In a 1989 interview with Larry King , Trump stated : " The problem with our society is the victim has absolutely no rights and the criminal has unbelievable rights " and that " maybe hate is what we need if we 're gon na get something done . " In 2016 , Trump decried the fact that Ahmad Khan Rahami , a U.S. citizen charged in connection with the bombings in New York and New Jersey , would be provided with medical treatment and the right to counsel , calling this " sad . " At the second presidential debate , which took place in October 2016 , Trump said that if he was " in charge of the law of our country , " rival presidential contender Hillary Clinton would " be in jail . " In the same debate , Trump also pledged that if elected , he would direct his attorney general to appoint a special prosecutor to " look into " Clinton . Clinton campaign manager Robby Mook called the remark " chilling " and said : " Trump thinks that the presidency is like some banana republic dictatorship where you can lock up your political opponents . " The remark was viewed as part of " a litany of statements Trump has made during the campaign that many legal specialists have portrayed as a threat to the rule of law . " The remark was condemned by a number of prominent Republican lawyers , such as Paul K. Charlton , Marc Jimenez , and Peter Zeidenberg , as well as David B. Rivkin and Michael Chertoff . Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway said that the " jail " comment was merely " a quip . " Later that October , Trump spoke fondly of the " Lock her up " chants at his rally , saying " Lock her up is right . " He also said that Clinton 's legal representatives " have to go to jail " . However , in November , after winning the election , Trump told reporters from the '' New York Times '' that he would not recommend prosecution of Clinton , saying that it was " just not something ( he ) feel ( s ) very strongly about " and suggesting that Clinton had " suffered greatly " . He repeated this stance in public at a rally in Michigan the following month , responding to " Lock her up " chants from the crowd by saying : " That plays great before the election - now we do n't care , right ? "
bombings in New York and New Jersey
2016 New York and New Jersey bombings
Social policy of Donald Trump