Trump vows to pardon US Capitol rioters on ‘first day’ in office during in Kristen Welker interview

Dec 09 2024
Written by Chantelle Billson

Donald Trump speaking during an interview to NBC's Kristen Welker

Donald Trump gave a wide-ranging interview to NBC’s Kristen Welker. (NBC)

Donald Trump has promised to issue pardons to those jailed for their parts the US Capitol riots in 2021.

Speaking to Kristen Welker, on NBC’s Meet the Press on Sunday (8 December), his first network interview since winning the US presidential election, Trump said: “These people are living in hell.”

Five people died following the riots on 6 January, as Trump supporters tried to prevent a joint session of congress formalising Joe Biden’s election victory in 2020, the usually peaceful transfer of power. The events were condemned by LGBTQ+ activists and politicians.

Speaking of the pardons, Trump said: “We’re going to look at independent cases but I’m going to be acting very quickly.” They would come on his “first day” back in office, he added.

Donald Trump sits opposite Kristen Welker for an exclusive interview. — Donald Trump, who will begin his second presidential term in January, has told NBC his plans to issue a range of executive orders. (NBC/ Meet the Press)

“They’ve been in there for years and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Trump said he wouldn’t seek to impose restrictions on abortion pills, but added that “things change”.

Join me this Sunday on Meet the Press for my exclusive, wide-ranging interview with President-elect Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/JR2HqOl9NO
— Kristen Welker (@kwelkernbc) December 7, 2024

'Where Did I Say That?' Kristen Welker Has To Remind Trump About Threatening To 'Go After' Biden And Prosecute Him https://t.co/2Gk2BLykVu via @mediaite pic.twitter.com/37LdrGgH18
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) December 8, 2024

He also commented on “finding out” if there was a link between autism and childhood jabs, suggesting that his nominee for secretary of health, vaccine-sceptic Robert F Kennedy Jr, would research the claim.

The president-elect also threatened to end birth-right citizenship in the US, which allows anyone born in the country to have an American passport, before saying he would deport undocumented immigrants, including those whose family members were citizens.

“I don’t want to be breaking up families, so the only way you don’t break up the family is you keep them together and you have to send them all back,” he told Welker.

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