Trump says, ‘I don’t know,’ when asked if he’s required to uphold Constitution
The president also downplayed fears of a recession and spoke of potential successors when his four-year term ends in an NBC interview.
Updated, May 4, 2025 at 9:46 a.m. EDTtoday at 9:46 a.m. EDT, 8 min
President Donald Trump talks with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House last weel. He sat down for a wide-ranging interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker. (John McDonnell/For The Washington Post)
By Matt Viser
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump, asked during an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press with Kristen Welker,” whether he believes that he needs to uphold the Constitution during his presidency, responded, “I don’t know.”
The comment came as Trump remained adamant that he wanted to ship undocumented immigrants out of the country and said it was inconceivable to hear millions of cases in court, insisting he needed the power to quickly remove people he said were murderers and drug dealers.
“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he said.
Pressed on whether he still needs to abide by the Constitution, he said, “I don’t know.”
“I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said,” he said.
