Following the midterm elections, President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration’s aggressive deportation policies may have gone too far and damaged his party’s standing with voters.
“I think it was too tough,” Trump said during an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes that aired Sunday night. “And I think — I think ultimately, that hurt me,” he added.
The admission came just as Trump elevated Stephen Miller, one of the central architects of his immigration policies, to a more prominent White House role following the departure of former Chief of Staff Susie Wiles on Monday.
Although Trump recognized that immigration enforcement may have contributed to Republican losses across the country during the midterms, he continued defending his administration’s approach to border security and removing people he described as dangerous individuals.
He suggested that the political backlash was partly caused by the deportation of immigrants who had established careers and were contributing to their communities.
“I think I got an A+ for closing up the border. I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out, but I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs,” Trump said.
The president also indicated that he was willing to consider negotiating with Democrats on immigration following the election results, including possible arrangements that could create pathways for certain immigrants to remain in the country.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” Trump said when asked whether there was an issue on which he believed he could work with Democrats.
“Well, 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 added.
Trump specifically mentioned immigrants employed as hotel cleaners, housekeepers, waitresses, and landscapers. He argued that removing people who had spent years working in these occupations could be difficult for their employers and communities.
“When you go into a hotel and you have a woman that’s worked there as a, you know, as a maid, as a cleaner … as a waitress, a lot of good things, great jobs. And all of a sudden they’re being taken out of the country. It’s tough. It’s a tough thing.”
He also suggested that immigrants who had already spent a decade or more in the United States should be considered for a possible agreement.
“Let the people that are here and in some cases here for 10 and 15 years, work a deal for them,” Trump said.
When discussing the possibility of an immigration agreement, Trump claimed that potential participants had already reached out to him, although he did not identify anyone involved.
“People have already called me,” he said.
Trump was also asked whether he could avoid insulting Democrats for six months if doing so helped secure a political agreement.
He indicated that he would be willing to do so, suggesting that setting aside personal attacks could help create room for negotiations.
