US President Donald Trump said in an interview with ‘The New York Times’ published this Thursday that he does not “need” international law and that only his “own morality” limits his power as the nation’s leader.
“Yes, there is one thing. My own morality. My own mind. It’s the only thing that can stop me (…). I don’t need international law. I don’t seek to harm people,” the president told Times journalists, asked if there were “checks” on his power.
Trump also responds with nuances to whether he believes his government should comply with international law on the global stage: “Yes, I do. But it depends on what your definition of international law is.”
The interview, which took place Wednesday night in the Oval Office and lasted about two hours, addresses numerous topics and has been broken down into topics for publication by that medium.
Among other things, the president does not specify whether he gives more priority to taking over Greenland or preserving NATO, but he considers it a “choice” and suggests that the alliance has no strength without the US.
“Property is very important”
In that sense, he defends that “property is very important”, in reference to the Danish territory, and argues that owning it is what he believes is “psychologically necessary for success.”
“I think property gives you something you can’t live without, you’re talking about a lease or a treaty. Property gives you things and elements that you can’t get just by signing a document,” he added.
He also addresses the issue of immigration, reaffirming his intentions to withdraw citizenship from certain naturalized immigrants, and specifically from Somalis: “I think many people who come from Somalia hate our country.”
On the other hand, he declared his displeasure with an immigration raid on a Hyundai manufacturing plant in September but avoided expressing disagreement with Stephen Miller, the White House chief of staff and responsible for domestic policy.
Regarding the raid, he said, immigrants with technical qualifications were arrested “who would have trained our people how to make batteries, and at some point they would have returned, because they want to return to their country,” he said.
