Trump says his deportation policy 'might have been too tough' for voters
in the election
[November 09, 2026]
By MIKE CATALINI and DARLENE SUPERVILLE
President Donald Trump in his first major interview since his party lost
control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections said he thinks
his administration was too aggressive on deportations and that he thinks
he can work with Democrats in the new Congress on some kind of
immigration deal.
Trump said his deportation policy was part of the reason Republicans
lost, telling CBS’s “60 Minutes” in an interview that aired on Sunday:
“I think it might be too tough, yeah.”
He added that he thinks he could reach an agreement with the new
Democratic majority. “The deal would be we would work something out. And
I think it’s something -- I think that’s something that’s actually
doable,” he said in the interview.
Trump did not give specifics about what that deal would look like — and
shortly after taping the interview on Friday, Trump named the key
architect of his hard-line immigration agenda, Stephen Miller, as his
new chief of staff.
“Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far,” Senate Democratic
Leader Chuck Schumer scoffed on social media Sunday after the interview
aired. “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.”
The president's immigration crackdown was a prominent feature of his
return to office with major operations in multiple cities sending
arrests soaring. Two U.S. citizens — Renee Good and Alex Pretti — were
killed by federal officers during protests against the operations.
Democrats have said oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and
the Department of Homeland Security is a priority for the new Congress.
Trump said he believes that “killers” and “drug dealers” in the country
illegally should be deported, but suggested he was open to the idea of a
deal that would let others stay “if they’re good people working in a
landscaping company, or working in a hotel, or doing something, right?
And in some cases, paying taxes.”
Trump says he may stay on the sidelines for the 2028 race
On the race among Republicans to succeed him for the 2028 presidential
election, Trump hinted at staying neutral.
Asked whether he’d endorse a potential successor, the president said
“probably, not necessarily.”
“We have a tremendous bench. I have so many people that I have great
relationships with,” Trump said in the interview.
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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air
Force One, at President Donald J. Trump International Airport in
West Palm Beach, Fla., Sunday, Nov. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn
Martin)
Asked about possible candidates other than Vice President JD Vance,
Trump only named Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is viewed as a
possible 2028 contender.
“I think Marco’s great,” Trump said. “But there are many others and
I’d rather not mention their names. There’s some senators that are
excellent. I know ’em all, I like ’em a lot.
“So I may or may not get involved. I don’t know. Maybe I’m better
off not getting involved,” Trump said.
Trump brushes aside questions about becoming wealthier while in
office
During the midterms, Democrats sought to make the president’s
personal wealth a campaign issue. About half of voters nationally
said government corruption was “crucial” for their vote for
Congress, according to the AP Voter Poll.
Asked how his net worth went up by $3 billion since returning to the
White House, Trump said he doesn’t pay much attention to it and said
his sons look after the family business.
“I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don’t care. I make — I
have a lotta money, and far more than I ever thought I’d have. And I
guess it’s gone up. I don’t even know,” he said.
Trump was asked whether he thinks people from foreign countries
investing in the company he co-owns with his sons are trying to buy
influence. “I don’t know. But that’s true — look, every president
has a problem,” he said.
Trump, who survived an assassination attempt while campaigning for
reelection in 2024 and has lashed out against his political foes,
was asked whether he could forgive his enemies. He said it would be
easy to say yes.
But he added: “I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some
of my enemies, and I always will.”
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