave back into the history.”

Trump repeatedly mentioned his promises to seal the U.S.-Mexico border and deport millions of people who are in the U.S. illegally through a mass deportation program.

“I ponder you have to do it,” he said.

He suggested he would try to use executive action to complete “birthright” citizenship under which people born in the U.S. are considered citizens — although such protections are spelled out in the Constitution.

Asked specifically about the upcoming for people who were brought into the country illegally as children and have been shielded from deportation in recent years, Trump said, “I desire to work something out,” indicating he might seek a answer with Congress.

But Trump also said he does not “desire to be breaking up families” of mixed legal position, “so the only way you don’t shatter up the household is you keep them together and you have to send them all back.”

___

Barrow reported from Atlanta. Associated Press writers Adriana Gomez Licon in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Jill Colvin and Michelle L. worth in recent York contributed to this update.