Trump Concedes Deportation Policy Was Too Harsh, Cites Bad Messaging for Midterm Losses
The president told CBS that removing non-criminal immigrants hurt his re-election bid, while also promoting Stephen Miller to chief of staff.
By Anthony Shevchenko ·
President Donald Trump stated on Sunday that his administration’s immigration enforcement was excessively severe, acknowledging that mass deportations damaged his standing during the recent midterm elections. Speaking in a CBS 60 Minutes interview recorded on Friday, the president conceded that his policies were too tough. He noted that his team removed undocumented immigrants who had not committed crimes, specifically those who had only violated the law by entering the country illegally.
Trump identified a specific demographic that he believes should be permitted to remain in the United States. He described a large group of people who work in landscaping, hotels, and other sectors, some of whom pay taxes. He characterized these individuals as good people who held good jobs. The president indicated he wants to work with Democrats to create legal status for such workers, though he noted that members of his own administration on the far right preferred to remove everyone.
The comments come as Trump reshuffles his top staff. On Friday, he promoted Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles. Miller had conceived the mass deportation policy implemented since Trump returned to office. The president also attributed the Republican losses in the midterms to poor communication. He suggested that bad messaging, possibly his own, contributed to the results. He argued that the media failed to cover positive news, forcing him to communicate directly with the public.
When pressed by CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat on the specifics of the bad message, Trump replied that they simply could not get the word across. The White House has operated without a permanent press secretary since late August. Karoline Leavitt left the administration, and her brief replacement, Katie Zacharia, departed after five days. This leadership vacuum has left the communication strategy in flux.
The interview also touched on the president’s personal finances. Douthat asked about Trump’s net worth, which Forbes reports at $7 billion. The value increased by $2.7 billion since Trump was elected for his second term in 2024. Financial disclosure forms show he has earned $1.4 billion from cryptocurrency. Trump said he devotes almost no time to his net worth and does not discuss finances with his sons. He noted that his sons founded World Liberty Financial two years ago.
Trump is a co-owner of World Liberty Financial. Investors in the firm include Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and the national security adviser for the United Arab Emirates. When Douthat asked how Trump’s stake differs from a scenario where Joe Biden owns a similar company with Middle East investors, Trump answered that he knows nothing about the company. He added that he did not know if foreign investors believe they are buying influence.
