(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump, in his first on-air interview since his 2024 landslide, did not hold back on FBI Director Christopher Wray, potential Jan. 6 pardons and his vision for retribution.
Speaking with Kristen Welker on NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump reaffirmed his intent to fire Wray: “I can’t say I’m thrilled with him. He invaded my home. I’m suing the country over it. He invaded Mar-a-Lago.”
He added, “I’m very unhappy with the things he’s done and crime is at an all-time high. Migrants are pouring into the country that are from prisons and from mental institutions as we’ve discussed.”
Trump criticized Wray for falsely claiming Thomas Matthews Crooks never shot him and was merely hit by shrapnel.
Asked if he’d fire Wray to make room for Kash Patel, Trump replied, “Well, I mean, it would sort of seem pretty obvious that if Kash gets in, he’s going to be taking somebody’s place.”
NBC: Will you fire Christopher Wray?
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "It would sort of seem pretty obvious that if @Kash_Patel gets in, he's going to be taking somebody's place, right? That somebody is the man you're talking about." pic.twitter.com/dYQwfx5l5O
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
Welker asked if Trump would follow through on his pledge to investigate President Joe Biden’s alleged misconduct.
“I’m really looking to make our country successful. I’m not looking to go back into the past. I’m looking to make our country successful. Retribution will be through success,” Trump said. “If we can this country successful, that would be my greatest—that would be my greatest achievement.”
Trump’s remarks once again shut down Democratic and media’s claims that, like Biden, he’d weaponize the justice system against opponents.
PRESIDENT TRUMP: "Retribution will be through success."
🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/EsrnpgNk5s
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
On pardoning Jan. 6 protesters, Trump stated his transition team is “looking at it,” adding pardons are “most likely.”
“Those people have suffered long and hard,” Trump affirmed. “There may be some exceptions to it. I have to look. But uh you know, if somebody was radical crazy, there might be some people from Antifa there.”
He continued, “These people have suffered. Their lives have been destroyed. And yet in Portland where they burned down half the city … they don’t do anything. They attack the courthouse, federal courthouse.” Trump likened the leftist riots in Portland to “World War II,” calling out the chaos.
President Trump says he will be "acting very quickly" on pardons for some J6 defendants: "We're going to look at individual cases … They've been in there for years!" pic.twitter.com/XeLbemtYXO
— Trump War Room (@TrumpWarRoom) December 8, 2024
Trump’s remarks come just over a month before his swearing-in as the 47th president.
Watch Trump’s full interview with NBC News below.
