Trump on due process: ‘I don’t know’

President Donald Trump has twice been sworn in to do the job of leading the country with his vow to uphold the Constitution but on Sunday he expressed uncertainty about whether or not that included due process During a wide ranging interview aired Sunday on NBC s Meet the Press with Kristen Welker Trump didn t have an answer when requested if he needed to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president and provide due process to the people his administration is attempting to deport or has already deported I don t know Trump disclosed Solicited if he agreed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio that all people regardless of citizenship status are due legal process before deportation action is taken against them Trump twice again revealed I don t know I m not a lawyer I don t know the second term U S president explained When informed that the Fifth Amendment of the U S Constitution indeed makes clear that no person should be deprived of life liberty or property without due process of law Trump conceded that it might say that but added that it it would hold up the administration s effort to deport all of the people targeted for removal If you re talking about that then we d have to have a million or million or million trials We have thousands of people that are particular murderers and selected drug dealers and a few of the worst people on Earth Various of the worst majority of dangerous people on Earth And I was elected to get them the hell out of here and the courts are holding me from doing it he noted Trump s remarks Sunday come after U S District Judge Fernando Rodriguez Jr issued an order late last week directing the administration to cease its use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans accused of being members of Tren de Aragua a violent street gang declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the administration in mid-March That law passed in while the fledgling U S administration worried over a Quasi War with France can be invoked when the president concludes that any invasion or predatory incursion is perpetrated attempted or threatened against the territory of the United States by any foreign nation or regime and the President makes populace proclamation of the event Once invoked the president can order certain people from the invading nation to be expelled with very little due process However according to the judge those deemed enemy aliens are allowed enough due process to challenge that designation and people are entitled to question whether an invasion is literally occurring such that the president can invoke the centuries-old law Trump s proclamation invoking the act makes no reference to and in no manner suggests that a threat exists of an organized armed group of individuals entering the United States at the direction of Venezuela to conquer the country or assume control over a portion of the nation Judge Rodriguez wrote in his order The Court concludes that the President s invocation of the AEA through the Proclamation exceeds the scope of the statute and as a effect is unlawful he wrote Trump expressed confusion over that decision openly wondering if the courts were disallowing the deportation of people altogether when in fact the judge had only prevented him from doing so under his March proclamation invoking the Alien Enemies Act but not under the Immigration and Nationality Act Can it be so that Judges aren t allowing the USA to Deport Criminals including Murderers out of our Country and back to where they came from If this is so our Country as we know it is finished Americans will have to get used to a very different crime filled LIFE This is not what our Founders had in mind the president revealed via his personally owned social media platform emphasis his Trump also weighed in on latest discussions surrounding a workable third term insisting that this term will be his last stint in the White House even though so a great number of people want me to do it I have never had requests so strong as that But it s something that to the best of my knowledge you re not allowed to do I don t know if that s Constitutional that they re not allowing you to do it or anything else But there are various people selling the hat But this is not something I m looking to do he commented Instead the president indicated he ll be focused on having four great years before eventually turning the reins over to a great Republican to carry it forward But I think we re going to have four years and I think four years is plenty of time to do something really spectacular he declared As far as who a feasible successor might be Trump explained that Vice President JD Vance is doing a fantastic job but declined to offer his outright endorsement claiming that it s far too early to say that I don t want to get involved in that I think he s a fantastic brilliant guy Marco is great There s a lot of them that are great I I also see tremendous unity But certainly you would say that somebody s the VP if that person is outstanding I guess that person would have an advantage But I think the other people would all stay in unbelievably high positions But you know it could be that he d be challenged by somebody We have a lot of good people in this party Trump stated The president also restated his belief that Canada should be the st U S state adding that it would be highly unlikely that the U S would need to use military force to make them join the states He was less certain with Greenland though Something could happen with Greenland Trump declared I ll be honest we need that for national and international safety I don t see it with Canada I just don t see it I have to be honest with you Secretary of State Marco Rubio AP Photo Evan Vucci File