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Latest Trump Interview Reflects A Softer Stance: No More ‘Lock Her Up’ And ‘Repeal Obamacare,’ Will Other Issues Follow?

By Hemal Vora
Published on: 01:55 PST, Nov 12, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump appears to have changed his stance on his campaign pledges in the first interview after the elections. Trump said he might not completely repeal Affordable Care Act – Obamacare and that prosecuting Hillary Clinton was not his priority.

Trump, in an interview with Wall Street Journal, said that he might keep the ban on insurers denying coverage for pre-existing conditions. In his election campaigns, he had promised to “immediately repeal and replace” Obamacare on the very first day after taking office.

In the interview, Trump also said that he would consider keeping the provisions that allow young adults to be insured on their parents’ policies until the age of 26. He said, “Either Obamacare will be amended, or repealed and replaced.”

The Obama-Trump meeting is believed to be the reason for Trump’s changed view on Obamacare. Trump said in the interview that Obama had suggested that he should look into it before taking any decision. Trump said the following.

“I told him I will look at his suggestions and, out of respect, I will do that.”

Trump also shot an interview with CBS News’ Lesley Stahl on 60 Minutes. In that interview, he clarified that the transition from Obamacare to a new health plan would be very smooth. He assured that no one would be left without insurance cover for even two days, and the replacement of the Obamacare would be great healthcare for much less money.

It may be not as easy it as it sounds. The two main aspects which he plans to keep are the result of other portions of the Obamacare that he has opposed. Not completely repealing the act may not go down well with Republicans and even his core supporters.

In both the interviews, Trump did a major u-turn on Hillary Clinton. Earlier, Trump had threatened to jail his rival Hillary Clinton. At several of Trump’s speeches, the cry of “Lock Her Up” was a common occurrence. As reported by CBS, in Trump interview with WSJ, he said this.

“It’s not something I’ve given a lot of thought because I want to solve healthcare, jobs, border control, and tax reform.”

During his campaign, he had promised to appoint a special prosecutor and pursue criminal charges against Hillary Clinton. This backtracking is likely to offend his core supporters, who expect Hillary’s prosecution in the near future.

In his interview with 60 Minutes, Trump also spoke about the call he received from Hillary Clinton after she conceded. He believed it was a tough call for her and it was very nice of her to call him. Trump admitted that it would have been very tough for Hillary.

Trump even praised Clinton, he said, “She’s very strong and very smart.” He went on to say that, Mr. Bill Clinton was very gracious to have called and congratulated him on his victory.

Over the past few days, there has been a rise in racist attacks on minorities. On that issue, Trump told WSJ, “I want a country that loves each other, the best way to do this was by creating jobs.”

On his foreign policy, Trump said that he would like to solve the Israel-Palestine conflict for the sake of humanity. He also did not backtrack on his promises on Syria.

During his campaign, Trump had made it clear that U.S. should fight ISIS rather than focusing on Assad. He believes Assad is better than the U.S.-backed rebels.

“Now we’re backing rebels against Syria, and we have no idea who these people are.”

On the interview Trump said, he has received a “beautiful” letter from Vladimir Putin and he was looking forward to speaking with him soon.

The highest expectation that his supporters have from Trump are on the issue of immigration. Trump has already agreed to deport only illegal criminal immigrants as opposed to his earlier promise of deporting all illegal immigrants. His promise for a complete ban on Muslims has come down to “extreme vetting” for people from certain countries.

United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, believes Mr. Trump would move past his words. He said, “Now, post-election, when he creates his transition team with experts and people with vision and expertise, I am sure the United States will continue to play a leading role.”

[Featured Image by John Locher/AP Images]

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