Trump: Being Gay Shouldn't Be Reason to Fire Workers

Donald Trump hasn't said much in his presidential campaign so far to encourage progressive voters, but today on Meet the Press he endorsed nondiscrimination protections for gay workers.

When host Chuck Todd asked Trump if private companies should be able to fire workers just because they're gay, the Republican presidential aspirant said, "I don't think it should be a reason." He referred to recent court decisions on the matter, but as there have not been any major rulings lately, it's unclear what he meant. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission did rule in July that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 bans such discrimination.

Todd did not ask specifically about protections for transgender workers, nor about the Equality Act, introduced in Congress last month, which would protect all Americans from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other areas.

Trump also made his usual statements against illegal immigration, saying he would even deport undocumented immigrants who were brought here as children by their parents. Despite his record of misogynist comments, he claimed to value and understand women, but he also said he'd stop federal funding to Planned Parenthood "if they have the abortions going on." Planned Parenthood does perform abortions, but that is roughly 3 percent of the organization's business, and no federal funds can be used for abortion.

He also said he would not favor raising the minimum wage because doing so would make it difficult for U.S. businesses to compete globally, and he condemned the nuclear weapons treaty that President Obama and other world leaders recently negotiated with Iran, saying it would lead to a "nuclear holocaust." The deal is awaiting approval by Congress.

You can watch the full interview below. The discussion of antigay discrimination comes at about the 27:00 mark.