Donald Trump Says He Has 'Evolved' on Gay Marriage, But Still Says 'I am for Marriage Between a Man and a Woman'
Television personality and real estate mogul Donald Trump said in a recent interview that his views on gay marriage are evolving as society's opinion on the issue continues to change, but the business magnate was quick to note that he continues to support the traditional definition of marriage.
"I think really what you have is a very changing stance, and you see it changing very rapidly. If you go back 10 years ago it's very different [...] I think I'm evolving, and I think I'm a very fair person, but I have been for traditional marriage. I am for traditional marriage, I am for a marriage between a man and a woman," Trump told MSNBC's Thomas Roberts this past weekend while the two were in Moscow, Russia for the Miss Universe pageant. Trump and NBC co-own the Miss Universe pageant, and Roberts served as a host for the competition alongside R&B artist Mel B.
Roberts also asked Trump what he thought of the controversy over having the Miss Universe pageant in Russia after the country recently passed a ban on spreading "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors." The country has also received criticism from athletes planning on participating in the Winter Olympic Games this upcoming February over the ban, passed in June.
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"Perhaps we should have known and we didn't, and after we signed it became quite clear," Trump told Roberts of the criticism he and NBC received when they decided to host the Miss Universe event in Russia. "We have a lot of gay people who work at Miss Universe, and we said, 'What do you think?' And they said, 'We want to go. We want to show our stuff.'"
Trump has previously said that he prefers not to discuss gay marriage. He told controversial radio talk show host Howard Stern on his Sirius XM show, "The Howard Stern Show" in February that he's against gay marriage, and also that the topic has "never been an argument that's been discussed with me very much. People know that it's not my thing one way or the other."
The host of the NBC reality show "The Apprentice" has previously expressed his conservative values, especially in the areas of business and government. Trump previously delivered the Convocation address at Liberty University, a Christian university in Virginia, back in September 2012. At the event, Trump advised the students on the importance of hard work and determination.
The real estate mogul has also been outspoken about U.S. politics, often promoting the importance of capitalism and free enterprise. Trump endorsed Republican candidate Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential election and even at one point in 2011 reportedly considered running for president himself.
