Trump disavows alt-right in New York Times interview

President-elect Donald Trump disavowed the alt-right in an on-the-record interview with the New York Times on Tuesday. He also responded to questions about the possibility of prosecuting Hillary Clinton, his commitment to the First Amendment, his plans for Syria, and infrastructure investment in the United States.

The question about the alt-right comes after Trump’s appointment of Steve Bannon, the former executive chairman of Breitbart News, as his chief White House strategist. Bannon himself has called Breitbart “the platform for the alt-right.”

The alt-right is a white nationalist group that aims to preserve white identity, block multiculturalism and promote so-called “European” values. The group holds bigoted views and is associated with Neo-Nazism.

Trump initially cancelled the meeting with the New York Times in an early morning tweet Tuesday, saying “the terms and conditions of the meeting were changed at the last moment.” But after an exchange of Tweets, messages and statements, Trump and several members of his team attended a meeting with reporters, editors and columnists at the newspaper’s headquarters around 1 p.m. ET.

The attendees at today’s meeting between the President-elect and The New York Times. pic.twitter.com/8kPqRp3AVE

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016

While no audio, video or a transcript of the meeting is available at this time, several staffers at the newspaper live-tweeted the meeting. Here are some highlights:

Trump is pressed if he has definitively ruled out prosecuting Hillary Clinton. “It’s just not something that I feel very strongly about."

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016

Will the President-elect condemn Richard Spencer’s alt-right gathering? “I condemn them. I disavow, and I condemn,” says Trump.

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016

Trump is asked about concerns from minority groups about Breitbart News’s coverage under Steve Bannon. His reply: pic.twitter.com/FBqCGwQpBr

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016

Trump on Steve Bannon in the White House: "First of all, I'm the one who makes the decisions."

— Elisabeth Bumiller (@BumillerNYT) November 22, 2016

On Bannon:"If I thought he was a racist or alt-right or any of the things, the terms we could use, I wouldn't even think about hiring him."

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) November 22, 2016

Tom Friedman asks if Trump will withdraw from climate change accords. Trump: “I’m looking at it very closely. I have an open mind to it."

— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) November 22, 2016

We compiled tweets from the meeting here: