Trump on off-the-record NYT chat: ‘Everything’s negotiable’

Donald Trump says much of his immigration policy is flexible, dismissing reports that an off-the-record interview with The New York Times contradicts his public rhetoric.

“It’s negotiable,” he said Monday evening on Fox News’s “Hannity.” “Things are negotiable. I’ll be honest with you — I’ll make the wall 2 feet shorter, or something. I mean, everything’s negotiable.”

{mosads}On the eve of multiple predicted Super Tuesday victories, the GOP presidential front-runner argued some details of his immigration platform remain set in stone, however.

“Building it?” he asked of his frequently mentioned wall along the Mexico-U.S. border. “No. Not negotiable.”

Reports emerged Monday that the Times possesses an audio recording of a partially off-the-record interview with Trump from last January. Critics have speculated that the tape shows Trump softening his stance on border security and illegal immigration.

Trump derided the Times for its handling of their private discussion.

“Yeah, of course they’re leaking it,” he said. “[It is] the most dishonest media group. And it’s also failing. I call it the failing the New York Times. It’s doing so badly, it’s dying.

“We had a board meeting. It was off the record. All of the sudden, they leak it. It’s all over the place,” he added.

Presidential rival Ted Cruz and 2012 nominee Mitt Romney each called for the release of the audio recording late Monday evening.