6 noteworthy moments from Trump's "Meet the Press" interview

Biden to blame for 'bad parts' of the economy

Trump denied that his policies are to blame for the sinking parts of the economy, squarely placing it on the shoulders of his predecessor, former President Joe Biden.

• "I think the good parts are the Trump economy and the bad parts are the Biden economy because he's done a terrible job," he said.
• "Meet the Press" moderator Kristen Welker pressed Trump to explain his reasoning when a Commerce Department report last week indicated the economy shrank in the first quarter of 2025 — meaning all but three weeks of the numbers were during his term.
• "I was able to get down the costs. But even that, it takes a while to get them down, but we got them down good. We lost 5 to 6 billion dollars a day with Biden. Five to 6 billion. And I've got that down to a great number right now in a very – in a record time," Trump said.

Read more: Trump: Good economy is mine, bad economy is Biden's

Trump denies he wants a third term

Eyebrows rose late last month when 'Trump 2028' hats started selling on the official Trump store, prompting yet another discussion on whether the president might push for a third term.

• Trump has previously floated the idea, but he told Welker on Sunday that "so many people want me to do it... But this is not something I'm looking to do."
• "I'm looking to have four great years and turn it over to somebody, ideally a great Republican, a great Republican to carry it forward," he said.

Worth noting: Trump did not comment on how the Constitution prohibits a third presidential term, despite Welker pointing it out. Instead, he said he considers it "a great compliment" that his supporters want him to run again.

Read more: Trump spurns third-term talk: "Not something I'm looking to do"

Trump hints some foreign tariffs could be permanent

Despite his administration working on a trade deal with China and other nations to soften the blow of the ongoing trade war, Trump said Sunday that some tariffs may remain.

• The president said he wouldn't completely eliminate some tariffs, "because if somebody thought they were going to come off the table, why would they build in the United States?"
• Trump acknowledged that trade between the U.S. and China has been significantly impacted by the 145% tariff, but reasoned that the U.S. doesn't "have to waste money on a trade deficit with China for things we don't need, for junk that we don't need."

Yes, but: He said that the tariffs with China can't stay at their current rate forever.

• "At some point, I'm going to lower them because otherwise, you could never do business with them. And they want to do business very much," Trump said.

Read more: Trump says tariffs could be permanent, but strikes softer note on China

Trump is unsure if he has to uphold the Constitution

As legal battles ensue nationwide over various Trump administration policies, Welker pressed the president on his immigration agenda — specifically the case of Kilmar Armando Ábrego García.

• Ábrego García was erroneously deported to El Salvador by the U.S. government, and the Supreme Court ruled last month that the government should "facilitate" his return.
• Trump said Sunday that he doesn't believe the administration is defying the court's order, but that if Attorney General Pam Bondi told him to bring Ábrego García back, then he would.

State of play: Welker pressed Trump that several judges and Marco Rubio, his own Secretary of State, have said citizens and noncitizens are entitled to due process, and that the Fifth Amendment backs it up.

• Trump contended that he's "not a lawyer" and "it might say that, but if you're talking about that, then we'd have to have a million or 2 million or 3 million trials. We have thousands of people that are some murderers and some drug dealers and some of the worst people on Earth."

• Welker then asked if he is required to follow the Constitution, given the number of people he's referencing.
• "I don't know," Trump said. "I have to respond by saying, again, I have brilliant lawyers that work for me, and they are going to obviously follow what the Supreme Court said."

Read more: Trump says he isn't defying the Supreme Court over Ábrego García case

Trump mostly dismisses annexing Canada

Despite overtures about making Canada the 51st state, Trump struck a different tone on Sunday.

• " I don't think the American public wants me to pay $200 billion a year to subsidize Canada," he told Welker. "We don't need their cars, we don't need their lumber, we don't need their energy. We don't need anything. We do very little business with Canada. They do all of their business practically with us. They need us. We don't need them."
• Trump added that he thinks it's "highly unlikely" he would use military force to take the U.S.' northern neighbor, though he didn't rule out the same for Greenland.
• "We need Greenland very badly. Greenland is a very small amount of people, which we'll take care of, and we'll cherish them, and all of that. But we need that for international security," he said.

Read more: Trump mostly — but not entirely — rules out military action on Canada

Military parade worth it, despite high price tag

While his administration goes on a cost-cutting spree, Trump said Sunday that a planned military parade across Washington D.C. will be "worth it" despite the estimated $45 million cost to put it on.

• "Peanuts compared to the value of doing it," Trump said Sunday.
• "We have the greatest missiles in the world. We have the greatest submarines in the world. We have the greatest army tanks in the world. We have the greatest weapons in the world. And we're going to celebrate it," he added.

The parade is planned for June 14, which is both Flag Day and the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army. It is also Trump's 79th birthday.

Friction point: While Trump indicated that the parade is still on, celebrations for America's 250th birthday — occurring in 2026 — are facing budget cuts as DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency) has cut into several programs.