In a Sunday morning interview with NBC News’ Meet the Press, President-elect Donald Trump addressed Americans who didn’t vote for him in this year’s election.
In November, Trump reached the 270 electoral votes needed to win back the White House, a historic comeback for a former president who refused to concede his loss to President Joe Biden four years ago. His win over Vice President Kamala Harris—the first woman of color to top a major party’s ticket—is the second time he has defeated a female opponent in a presidential election, after defeating Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Harris’ ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket was unusual as she became the party’s nominee after Biden, 81, exited the race in late July amid concerns about his advanced age following a disastrous debate performance against Trump the month prior.
But Trump, 78, is now the oldest person elected president. Notably, he improved on his 2020 performance with most demographics to win back several key battlegrounds that he lost to Biden four years ago, including Pennsylvania and Georgia.
On Sunday, Trump appeared on Meet the Press and sat down with host Kristen Welker for his first major interview since winning the election.
When asked by Welker about what he wanted to tell the Americans who didn’t vote for him, the president-elected said, “I’m going to treat you every bit as well as I have treated the greatest MAGA [Make America Great Again] supporters.”
He continued: “These people are so dedicated to making America great again. It’s very simple. And I’m going to treat them just the same as I treat MAGA. We’ll treat everybody good. We want success for our country, we want safety for our country…I want to treat everybody the same. I want to treat them well. But we have to get the criminals out of our country. We have to bring down crime. People have to be able to walk across the street and buy a loaf a bread without being shot. And that’s going to happen. But what I say to them is, I love you, and we’re going to all work together. And we’re going to bring it together. And you know what’s going to bring it together? Success.”
Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s team via email for comment on Sunday morning.
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Trump also told Welker his inaugural address next month would focus on a message of unity.
“It’s going to be a message of unity, and I think success brings unity. And I’ve experienced that. I’ve experienced it in my first term, as I’ve said. We’re going to be talking about unity, and we’re going to be talking about success. Making our country safe. Keeping people that shouldn’t be in our country out, we have to do that. I know it doesn’t sound nice, but we have to do that. Basically, it’s going to be about bringing our country together,” he said.
However, this comes after concerns still remain over Trump’s upcoming presidency with issues such as abortion and immigration at the forefront.
According to a CNN exit poll, a majority of women had voted for Harris with 53 percent compared to 45 percent of women for Trump as the country remains divided on women’s reproductive health.
During his campaign, Trump has said abortion was a state issue and that he would not sign a national abortion ban if it came across his desk. However, since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, concerns remain as conservatives have sought to restrict abortion access in many states.
Online misogyny has surged in the wake of Trump’s victory, with mentions of the phrase “your body, my choice” increasing by 5,150 percent from November 5 to 9. In response to the election results, some women are speaking publicly about their concerns over what will happen to abortions rights and women’s health under Trump’s second administration.
In addition, a number of women have joined the 4B movement, abstaining from romantic and sexual relationships with men and are shaving their heads.
Meanwhile, divided concerns remain as the incoming administration prepares to take office and promises mass deportations for illegal immigrants. In response, California lawmakers are taking proactive steps to defend the state’s values and protect its immigrant community.
In a move aimed at ensuring the state is ready for any potential challenges from the federal government, the California legislature has kicked off a special session to provide additional resources for legal action if needed.
“We need to be prepared, and while we hope to collaborate and avoid litigation, we have a responsibility to California residents and taxpayers to make sure we’re not caught flat-footed,” Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, who represents the San Fernando Valley and chairs the Assembly Budget Committee, previously told Newsweek.
