President-elect Donald Trump sat down for his first postelection interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday, November 13, and he made a series of shocking revelations about the presidency, appointing a Supreme Court justice and whether he’ll accept the $400,000 presidential salary. Watch all the biggest moments in the video above.
Here are eight things we learned from CBS News correspondent Lesley Stahl‘s interview with the soon-to-be 45th POTUS, his wife, Melania, and his children Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric and Tiffany.
1. Trump Admits Enormity of the Presidency, But Is ‘Not Scared’
Early on in the interview, Stahl mentioned the reports that Trump, 70, went “completely silent” on election night (Tuesday, November 8) as the shocking results came in.
“Was it a sort of realization of the enormity of this thing for you?” the journalist asked the real estate mogul, who replied, “It’s enormous. I’ve done a lot of big things, [but] I’ve never done anything like this. It is so big, it’s so enormous, it’s so amazing.… I realized that this is a whole different life for me now.”
Later on, Trump said he’s “not scared” about taking on the role.
2. The Supreme Court Justice He Appoints ‘Will Be Pro-Life’
Trump has the power to shape the Supreme Court’s ideology as he has one vacant seat to fill following Justice Antonin Scalia’s death in February. During his 60 Minutes interview, the POTUS-elect said it’s “very important” to name a justice quickly.
“Look, here’s what’s going to happen. I’m going to — I’m pro-life. The judges will be pro-life,” he explained after Stahl asked if he planned to appoint a justice who wants to overturn the Roe v. Wade abortion decision.
Trump also said that the justice he appoints is “going to be very pro Second Amendment.”
3. Trump Tells People Harassing Minorities to ‘Stop It’
Since the former Celebrity Apprentice host was elected as the next president, countless protests have taken place nationwide in cities such as New York City, Chicago and Los Angeles. Many states have also seen increased incidents of racist vandalism and violence against African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Muslims and other minority groups.
When asked to comment on the hate crimes, Trump said, “I would say, ‘Don’t do it.’ That’s terrible because I’m going to bring this country together.… I am so saddened to hear that. And I say, ‘Stop it.’ If it — if it helps. I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: ‘Stop it.'”
4. Trump Will Take ‘$1 a Year’ Salary as POTUS
Stahl also asked the billionaire if he plans to take the $400,000 annual salary as president. “Well, I’ve never commented on this, but the answer is no,” Trump said. “I think I have to by law take $1, so I’ll take $1 a year.… No, I’m not going to take the salary. I’m not taking it.”
5. Trump Says His Opinion on Marriage Equality Is ‘Irrelevant’
Another group that has largely voiced disapproval for Trump is the LGBTQ community. Stahl asked Trump point-blank if he supports marriage equality, and he said it doesn’t matter because the Supreme Court already ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in June 2015.
“It’s irrelevant because it was already settled. It’s law. It was settled in the Supreme Court,” he explained. “I mean, it’s done. It’s done. You have these cases that have gone to the Supreme Court. They’ve been settled. And I’m fine with that.”
6. Trump Asked His Family Before Running for POTUS
Prior to formally launching his presidential campaign in June 2015, Trump says he sat down with his family to discuss the idea of running for office.
“I actually sat down with Melania and my whole family and we talked about it,” he revealed. “Don, Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany. [Youngest child] Barron to a lesser extent, but Barron too because in a way, he’s affected every bit as much. Maybe more.… And so we all had dinner and I said, ‘I would like to do this. I think I can do a great job.’ And I wanted to get, No. 1, a consensus and No. 2, ideally, their permission. And they all agreed.”
7. Trump Will Be ‘Very Restrained’ on Twitter
Throughout his presidential campaign, the businessman often took to Twitter to share his frustrations with the media, opponent Hillary Clinton and various other topics. He said on 60 Minutes that he plans to continue using his social media platforms as president, but may limit his use.
“It’s a great form of communication,” he explained. “Now, do I say I’ll give it up entirely and throw it out? That’s a tremendous form [of communication].… I’m not saying I love it, but it does get the word out.… I’m going to do very restrained, if I use it at all, I’m going to do very restrained.”
Trump also noted that he believes his massive following on platforms including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram helped him win the presidential election. “I think that social media has more power than the money [my opponents] spent, and I think maybe, to a certain extent, I proved that,” he said.
8. Trump Doubles Down on Hillary Clinton Investigation Comments
In October, Trump pledged to appoint a special prosecutor to examine Clinton’s use of a private email server during her time as secretary of State. The FBI probed the emails and, in July, recommended no charges against the Democratic presidential candidate.
On 60 Minutes, Trump doubled down on his comments, saying he’s “going to think about” appointing a special prosecutor. “I feel that I want to focus on jobs, I want to focus on health care, I want to focus on the border and immigration and doing a really great immigration bill,” he explained, adding, “I don’t want to hurt [the Clintons]. They’re good people. I don’t want to hurt them. And I will give you a very, very good and definitive answer the next time we do 60 Minutes together.”
60 Minutes airs on CBS Sundays at 7 p.m. ET.
