Trump Spills Plans for Migrants, Abortion If He Gets to WH

Donald Trump has been spending his days of late mired in court proceedings, but he took some time out last month in Palm Beach, Florida, to chat with Eric Cortellessa for a new profile entitled "If He Wins" in Time. The former president, who wants to be the next president, detailed what his next administration might look like and says he now knows what one of the biggest issues was with his first one, per Cortellessa: "He was too nice." Other nuggets:

• On migrants: Trump says he wants to implement a mass deportation program that's more aggressive than that of his first term, tapping into the National Guard if needed. And "if they weren't able to, then I'd use [other parts of] the military."

• On abortion: Trump says he would support states where partial or full abortion bans are in place monitoring women's pregnancies, as well as letting states decide whether to prosecute women who have abortions. "It's irrelevant whether I'm comfortable or not" with such prosecutions, "because the states are going to make those decisions."
• On Jan. 6 rioters: "I call them the J-6 patriots." In terms of whether he'd consider pardoning all of them if he became president, he replied, "Yes, absolutely."
• On Evan Gershkovich: When asked why he hasn't yet called for the release of the Wall Street Journal reporter imprisoned in Russia, Trump noted, "I guess because I have so many other things I'm working on." Still, he says: "The reporter should be released and he will be released. I don't know if he's going to be released under Biden. I would get him released."
• On a push for a third term: Despite some who fear Trump would try to overturn the Constitution's ban on a three-time stay in the White House, or that he would simply ignore that restriction, Trump tells Cortellessa he has no plans to do either.
• On ex-advisers who won't endorse him: "I let them quit because I have a heart. I don't want to embarrass anybody." Trump added: "I don't think I'll do that again. From now on, I'll fire."
• On carrying out his plans: "I don't think it's a big mystery what his agenda would be," says former White House counsel Kellyanne Conway. "But I think people will be surprised at the alacrity with which he will take action."
• A fact-check: Time followed up the interview with another conversation with Trump. The fact-check is here.

Read the piece in full here. (More Donald Trump 2024 stories.)