President Trump in an interview with “60 Minutes” clarified that he does not actually want to lock up former President Obama, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden or Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) despite chants from his supporters to do just that.
The president on Thursday posted raw footage of his interview with veteran journalist Lesley Stahl in which he grows increasingly agitated by her questions before abruptly ending the sit-down.
In one exchange, Stahl presses Trump on the “lock her up” chants directed at Whitmer and others that are a feature of his campaign rallies.
“You encourage it,” Stahl said of the chants, referencing how they were at first directed at 2016 Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
“I don’t encourage it. If I mention her name about something, they go crazy,” Trump said.
The president typically stands by while his crowds call for his opponents to be jailed, but in recent days he has signaled clearer support.
He told supporters in Florida last week that he agreed “100 percent” with a “lock her up” chant about Clinton, he told campaign staff Biden “should be in jail” and the president added “lock ’em all up” last weekend when the crowd directed the refrain at Whitmer, the target of an alleged kidnapping plot.
“You don’t want to lock up Gov. Whitmer?” Stahl asked.
“When did I say lock her up? … When did I say lock up the governor?” Trump responded. “I didn’t say lock up the governor. Why would I lock her up?”
“Of course I don’t want to lock her up. Why would I lock her up?” he added shortly after calling her restrictions meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus “disgraceful.”
After Trump spent portions of the interview complaining that journalists are not being tough enough on Biden over unproven corruption allegations involving his son Hunter Biden, Stahl asked if Trump wants to “lock up the Bidens.”
“No, I don’t want to lock them up, but they certainly should be looked at,” Trump said.
Asked about locking up Obama, whom Trump has baselessly accused of treason, the president said, “I don’t want to lock him up, but he spied on my campaign. Obama and Biden spied on my campaign.”
“That’s never been verified,” Stahl interjected.
“It’s been totally verified,” Trump responded.
Democrats, critics and outside experts have frequently raised concerns about Trump’s rhetoric toward his opponents. Whitmer’s office and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) have said they receive an increase in threats whenever Trump targets them at his rallies.
The president has made little effort to discourage his supporters from calling for his political supporters to be jailed, though, and Trump himself added fuel this week when he urged Attorney General William Barr to launch an investigation into Hunter Biden just two weeks before Election Day.