President-elect Donald Trump announced his intent to issue pardons for his supporters involved in the Jan. 6 Capitol Riot.
In his first interview since the election, 78-year-old Trump told NBC News’ Meet the Press that he would issue pardons to those individuals as early as his first day in office.
“We’re looking at it right now—most likely, yeah,” Trump told moderator Kristen Welker at the 49:43 mark in the video linked above.
“I’m going to be acting very quickly. First day,” Trump added, per NBC News. “They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.”
According to the news network, at least 1,572 individuals have been charged, with more than 1,251 either convicted or pleading guilty in the 2021 attack on the Capitol. Among these, 645 defendants have received sentences ranging from a few days to 22 years, and approximately 250 remain in custody, mostly serving sentences, while a few await trial at the order of a federal judge.
While Trump suggested he might make some exceptions for individuals he deemed “radical” or “crazy,” he claimed that many of those convicted “had no choice” but to enter guilty pleas—including those who admitted to assaulting police officers.
“I know the system. The system’s a very corrupt system,” he said. “They say to a guy, ‘You’re going to go to jail for two years or for 30 years.’ And these guys are looking, their whole lives have been destroyed. For two years, they’ve been destroyed. But the system is a very nasty system.”
Trump also referred to members of the Jan. 6 House committee as “political thugs” who “should go to jail.” However, he denied that he would direct the Justice Department and FBI to punish those individuals.
“No, not at all. I think that they’ll have to look at that, but I’m not going to — I’m going to focus on drill, baby, drill,” Trump said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Trump said his plans for his first day in office would also include mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, while also seeking a legislative solution to protect “Dreamers,” otherwise known as people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children but lived in the country for years.
Other plans include the elimination of birthright citizenship, extended tax cuts from his first term, and imposing tariffs on imports from major trading partners. He also promised no changes to Social Security or Medicare, ruled out restrictions on abortion pills, and expressed an openness to raising the federal minimum wage.
Watch President-elect Donald Trump’s complete Meet the Press interview up top.
