President Donald Trump is admitting his administration may have been too aggressive in deporting immigrants, following Republican defeats in the midterm elections.
During Sunday’s 60 Minutes interview, the 80-year-old president acknowledged that some Americans have grown uncomfortable with his immigration enforcement policies.
“I think it was too tough,” Trump said. “A lot of people would say that it’s great, but a lot of people think it’s too tough.”
Trump specifically addressed immigrants who have established lives in the United States, including those working in hotels and landscaping businesses. He acknowledged that some were deported despite holding jobs and paying taxes, while maintaining that securing the border remains one of his biggest accomplishments.
“I think I got an A+ for closing up the border,” he declared.
President Trump says his administration’s deportation policy was “too tough.” https://t.co/4EQsg4QA8c https://t.co/JDcqgRAySp
— 60 Minutes (@60Minutes) November 9, 2026
The admission follows an Associated Press survey of more than 100,000 midterm voters, which found roughly 60% believed the administration’s immigration enforcement had gone too far. Trump also expressed interest in negotiating immigration legislation with Democrats, who won control of Congress.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” he said.
Trump has selected Stephen Miller, a central figure behind his mass deportation agenda, as his new White House chief of staff, effective Nov. 9. The move has been panned as “tone deaf” by both parties, as Miller is reported to be a far-right extremist.