Trump admits deportation policy hurt Republican midterm odds
In an interview recorded Friday, the president called his removal of non-criminal immigrants too aggressive and blamed poor communication for last week's election results.
By Chinedu Schneider ·
President Donald Trump conceded that his administration's mass deportation program was overly aggressive, a admission that could reshape the party's immigration strategy following a sharp midterm defeat.
Speaking on CBS' 60 Minutes, which aired Sunday, Trump stated that removing undocumented immigrants who had not committed crimes caused him political damage. The interview was recorded on Friday, a day after he promoted Stephen Miller to White House chief of staff, a role previously held by Susie Wiles.
"I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally," Trump said.
He argued that a large group of voters believes immigrants who work in landscaping or hotels, and sometimes pay taxes, should be allowed to stay. When asked if a bipartisan deal could include legal status for undocumented workers, Trump answered yes.
Despite this openness to cooperation, Trump noted that some members of his administration, particularly those on the far right, prefer to remove all undocumented immigrants. This comment came the same day Miller, the architect of the current deportation policy, replaced Wiles as chief of staff.
Trump attributed Republicans' crushing losses in last week's elections largely to bad messaging. He suggested the media failed to cover positive news, forcing him to communicate directly with the public.
"We couldn't get the word across," he told CBS News' Ross Douthat, who pressed him on the specific nature of the messaging failure. The White House has operated without a full-time press secretary since late August, following the departures of Karoline Leavitt and later Katie Zacharia, who served for only five days.
Trump also addressed his personal finances when Douthat noted his net worth had increased by nearly $3 billion since returning to office. Forbes reports his current net worth stands at $7 billion, up from a pre-election figure by $2.7 billion.
Financial disclosure forms indicate Trump earned $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency. He described his son as the person who watches over money, saying the two do not discuss finances. Trump co-owns World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company founded two years ago with his sons.
Investors in the firm include Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and national security adviser for the United Arab Emirates. When Douthat compared this arrangement to potential conflicts of interest involving the Biden family, Trump replied that he knows nothing about the company's operations.
