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Did Donald Trump ‘Con’ Himself Into The White House? Already Doubling Down On Many Promises [Video]

By Tito Ojo-Medubi
Published on: 22:16 PST, Nov 11, 2016

Donald Trump is now playing nice and backtracking on a number of things he said he would do once elected president, NY Daily News is reporting.

In his first post-election television interview on 60 Minutes with Lesley Stahl, President-elect Donald Trump had nice words for the Clintons. The Manhattan billionaire called Bill Clinton “gracious” and in a reference to Hillary’s call said it “couldn’t have been nicer.”

During the polarizing campaign of the Republican candidate, he called his 69-year-old rival, “Crooked Hillary,” “the devil,” and threatened to put her in jail if he was made president of the United States.

In a transcript of the interview which is yet to be aired, Donald Trump takes a different stance from his combustible comments. One of the notable points of the interview was Clinton’s call to Trump, congratulating him and conceding the election.

“So Hillary called, and it was a lovely call, and it was a tough call for her. I mean, I can imagine. She couldn’t have been nicer. She just said, ‘Congratulations, Donald, well done.’ And I said, ‘I want to thank you very much, you were a great competitor,’… she is very strong and very smart.”

According to Time, the Clintons have been friends with the president-elect for years and even attending his wedding to his present wife, Melania, in 2005. At all his campaign rallies, Trump criticized Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server and called her the “worst secretary of state in the history of the United States.” The stance resonated well with pro-Trump supporters who began chanting “lock her up” when it was evident that he was going to win the elections.

In 2007, Trump was torn between supporting his friend, Hillary, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for secretary of state. He had wished both of them the best, adding that Clinton would make a good government servant. In 2008, Trump wondered why Obama did not make Hillary Clinton his running mate.

“Hillary Clinton I think is a terrific woman. I am biased because I have known her for years. I live in New York. She lives in New York. I really like her and her husband both a lot. I think she really works hard…I like her.”

Trump also avoided committing to the campaign promise of jailing Clinton. When asked, he said he had not given it any thought because “I want to solve health care, jobs, border control and tax reform.” He also said he would keep parts of the Obamacare, after saying he would totally repeal the health care plan. The fiery politician has also doubled down on the blanket ban on letting Muslims into the country, resorting to “extreme vetting.”

President Trump’s softened stance is not lost on his supporters with some already expressing strong opinions over promises he made to those who elected him into office. Kathryn Stellmack said she voted for Trump because he said he would bring back jobs, toughen immigration laws and purge the corrupt political system.

“We expect him to move forward on all the items he has promised to move forward on…and if he doesn’t, we will hold his feet to the fire.”

Mark Morris, leader of a militia group, said he fully understood Trump needed time to settle down before delving into the thorny issues that got him elected. However, the leader of Three Percent United said it was crucial Trump deliver quickly on some issues to win over the people.

According to him, those issues included repealing Obamacare, appointing a conservative Supreme Court justice and resolving the disputes of ranchers with the government over grazing fees. Morris cautioned that if Trump did not deliver, he would lose his followership and could forget about coming back for another four years.

Donald Trump has also revealed that he would not sue any of the women who accused him of sexual assault in the buildup to the elections. The “blue collar billionaire” had said he was going to take legal action against the women who said he sexually assaulted them.

On Friday, Trump decided not to pursue the lawsuits after meeting with his attorneys. One of the women, Summer Zervos, said she wanted the president-elect to retract the statement where he called them liars.

“I want to make it clear that even though it is hard and painful to go up against the world’s most powerful man, I will continue to speak truth and I refuse to be intimidated into silence. I would like Mr. Trump to retract his statements about me and others calling us liars and stating that what we said was fiction.”

[Featured Image by Jae C. Hong/AP Images]

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