Does president need to uphold Constitution? Trump says 'I don't know'

[struggle4progress]

May 4, 202510:58 AM ET
Luke Garrett

President Trump — when asked if he thinks he needs to uphold the Constitution on "Meet the Press with Kristen Welker" — said, "I don't know" ...

https://www.npr.org/2025/05/04/g-s1-64239/does-a-president-need-to-uphold-the-constitution-trump-says-i-dont-know

[bottomofthehill]

1. Really, because the oath he takes says he will protect and defend it

It never ceases to amaze me how unqualified he is to serve.

[Bread and Circuses]

2. Perhaps we should all say : I don't know if I need to pay federal taxes....

[vapor2]

4. Needed a laugh

[vapor2]

3. 25th Amendment NOW

[electric_blue68]

5. The Presidential Oath, you effin' Oaf!

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

[elleng]

6. TRULY A FOOL!!!!

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. The Constitution requires due process and the SCOTUS has unanimously ruled that due process is required

trump is listening to idiots if he thinks that he can ignore due process. trump swore and oath to defend the Constitution and so far the courts are consistent in ruling that the Constitution requires due process

BREAKING: Trump says on Meet The Press that he doesn't know if everyone deserves due process.

When asked if he has to uphold the Constitution, he says "I don't know, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me."

This should be an IMPEACHABLE defense. Who agrees?

— Krassensteins (@krassenstein.bsky.social) 2025-05-04T14:04:55.229Z

Link to tweet

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/trump-asked-uphold-constitution-says-dont-know-rcna204580

The Constitution’s Fifth Amendment says “no person” shall be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”; it does not say that person must be a U.S. citizen, and the Supreme Court has long recognized that noncitizens have certain basic rights. Trump has also said that while “we always have to obey the laws,” he would like to see some “homegrown criminals” sent to El Salvador as well, a proposal that was widely panned by legal experts.

When Welker tried to point out what the Fifth Amendment said, Trump suggested that such a process would slow him down too much.

“I don’t know. It seems — it might say that, but if you’re talking about that, then we’d have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials,” he said. “We have thousands of people that are — some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth.”

“I was elected to get them the hell out of here, and the courts are holding me from doing it,” he added.

“But even given those numbers that you’re talking about, don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Welker asked.

“I don’t know,” Trump replied. “I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said.”

The Supreme Court has already made it clear to the Trump administration in three different recent decisions that it has to allow basic due process rights for immigrants based on the long-standing understanding of the laws.

That would not require full trials, as Trump suggested. What it would require is the chance to appear before an immigration judge. Such judges are not part of the judicial branch; they are employees of the Justice Department. Administration officials have spoken out against such constraints, leading to allegations that they have defied instructions from lower court judges and even the Supreme Court.

[Kid Berwyn]

8. Spoken like a true traitor.

I wonder who else has noticed.

[RobinA]

9. He's Acting Like

the CEO his followers believed they were electing. If you've ever worked in a corporate law dept. for corporate law firm you can see he's acting exactly like every other CEO at a deposition. Those guys don't know anything (they say) every answer is "I don't know." You wonder how they manage to get themselves out of bed in the morning, they are so clueless (they claim). You also wonder how they aren't embarrassed to not know what they claim to not know. I always thought it was pretty pathetic. I mean, I would figure that your average big corporate CEO is at least average intelligence, but come a deposition about something their company did and its special education time.

He also hammers home the fact that he clearly doesn't know what due process is. I'm not sure why they can't give him a fourth grade level definition that he can parrot and apply so he doesn't look like quite the idiot.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

10. Maddow Blog-'I don't know': Trump stumped on whether he must uphold the U.S. Constitution

It was a simple question: “Don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Trump's misguided answer spoke volumes.

In three recent interviews, Trump has been asked for his response to concerns about his authoritarian-style agenda.

In each instance, he went out of his way to avoid the point of the question. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...

— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-05T12:15:29.130Z

In three recent interviews, Trump has been asked for his response to concerns about his authoritarian-style agenda.

In each instance, he went out of his way to avoid the point of the question

Link to tweet

https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/-dont-know-trump-stumped-whether-must-uphold-us-constitution-rcna204782

It was a timely reminder that the Republican has no meaningful background in political science or American civics. If he were more familiar with the subject matter, Trump would be far more familiar with the underlying concept. As University of Pennsylvania law professor Kate Shaw recently explained in a New York Times op-ed, “The basic proposition of the rule of law is that we are a society of laws, not of men. Government actors must wield their power consistent with rules that are known in advance, so people understand what’s expected of them and what consequences will attach to particular actions.”All of this, of course, came to mind watching the president reflect anew on his constitutional responsibilities. NBC News reported:

President Donald Trump argued in an interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that fulfilling his ambitious campaign promise to rapidly carry out mass deportations may take precedence over giving immigrants the right to due process under the Constitution, as required by courts.

A month earlier, Secretary of State Marco Rubio also appeared on “Meet the Press” and was asked whether every person in the United States is entitled to due process. “Yes, of course,” he replied.When host Kristen Welker pressed Trump on whether he agreed with his own secretary of state for the “Meet the Press” episode that aired this past Sunday, the president replied, “I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”

Welker noted, “Well, the Fifth Amendment says as much.” Again, Trump replied, “I don’t know.”

When the back and forth continued, and the host asked, “Don’t you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?” Trump responded, “I don’t know. I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said. What you said is not what I heard the Supreme Court said. They have a different interpretation.”
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:aunpu65mdrhwfie7ynymlzeh/post/3loe6w6nu5s2k

Link to tweet

.....This question has come up quite a bit lately, with reporters from ABC News and The Atlantic similarly asking about Trump and authoritarianism. In each instance, instead of responding with incredulity about the underlying concern — or better yet, with categorical rejections of tyranny — the Republican has responded by pointing to his election victory.

With each passing day, Trump’s authoritarian ambitions become less subtle.