CHRIS CUOMO (HOST):  These are not things that the party have endorsed in the past. You were against the Paid Parental Leave Act of 2009, which tried to do some of this. Do you support Trump's plan? 

REP. STEVE KING (R-IA): On it's face. There are parts that I want to dig in a little deeper and see how this all fits together, Chris. 

[...]

KING: The proposal of supporting mothers and fathers and families and encouraging more babies, that is good. And anything he might do with this, I would encourage him to promote the expansion of families, because if we don't have more babies than we have funerals, we're going to end up like Europe, and we'll be in a situation where we're importing a culture that may be alien to the values of the American way of life. 

[...]

CUOMO: When you say encourage more families, more babies and all that, would you include the LGBT community in that in terms of families to encourage having kids and expanding them? Obviously Mike Pence as the Indiana governor and running mate may weigh in on that decision. Would you be open to this meaning all families?

KING: I want to respect all people. But I want to promote the natural family, Chris, and I think that's the most wholesome thing that we can do, and --

CUOMO: What's the natural family? What's the natural family, in your opinion?

KING: The natural family is man and a woman joined together hopefully in holy matrimony blessed by God with children

CUOMO: But you do know that even on a scientific level, when we look at social research, they're finding out more and more that babies adopted into LGBT families are doing just as well if not better than what you call a natural family. What does that suggest to you?

KING: I think I'd need to look a little further into some of that research, and you know, we got down the global warming argument and found out there was another side to that equation, too. So, no, I'm not looking at that research. I would want to look at it. And, as I say, I want to respect all human persons. We're all gifts from God, but I want to encourage the natural family. That's the best and most wholesome way to raise a child, and that's been the case throughout thousands of years of human history, and I think we need to go with the things we know work.

CUOMO: Right, but what we know that what works is loving the kid, giving them the attention, giving them the time. There's no reason to believe that you have to have a man and a woman to do that, and if we see anything with the breakdown of the family, the man and the woman thing has its own shortfalls, right? Look at the divorce rate. Look at single parent families. Look at all the destruction of children and family welfare in this country. It doesn't seem like a sure thing. Why not encourage anything that gets a child loved and provided for?

KING: Chris, I just don't think it's true that there is no reason to believe that a child needs a man and a woman to raise them. A child needs a father and a mother to raise them.

CUOMO: No, I didn't say there's no reason to believe it. I'm saying there's plenty of reason to believe it's not the only way it can be done well. That's what I'm saying. 

KING: I say the evidence is very heavy on the other side of this thing. To have a role model as a man in the home. To have a role model as a woman in the home. Especially a model of a father and a mother that are joined together and working together in a team, that is the best way that we can hope that all children are raised. And, so, I'm not discouraging or disparaging anyone, but I'm suggesting we should put our energy into promoting the model that has worked, and that is the natural family, or you could call it the nuclear family. And that's what the research that I see supports, and that's the human experience that we have for hundreds and hundreds of years

CUOMO: I will send you some research. It's an important discussion to have. 

Previously:

Four Reasons Trump’s Parental Leave And Child Care Plan Doesn’t Add Up 

Despite The Most Anti-LGBT Platform Ever, Pundits Tout Trump As A “Champion” Of LGBT Causes

On Fox, Economist Austan Goolsbee Slams Trump's Child Care Proposal