WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump spoke exclusively to Local 10 News on Wednesday about a major change in immigration policy.
Trump seemed to change course last night, saying he wants more legal immigration. Previously, the administration had sought to end chain migration and immigration from certain countries.
The president elaborated on the policy shift Wednesday.
"Yes. Because we need people in our country because our unemployment numbers are so low, and we have massive numbers of companies coming back into our country," Trump said from the Oval Office. "Car companies, we have seven car companies coming back in right now and there's going to be a lot more. We've done really well with this, and we need people."
Trump also reiterated his support for Venezuela and its new interim president Juan Guaido. The president said key Florida lawmakers -- including Sen. Marco Rubio -- were at the center of his decision.
"I do listen a lot to Sen. Rubio on Venezuela. It's close to his heart," Trump said.
Asked whether the U.S. was preparing for possible military action in Venezuela, Trump said: "I never comment on that. We support the people of Venezuela, and we support the people and the Venezuelans in South Florida very much. They're great people. I know them very well, many of them."
The president also addressed complaints by some Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School parents that he didn't mention the massacre or school violence during his State of the Union address on Tuesday.
Three parents of the victims and a former student who survived the shooting attended the speech as guests of members of Congress.
"First of all, I didn't know they were there, so, I wish they would've told me they were there, though," Trump said. "It's a great group of people. I could've put it in. I would've put it in. I've been very involved in it. It's an incredible tragedy, and these are things that can be stopped."