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Trump tells supporters making racist attacks to 'stop it' in '60 Minutes' interview

By Stephen Feller

NEW YORK, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- President-elect Donald Trump told his supporters in an interview to stop committing racist acts of vandalism and harassment and said people who fear his presidency should not because "we are going to bring our country back."

While he softened his stances on some of the more controversial proposals from his campaign for president, Trump made clear in an interview with 60 Minutes that he will pursue some portion of his most talked about topics on the campaign trail: building a wall along the border with Mexico, reworking or repealing the Affordable Care Act and deporting between 2 and 3 million undocumented immigrants.

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On the border wall, though, Trump wavered, suggesting a portion of the barrier would be fencing, while other parts would be concrete. He said the plan would be worked out in the future.

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Speaker of the House Paul Ryan said a deportation force would not be commissioned on behalf of Trump last week, but the president-elect said there are 2 to 3 million people who need to be kicked out of the country or incarcerated.

On the Affordable Care Act, Trump also said there were parts he was considering keeping, such as making sure people with pre-existing conditions can get coverage and children can stay on their parents' plans until age 26. Regardless of whether his fixes for health insurance include tweaking Obamacare or repealing and replacing it entirely, Trump said there would not be a gap in coverage.

"We're going to do it simultaneously," he said. "There won't be a two day or two year delay ... It will be much better for much less money."

Trump said if he has an opportunity to nominate justices to the Supreme Court, they "will be pro-life" and be pro-Second Amendment. Although he referred to same-sex marriage as "settled law," the president-elect said if abortion cases made their way to the Supreme Court, he would hope abortion would "go back to the states... but it's got a long way to go."

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Trump said he and his team could feel they were winning in the waning weeks and days of the campaign, and said the media created a narrative that he couldn't win because of his demeanor -- which he believes is the entire reason he won the race.

Trump said the things he and President Barack Obama have said about each other in the past year, and last decade, did not come up in their conversation Thursday. He said they focused on what he needs to know to take over as president.

"They were tough. I was tough. Do I regret [anything I said]? I can't regret. I wish it were softer or nicer, or that it was more on policy. But [this election] really is something I am proud of," Trump said.

Trump said he would continue to use Twitter as much as he feels it's necessary because he thinks it's useful, offering him a way of responding to and going around the media.

"It's a modern form of communication. There's nothing to be ashamed of. It's where it's at."

Saying he had heard of one or two instances of violence, harassment or vandalism against minorities or protesters, Trump said he was surprised to hear that so many acts were being reported, calling it "terrible."

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"I am so saddened to hear that and I say stop it," Trump added. "If it helps, I'll say this, and I'll say it right to the camera: Stop it."

The president-elect said he was unsure whether all the protesters in more than a dozen cities across the United States protesting the race were "professionals," as he accused them of being last week. He said, however, that people's fears were unfounded, suggesting protesters were getting extra credence from the media because they supported Hillary Clinton.

"I would tell them don't be afraid. I've been saying it. I'm saying it. Don't be afraid. We are going to bring our country back. Don't be afraid," Trump said.

The protesters are protesting, Trump later added, because "they don't know me."

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