Trump tells 60 Minutes his deportation policy was 'too tough' and offers Democrats an immigration deal
In his first sit-down interview since the Republicans' midterm defeats, President Donald Trump told CBS's 60 Minutes that his deportation policy was 'too tough' — 'I think it might be too tough, yeah' — and that it had hurt his party with voters. He said he would love to work with the incoming Democratic majorities on an immigration deal that lets long-settled workers stay, calling it 'something that's actually doable', while continuing to remove people convicted of serious crimes. He gave no specifics, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer responded: 'Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far.'
Key points
- Trump, in his own words: the deportation policy was 'too tough — I think it might be too tough, yeah', and it hurt Republicans in the midterms.
- He offered to work with Democrats on a deal letting long-settled workers stay, calling it 'something that's actually doable'; he gave no specifics.
- Schumer's response: 'Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far.' About six in ten voters in AP's survey said enforcement had gone too far.
- An hour after the interview was recorded, Trump made Stephen Miller, the policy's architect, his chief of staff — so whether enforcement changes is unproven.
Watch: the moment itself
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Video: 60 Minutes · Watch on YouTube
What happened
The interview, recorded at the White House on Friday and aired on Sunday, was Trump's first sit-down since the midterms cost Republicans control of both houses of Congress. Immigration enforcement was a centrepiece of his second presidency and, on the AP survey's evidence, one of the issues voters judged most harshly.
The remarks sit against his staffing move the same day: Stephen Miller, who designed the deportation drive, takes over as chief of staff on Monday — the tension Democrats are likely to test when the new Congress takes up oversight of ICE and Homeland Security.
Claim by claim
Why this label: The president's own words in the broadcast interview with Ross Douthat, recorded at the White House on Friday and aired Sunday; the transcript and CNN's and the Wall Street Journal's accounts agree word for word on the key exchanges.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The president's own words in the interview, in the transcript and reported in agreement by CNN, the Wall Street Journal and PA. Whether any deal follows is a separate question, carried in the don't-know list.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: CNN's account of the interview; the Iran and messaging points are also in the transcript.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Show all claims (3 more)
Why this label: The AP survey as reported by People magazine's account of the interview.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: Schumer's post and the Democrats' oversight priority are in PA's report of the reaction to the interview.
On the ladder: a claim earns Verified from primary evidence, or from two independent sources that do not copy each other.
Why this label: The timing and Miller's role are stated in the 60 Minutes broadcast itself and in CNN's account. No policy change has been announced.
On the ladder: the evidence so far sits low — early, single or social sources. We publish the claim as a claim, never as fact.
What we know / what we don't know yet
What we know
- What the president said, verbatim, about the policy, a possible deal and his own grades — from the broadcast and its transcript.
- The first Democratic response, from Schumer, and the AP survey's measure of voter opinion.
What we don't know yet
- Whether any immigration bill or enforcement change follows — no specifics were given and no proposal has been published.
- How the Miller chief-of-staff appointment affects enforcement practice in the coming weeks.
Why it matters
A president conceding, on the record, that his signature policy went too far opens a legislative possibility that did not exist before the midterms: a negotiated status for long-settled undocumented workers. The Miller appointment points the other way, which is why the next weeks' enforcement practice — not the interview — will settle what the words mean.
Background
Republicans lose control of the House and Senate in the midterm elections.
Trump records the 60 Minutes interview at the White House; about an hour later, Stephen Miller is named chief of staff.
The interview airs; Schumer responds the same evening.
Update history
No silent edits. Every change is written here, with its time.
- Latest
Published. Basis: the president's own words in the 60 Minutes interview, with the Democratic response.