In his first major television interview following the Republican Party’s defeat in the midterm elections, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration’s mass deportation campaign had contributed to voters choosing the opposing party. He conceded that his immigration policies were “too tough” for voters.
Republicans lost more than 40 seats in the House and at least seven in the Senate, with several races still uncalled. Democrats now hold 254 House seats, with seven more candidates leading, compared with 162 seats won by Republicans, who are leading in 12 additional races. In the Senate, Democrats won 54 seats and are leading in two more, while Republicans secured 44 seats.
Speaking to CBS News’ “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired Sunday, Trump said his immigration crackdown had both helped and hurt Republicans at the ballot box.
“I think it might be too tough, yeah,” Trump conceded, acknowledging that the approach had hurt him politically. Meanwhile, he defended his administration’s record on border security, arguing that he deserved an “A+” for closing the border and had received strong public support for removing “criminals” and other offenders.
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Trump acknowledged the downside of the campaign, saying it had also affected undocumented immigrants with established jobs and livelihoods.
“For getting people out, I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out. I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally,” Trump said.
Trump also expressed a willingness to negotiate an agreement on immigration policies with Democrats, who are now set to take control of Congress.
“The deal would be we would work something out. I think that’s something that’s actually doable,” he said, suggesting that an agreement could allow certain undocumented immigrants to remain in the country while deportations of “criminals and drug dealers” continue.
Trump’s decision to appoint Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff also drew criticism, as Miller is considered a key architect of the administration’s hardline immigration agenda. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) criticized the appointment, saying, “Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far. Apparently, his solution was to put the man responsible for it in charge of the White House. That’s not a course correction. That’s a promotion.”
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The death rate among people held in ICE custody has more than doubled compared with Trump’s first term. At least 57 people have died in ICE detention since Trump began his second term. In June, the administration rescinded a federal policy that required ICE to report and investigate deaths occurring within 30 days of a detainee’s release. The 2021 policy had provided oversight and increased transparency.
In September, human rights advocates urged a United Nations panel to intervene and stop U.S. authorities from withholding information about the whereabouts of thousands of detained immigrants from their families and lawyers.
Democratic leaders have indicated on multiple occasions that investigating Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will be among their priorities when they take control of Congress.
In the interview, Trump also defended his decision to go to war with Iran.
“I think historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not? But … I have to go with what’s right for our country. If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what’s happened.”