Brody File Exclusive Interview: President Trump Says He Can Impose Border Tax on Mexico If He Wants

In an exclusive interview with The Brody File, President Donald Trump says he has the right to impose a 20 percent tax on imports coming in from Mexico to pay for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

“It’s an option. It’s certainly an option. I can do that, I can do it if I want,” Trump told The Brody File.

He also responds to critics, many in his own party, who say the tax would get passed on to consumers.

”I think that some of it may get passed along, but it also creates jobs,” the president said.

The Brody File conducted the interview Friday morning in the Blue Room at The White House. More newsworthy clips are coming soon. The entire interview can be seen this Sunday at 11 p.m. on Freeform (cable TV, formerly ABC Family Channel) during our special CBN News show. This is just the third interview President Trump has done from The White House and it will be the only interview that will air in its entirety this weekend.

MANDATORY VIDEO AND COURTESY: CBN NEWS/THE BRODY FILE

DAVID BRODY: “This 20 percent border tax, or at least this tax on Mexico, or imports from Mexico into the United States -- how serious are you about something like that?”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Well it’s something that I have the right to do. It’s something I can impose if I want. We are getting along actually very well with the Mexican government; we’ll see what happens."

DAVID BRODY: “Do you believe that is a strong move going forward?”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “It’s an option. It’s certainly an option. I can do that, I can do it if I want. But we’re dealing with the Mexican government. I just had a conversation with the Mexican government, actually with the president of Mexico. He’s a very good man and we’ll see where it all goes. We’ll see what happens.”

DAVID BRODY: “Can you give us a sense of what that conversation was like?”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “A very warm conversation. We’re talking. We’re speaking, and we’re going to see what happens.”

DAVID BRODY: “What about this: If there was some sort of tax on imports, what about the argument that you’ve heard about before that indeed, it will be passed along to consumers? What’s the argument against that?”

PRESIDENT TRUMP: “Well I think that some of it may get passed along, but it also creates jobs so I’m not against something like that. But with respect to Mexico, something else could happen which would be much more positive for both Mexico and the United States.”