Former President Trump suggested in an interview Tuesday that he would ignore a law banning the use of military force against civilians as part of his plan to target illegal immigrants.
Why it matters: Trump has already used the military in unprecedented ways, but his in-depth interview with TIME reveals other ways a second Trump administration could challenge long-standing American norms and laws.
1. Immigration: Trump has said he is prepared to use the National Guard to deport illegal immigrants across the country during his second term. “If they can’t, I will use [other parts of] the army. »
In response to a question about whether he would override the Posse Comitatus Act, which prohibits the use of the military against civilians, Trump said of illegal immigrants: "Well, they're not civilians, they're people who are not legal on our territory. » nation."
Reality check: “Every person in the United States, regardless of immigration status, may be entitled to many of the same constitutional rights as citizens of the United States, including the right to due process and equal protection,” Time wrote in fact-checking The Validity of the Interview. .
2. Election 2024: “If we don’t win, you know, it depends,” Trump said of the potential for violence after the presidential election.
“It always depends on the integrity of the election.”
3. Department of Justice: The former president said he might fire U.S. attorneys who disobey his directives to prosecute someone.
“It will depend on the situation,” Trump said.
4. Abortion: Trump told TIME that it's up to states to decide whether to monitor women's pregnancies to see if they've had an abortion.
“I think they could do it,” he added.
Trump also said it was up to states to decide whether to prosecute women who had abortions.
"It's the states that will say that. It doesn't matter whether you're comfortable or not. It doesn't matter because the states will make those decisions."
5. South Korea: Trump has proposed the withdrawal of American forces from South Korea, an ally of the United States.
“We have 40,000 troops in a precarious situation,” Trump told Time magazine, which noted there were 28,500 U.S. troops.
"It doesn't make any sense. Why would we defend anyone? We're talking about a very rich country."
6. Israel: Trump said that if Israel and Iran go to war, the United States must intervene. “If they attack Israel, yes, we will be there. »
“There was a time when I thought the two-state solution could work,” Trump said of the possibility of Israel and a Palestinian state coexisting peacefully. “Now I think the two-state solution will be very difficult.”
7. Election 2020: “I wouldn't feel good about it,” Trump said of nominating anyone who thinks President Biden won the 2020 election.
8. January 6: Trump told Time magazine he would “absolutely” consider pardoning the January 6 defendants.
On the other side: The Biden campaign said in a statement that the election "will determine whether women in the United States have reproductive freedom, or whether the new Trump administration will continue its offensive to control women's reproductive decisions." health care”.
Biden-Harris campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said the interview left "little doubt" that Trump "will sign a national ban on abortion, allow women who have abortions to be prosecuted and punished, and will allow the government to invade the private lives of women... and in vitro fertilization status. »And contraception is in danger across the country.
Trump, who has repeatedly taken credit for appointing the three conservative judges who overturned Roe v. Wade, said he plans to leave the issue of reproductive rights to the states if elected.
The Biden campaign has repeatedly criticized Trump for his changing stance on abortion, pointing to the state's recently passed restrictive abortion laws as evidence of the consequences of the former president's positions.