Transcript: Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan,” Jan. 12, 2025

MARGARET BRENNAN: We go now to Naples, Florida and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who has a new documentary airing on PBS, “Coming to America.” It examines how nine remarkable American immigrants have shaped our country’s history. Welcome to “Face the Nation.”

FORMER SPEAKER NEWT GINGRICH: Good to be with you.

MARGARET BRENNAN: In this documentary, you tell the stories of these individuals who immigrated to the US, and they were very successful, people like Albert Einstein. You know, when you look at Einstein and you look at Henry Kissinger, they were refugees to this country. Donald Trump set refugee admissions at very low levels first term. He’s talking about blocking refugee admissions this term. Is that a mistake?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: Well, I think, I think we’re going through a period of, frankly, reacting to an extraordinarily disastrous immigration policy. So you’re going to have some twists and turns. In the long run, we do want to have an ability to allow legitimate refugees to come here. We also, and part of the reason Calista and I made this documentary for PBS, is- we really believe strongly that legal immigrants are a major contribution to America’s success and to its exceptional nature. And we want to make sure that, you know, as many Americans favor legal immigration as opposed to illegal immigration–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Right.

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: It’s very important to distinguish the two, and we want to strongly communicate that legal immigration in a variety of forms, refugees is one, and another is various work permits. But we want people to be able to come to America if they do so legally.

MARGARET BRENNAN: You said immigrants inhabit the very soul of what it is to be an American. When you say legitimate refugees, what do you mean?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: Well, I think people can- can stand up and say, I’ve now decided I’m a refugee. I feel threatened. The question is, is that true or not? Are they really threatened–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Claim asylum, you mean?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: –or is that just their way of getting into the United States? To claim asylum, I think there’s a big- there’s a big difference between somebody who genuinely faces a potential loss of life or freedom and somebody who simply wants to come to America and decides to claim that status

MARGARET BRENNAN: Economic migrants, there. Let me ask you, someone else you feature in here, Zalmay Khalilzad. Very prominent Afghan American who brokered Trump’s deal with the Taliban to exit Afghanistan. As you know, with that chaotic exit, there were tens of thousands of Afghans scattered, some of them still separated from their families. Many of them worked for the U.S. government. Should Mr. Trump extend the legal process of this program and bring those Afghans here, and would you ask Congress to raise the current cap they have on the number of them coming?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: You know, I think the Afghan refugees who actively fought on the side of Americans, saved American lives, tried to help win against the Taliban- I think they deserve an unusual level of support and treatment. And I worked all during the period of President Biden’s insanely disastrous withdrawal. I tried to work with various people and did podcasts with people who were trying to get folks out of Afghanistan who should legitimately have been helped by the U.S. government. So, when somebody is totally your ally- and this happened with the Vietnamese and the Vietnamese War, when somebody is totally your ally and they risk their lives side by side with you, you shouldn’t abandon them. That’s a pretty straightforward rule.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Well, one of the things that Biden administration blamed the Trump administration for was the difficulty in making those fast arrangements to bring those Afghans here, and that’s a story for another day, but the person they put their finger on as making it more difficult is Stephen Miller, who is now the top policy adviser to Mr. Trump. He did add new requirements to visas, other things that made it harder to legally come here. Have you spoken to him about some of your concerns?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: No, I know Stephen very well. Look, Stephen was responding to a disastrous level of immigration that’s not sustainable. And I think that’s- I think virtually every American agrees you can’t have an open border. You can’t have Venezuelan gangs, for example, or El Salvadorian gangs. I mean, there are a lot of good reasons, and you’re going to get some overreaction, but it’s an overreaction, frankly, caused by people like President Biden, who were totally irresponsible in allowing people into this country by the millions in a way that was totally illegal. It was outside the law.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay- Pardon me, I don’t know if our viewers heard that there was an alarm that went off here, so it interrupted some of- of what you said there. Donald Trump has chosen your wife, Callista, who helped make this documentary with you, to be the next ambassador to Switzerland. Are you advising the President-elect in any capacity right now?

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: Well, I chat with him, and I certainly chat with members of the team. I’ve had a long experience as a Republican activist–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Okay–

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: –On some things, like getting through the tax cut bill–

MARGARET BRENNAN: –Alright, Speaker–

FORMER SPEAKER GINGRICH: –I work with everybody in the House, Senate and the White House.

MARGARET BRENNAN: Thank you, former Speaker, I should say. Thank you for your time. We’ll be right back.