Iowa Rep. Steve King said allowing undocumented immigrants to stay, even if they contribute to society and have been law-abiding, would be "tantamount to amnesty." | AP Photo Rep. Steve King warns of 'mistake' if Trump changes on immigration

Iowa Rep. Steve King on Wednesday sought to downplay Donald Trump's recent "softening" on immigration, emphasizing that he did not interpret the Republican nominee's latest comments to be a significant change in his stance toward the millions of undocumented people in the country.

King, introduced on CNN by John Berman as a supporter of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz during the primaries, remarked that Trump's comment to Sean Hannity that he would consider "softening" his stance should be taken "with the balance" of his other comments. Trump remarked Tuesday night that "we're going to follow the laws of this country," while adding, "what people don't realize, what people don't realize, we have very, very strong laws.”


"When you balance that together, I think what it says is that if people are anticipating that there would be a deportation corps that would be deployed across this country, that softening means that's less likely," King acknowledged. "And he said, too, we have the police force out there. They know who people are. And let's work with local law enforcement. And they didn't say it in this interview. But in these sanctuary cities and enforcing the law, that will keep us busy for a long time."

When pressed on the context of Trump's remarks, in which the Manhattan businessman responded to a question about those here illegally who contribute to society, King suggested that Trump might have more to say about the legal status of such individuals.

"His answer then was there could be some softening, which I didn't quite hear as he'd be willing to change the law," said King, who said he would "push back on that," noting his position on the House Immigration Subcommittee and House Judiciary Committee. "And I think Donald Trump understands this. If asked further on this, I think he would come back to this point: we have to restore the respect for the rule of law in America. And part of that is to enforce the laws that we have. If we fail to do that, then the result of that will be, reward people for breaking the law which means that it would erode the very position that's taken him to the nomination."

King was then pressed on whether allowing people to stay, even if they contribute to society and have been law abiding, would be "tantamount to amnesty."

"I would say yes. And the reason is they're not law abiding in the first place. By crossing the border illegally, they're by definition criminals. And he has said he wants to remove the criminals in this country," King explained.

Berman went on to ask,"I'm just curious what you would have said had Donald Trump used this language when you were working so hard to get Ted Cruz elected or nominated for president?"

"Well, that's a good question. And the tone of this campaign of course shifts along the way. And I know that of course Ted Cruz took a strong position. And also Donald Trump took a strong position. Both of them have pretty much etched in stone that they would be for restoring the respect for the rule of law and enforcing the laws as they are and bringing some new ones along the way," King responded.

But if Trump moved off his position, King made clear that it "would be a mistake."

"To soften the tone a little bit, I think that's fine. I think it's — to the degree some of his critics have overstated the positions that he's taken. I would expect that softening this tone is something that may be part of this new campaign that — and Kellyanne Conway, his new campaign manager is terrific, brilliant," King said. "And it's an excellent choice to have her there as campaign manager. And some of this might be some of the tonal difference she's recommending to Donald Trump. I wouldn't disagree with Kellyanne at any time. I’ve found her to be a great asset to my campaign, too."