Katrina Pierson reiterated that Donald Trump "does not want to allow people to stay in this country illegally." | POLITICO Screen grab Trump spokeswoman on immigration: He’s using 'different words,' not 'different message'

Donald Trump has merely "changed the words that he is saying" about immigration, not his position, the Republican nominee's national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said Thursday.

"That would be a change," interjected former Ted Cruz aide Amanda Carpenter during a CNN discussion about Trump's recent suggestion that he would be open to "softening" some of his hard-line immigration proposals, including law-abiding people who have been in the country for years.


Pierson reiterated that Trump "does not want to allow people to stay in this country illegally" and "he does want to build the wall but he wants to work with Congress to get things done," she added, as Carpenter cracked, "It just got 10 feet shorter, though."

Host Erica Hill then asked Pierson about the shift from Trump, who had previously advocated for a "deportation force" that would "humanely" handle undocumented immigrants.

"Katrina, there is a definite different message that we're hearing now," Hill remarked.

Pierson protested, "There's not a different message. He's using different words to give that message." Carpenter barely stifled her laughter.

"Because everyone on the news is saying that he's a bigot and that he's a racist because of the words he uses," Pierson continued. "Now he is simply saying yes, we're going to follow the law, we are going enforce the law, which ICE is, immigration and customs, they do remove people from the country who are here illegally. He wants to start with the criminals. I could point to several speeches he's given saying the exact same thing."