Migration Policy: Trump Concedes Enforcement Was Too Harsh
The president admitted in a CBS interview that mass deportations hurt his party in recent elections and discussed a potential legal status for undocumented workers.
By Beatriz Soto ·
President Donald Trump told CBS News on Sunday that his administration's immigration enforcement was "too harsh" during a broadcast of 60 Minutes. The admission came as he analyzed the recent midterm election results, where Republicans suffered major losses. Trump stated that the aggressive removal of undocumented immigrants who had not committed crimes contributed to the party's defeat.
The president acknowledged that his policies were excessively severe. He noted that immigration is an area where he wants to collaborate with Democratic lawmakers. When asked if a deal could involve creating a legal status for undocumented workers, Trump answered affirmatively. He expressed personal regret over removing individuals with stable employment histories.
"It hurts me because we also deported people with good jobs, who committed one infraction, or a violation of the law, and that was that they entered the country illegally," Trump said. He added that a large group of people believes that immigrants who are good workers in landscaping, hotels, or other sectors should be allowed to stay. Some of these workers, he noted, pay taxes.
Trump distinguished these workers from what he described as the extreme right wing. He claimed that some members of his own government hold the view that everyone should be expelled. On Friday, the White House promoted Stephen Miller to Chief of Staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller is the architect of the mass deportation policy implemented after Trump returned to office.
The president also attributed the Republican losses to poor communication. He dismissed the impact of the war with Iran on economic issues. "I think it was bad communication, maybe on my part, but I was talking about it constantly," Trump said. He argued that media outlets did not cover the good news about his presidency. Consequently, he felt the need to spread the message himself. When pressed by CBS News' Ross Douthat to define the bad communication, Trump replied, "We couldn't get the message across."
The White House has operated without a permanent press secretary since late August. Karoline Leavitt left the role, and Katie Zacharia served as a brief replacement before resigning after five days. This gap in leadership coincided with the period leading up to the midterm elections.
During the interview, Douthat asked about Trump's personal wealth. The president's net worth increased by nearly $3 billion since he took office. Forbes values his net worth at $7 billion. This represents a $2.7 billion rise since his 2024 reelection. Financial disclosures show he earned $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency gains.
Trump's sons founded the cryptocurrency company World Liberty Financial two years ago. Trump is a co-owner, and investors include Sheikha Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and national security advisor for the United Arab Emirates. Douthat asked if Trump knew if foreign investors believed they were buying influence. Trump said he did not know anything about it.
