Trump tries a softer tone – and a harder one, too

ANOTHER VIEW

Donald Trump tried to sound a conciliatory tone during his first broadcast interview since winning the Nov. 5 election. On NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday, the president-elect pledged to treat those who didn't vote for him "every bit as well" as "the greatest MAGA supporters" and announced that "unity" will be the theme of his second inaugural address, a contrast to the "American carnage" of 2017.

The former and future president has mouthed such assurances before. On Sunday, though, he backed them with a dash of substance. Mr. Trump declared that he doesn't plan on ousting Federal Reserve Chair Jerome H. Powell before the central bank chief's term ends in May 2026, averting an early confrontation over the keystone principle of Fed independence, and a possible constitutional clash over the president's power to fire the Fed chair. He said also that he wants "dreamers," undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children, to be able to remain in the country, saying he would work with Democrats to settle their status.

Additionally, Mr. Trump said that he would not restrict the national availability of abortion medication, and that the United States will "absolutely" remain in NATO, as long as other member states spend what they have pledged on defense. It is easy for him to make the latter commitment, because Congress recently barred the president from removing the United States from the transatlantic alliance without lawmakers' approval; yet, from Mr. Trump, anything resembling rhetorical support for NATO is notable.

As for Mr. Trump's many hard-line positions, he implied on Sunday that some of them might be opening moves in longer negotiations. Even as he pledged to raise tariffs and admitted that such a move could push up prices, he said he would not "use them like a madman" and noted Americans' discontent over grocery costs.

His threat to slap 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico could certainly qualify as a "madman" move, considering the harm it would do to raise prices on goods from trading partners so deeply integrated with the U.S. economy. The question is whether Mr. Trump and his staff see it that way - and whether he hopes to extract concessions from foreign governments without resorting to tariffs.

And on the prospect of exacting revenge against his political opponents, Mr. Trump insisted that "retribution will be through success," disclaiming interest in Justice Department action against President Joe Biden or in investigating the 2020 election, which he falsely claims was stolen from him.

Yet Mr. Trump could not sustain his softer tone for the whole interview. He acknowledged that he would have to fire Christopher A. Wray if the FBI director, whom he nominated for the job in 2017, did not voluntarily quit, a move that would defeat the purpose of the single 10-year term Congress long ago enacted for the head of the bureau. He suggested also that members of the special House committee that probed the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack, including former GOP congresswoman Liz Cheney, "should go to jail" for supposedly lying and deleting evidence uncovered during the investigation. (There is no evidence that anyone on the select committee broke the law.)

Mr. Trump repeatedly said he would not order Justice Department leaders or the FBI to investigate his critics, yet he added that his pick to replace Mr. Wray, Kash Patel, "probably has an obligation" to look into those "dishonest or crooked" politicians who came after him.

In any case, Mr. Patel, who has already drawn up a list of "deep state" members, likely would not need explicit direction from Mr. Trump to investigate the president-elect's opponents.

Going further than he has previously, Mr. Trump said he will "most likely" pardon, as early as his first day back in office, people convicted in connection with crimes on Jan.

6, 2021, including the 169 who pleaded guilty to assaulting police officers. While Mr. Trump promises to review cases individually, he has scarce time to do so between now and Inauguration Day. Mass pardons for political supporters convicted of violent crimes against law enforcement would immediately stain his second term - and risk encouraging future political violence.

Where does all this leave Americans worried about what a second Trump term will bring - and, indeed, Washington Democrats now considering how to respond to him? The opposition party should take all opportunities to work with the president-elect when it can - and oppose him on the big issues he gets wrong, of which there will undoubtedly be many. Democrats should take him up on this offer to negotiate a legislative solution for the dreamers, for example, even as they resist any effort to politicize law enforcement. In short, as Mr. Trump approaches his second term, prepare for the worst - but do not assume it at every turn.

- The Washington Post