Eric Trump defends his father's immigration strategy

Executive Vice President of The Trump Organization sounds off on 'Your World'

This is a rush transcript from "Your World," November 12, 2015. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOSH EARNEST, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: This is just one of many places where Mr. Trump has a -- is fundamentally in a place that does not reflect the broad view of a vast majority of Americans in terms of how inhumane what he is emphasizing is.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NEIL CAVUTO, HOST: All right, I think the point of what Josh Earnest was trying to say is, when Donald Trump the other night at the Fox Business presidential debate was talking about moving or deporting a large number of illegals who are here, that it's never been done or that it's callous and indifferent.

And, in fact, he used the example of Dwight Eisenhower and Harry Truman, who moved large sects of the population, but, of course, he came across as a jerk, as clueless, out of step with reality, and yet he remains, that is, Donald Trump, on top of the polls.

Eric Trump, his son, joining me right now.

You had to know, when your dad said that, that there would immediately be that trigger, although a lot of the candidates didn't take him on, save Jeb Bush, who said that it was cruel, and John Kasich said that it was borderline inhumane.

How did you take that and react to that when you heard that?

ERIC TRUMP, EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, TRUMP ORGANIZATION: I don't think there's anything inhumane about it.

I mean, the reality is, we have 102 million Americans that don't have work. And my father is a patriot. And he's an American. And he thinks that the citizens of this country should have a job waiting for them.

And you see all these college students out there right now. And many graduate from the best colleges, and they literally can't find work. Yet there are people who are coming across the border illegally, yet -- despite the fact that there are literally millions of people signed up and trying to get into this country legally. They're coming across illegally. And no one is doing anything about it.

CAVUTO: But he took it to a next level, right, Eric?

And that is what startled some people. Now, he used some good examples of what Eisenhower had done and what Truman had done, albeit at a much lower level. It was about a million when all is said and done. And we're talking 11 million to 12 million at a minimum here.

So, he went beyond just talking about shutting down the border and prevention more from coming, but he really addressed that 11 million, some -- who are already here.

Now, that is what looked cruel to people. That is what looked infeasible to people. That's what looked to the Jeb Bushes, the Kasichs, maybe some of the others, and I guess Josh Earnest and the others in the White House, as cruel.

Your dad, just like you, right now posited it differently. It's cruel all these jobs and expenses that these folks who are already here illegally are taking from Americans.

TRUMP: Sure.

Well, and I think that's exactly right. I mean, listen, as far as anything nice about an immigration topic, I mean, anything in the world, is, we're not the only country facing this. Now, we're facing it in a big way, but we're not the only country facing it.

You see what is happening in Europe. You see what is happening all over the place. But, I mean, we have many of our own citizens who were born in the U.S., who are born here legally who can't find work, who can't gate job, who can't support their families.

That's a real problem, too, and he is a patriot and he's an American and he wants to see the best...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: Well, he knew this was coming, right? If he was going to be asked this, he was going to sound like, oh, my gosh, this is like one of those horrible movies where the security personnel and ICE agents are coming in, forcibly loading people up in trucks, shipping them back.

TRUMP: But isn't that the appeal in a certain way?

Not what you said, not about forcing people...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: I understand.

TRUMP: But isn't that the appeal of him as a candidate?

Meaning, these are tough conversations, and no one else is willing to have them.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: The closest we got, Mitt Romney four years ago, self-deportation, right? If you know you're here illegally, you will just ship yourself out, which was probably not realistic.

TRUMP: He is willing to say it, because it's the best for this country.

And that is what he wants. He doesn't need this job.

CAVUTO: Do you wonder or fear that that hurts him with a sect of voters, Latino voters and the rest? Because that is the prevailing wisdom.

Even though your father polls very well among some in that group, not all of them, in places like Nevada and what have you, in Florida, but not to the degree a Republican nominee should to win it all.

TRUMP: We have thousands, thousands and thousands of Latino workers who work for us at the various hotels and golf courses and things.

And I can't tell you how much support that they have for him, because those people, again, came into this country legally. And they see people coming in illegally, trying compromise their jobs, and that really resonates -- believe me, that resonates. I hear it every single day.

So, I don't know. Listen, I can tell you, we went to New Hampshire the next day following the debate. You did an amazing job, by the way. But, following the debate, we went to New Hampshire, and literally he walked into the room and had a standing ovation by everybody.

CAVUTO: Yes, he came in the top three as far as polls.

And when I talked to him in the so-called spin room right after that, he was very comfortable about his answers, as I said. And he wasn't trying to play it politically.

Do you or your brother and sister ever try to police what he says?

TRUMP: No, not at all, not at all.

And, quite frankly, he is a great man, and he is an amazingly honorable man. He's an amazing family man. And he's a guy who believes in the best for this country. And I watch him at those debates, and I'm incredibly proud of him.

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: You know what I like? He put the word elegant and me together. And I got to tell you, that has never been said.

TRUMP: People don't call you elegant every now and then?

CAVUTO: Never. Never. That was the one and only time.

TRUMP: I mean, I really think he won that debate. He won the Drudge polls. He won...

(CROSSTALK)

CAVUTO: He was strong. He was strong.

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