Trump weighs his priorities in Week 1

President-elect Donald Trump said he plans to sign a “record-setting” number of executive actions when he takes office, and that mass deportations and a trip to Los Angeles to visit wildfire damage will be on the agenda in his first week in office.

Trump talked about his inauguration and early administration plans in a wide-ranging phone interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Saturday, just two days before he is set to become president.

Trump said the theme of his inauguration speech will be “unity and strength, and also the word ‘justice.’

“Because you have to treat people fairly. You can’t just say, ‘Oh, everything is going to be wonderful.’ You know, we went through hell for four years with these people. And so, you know, something has to be done about it. … You can’t make that happen, and we don’t have to.”

On Friday, Trump decided to move his inauguration ceremony indoors to the US capital due to a dangerously cold weather forecast. It will be the first time that the inauguration has been held indoors since 1985.

Here’s more from Trump’s interview with NBC News:

Moving the inauguration indoors

Trump said he feels “good” about the decision not to hold the inauguration ceremony outdoors, with temperatures around 20 degrees and bitter winds in the forecast.

“I think we made the right decision,” he said. “The weather looked really bad in terms of the cold and I think it would have been dangerous for a lot of people, the crowds and everything else. So I think we have made the right decision. We will be very comfortable now.”

Trump announced on social media on Friday that his supporters would be able to watch the inauguration ceremony inside the Capitol One Arena, where he will also hold a rally on Sunday afternoon.

Trump also told NBC News that his parade “is going to be beautiful, actually.”

“It will be an indoor, more or less indoor parade, and it will be beautiful,” he added.

During the phone interview, Trump’s youngest child, Barron, stepped in. Trump praised his son, saying he was instrumental in his online outreach.

“He was very good,” Trump said, adding that his son had introduced him to people he had never heard of before. “It’s the new wave. And he was very helpful.”

Mass deportations

Trump reiterated that mass deportations of undocumented immigrants would be a top priority for him. He did not give an exact date or city where they will start, but he said they would begin soon.

“It’s going to start very early, very quickly,” he said, adding, “I can’t say which cities because things are evolving. And I don’t think we’re going to say which city. You’re going to see it firsthand. “

“We have to get the criminals out of our country. And I think you’ll agree. I don’t know how anyone could disagree.”

Executive actions

Trump said he still hasn’t determined how many executive actions he will sign after taking office, but that he believes it will be a “record-setting” number.

Asked if it would be “more than 100,” Trump replied, “Well, at least in that category.”

“We have a record number of documents that I will sign right after this (inauguration) speech,” he added.

TikTok

A ban on the popular video app is set to take effect Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld a bipartisan law banning TikTok in the United States unless its Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, sells it to a buyer that is not located in China.

President Joe Biden’s administration has signaled it will not enforce the ban and will leave implementation to Trump, who is set to take office the next day.

Trump told NBC News he was considering a 90-day extension.

“I think that would be an option that we’re looking at,” he said. “The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it is appropriate. You know it’s appropriate. We’ll have to look at it carefully. It is a very big situation.”

“If I decide to do it, I will probably announce it on Monday,” he added.

Los Angeles wildfires

Trump said he will likely visit Los Angeles next week to address wildfire damage.

He said his team will look at it from different “points of view,” adding, “We’re going to require the water to be released from the north into the lower parts of California.”

Trump said he will “probably” go out there “at the end of the week.”

“I was actually going to leave yesterday, but I thought it would be better if I went as president. It’s a bit more appropriate, I suppose,” he added.

He said he has yet to speak with California Gov. Gavin Newsom. The two men have sparred since the wildfires began, with Trump blaming the fires on the potential 2028 presidential candidate and Newsom going after Trump for spreading misinformation.

Middle East Peace Agreement

Early Saturday, the Israeli government approved a ceasefire and hostage release agreement. 33 Israeli hostages held in Gaza are to be released in exchange for 1,904 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

When asked by NBC News how confident he was that the hostages would be released, Trump replied, “Well, we’ll see very soon, and it better hold.”

He also said he told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu: “Just keep doing what you have to do. You have to – this has to end. We want it to end, but to keep do what needs to be done.”

Trump said he will meet with Netanyahu “pretty soon” but would not elaborate.

Trump also talked about how his administration will make sure the ceasefire lasts, saying it will be through “good government.”

“Respect. America needs to be respected again, and it needs to be respected quickly. But respect is the primary word I use,” he said. “If they respect us, it will last. If they don’t respect us, all hell will break loose.”