Trump Cites Overly Harsh Deportations in Midterm Loss
The president admitted on CBS that removing non-criminal immigrants hurt his party and called the messaging a failure.
By Lorenzo Marshall ·
President Donald Trump acknowledged that his administration's immigration enforcement was excessively strict and contributed to Republican losses in the recent midterm elections. In an interview with CBS News that aired on Sunday, Trump stated that the policy of mass deportations resulted in the removal of undocumented immigrants who had not committed crimes.
The president explained that the party suffered electorally because it removed individuals with good jobs and minor legal violations. "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 noted that a large group of Americans believes working immigrants who pay taxes should be permitted to remain in the country.
Trump identified immigration as a primary area for potential cooperation with Democrats. When asked if a legislative deal could involve creating legal status for undocumented workers, he answered affirmatively. He contrasted this approach with the views of officials on the far right of his administration, who preferred the removal of all undocumented immigrants. On Friday, Trump promoted Stephen Miller, the architect of the current deportation policy, to the role of White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.
The president attributed the Republican midterm defeat to poor communication rather than policy substance. "I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time," Trump told interviewer Ross Douthat. He claimed the media failed to cover positive news about his presidency, forcing him to broadcast his own updates. When Douthat asked what the specific bad message was, Trump replied, "We couldn’t get the word across."
The White House has operated without a permanent press secretary since late August. Karoline Leavitt departed the administration, and her brief replacement, Katie Zacharia, left the post after five days. Trump also downplayed the economic impact of the war with Iran during the discussion.
The interview included a review of the president's personal finances. Douthat noted that Trump's net worth increased by nearly $3 billion since he returned to office. Forbes estimates his total net worth at $7 billion, a rise of $2.7 billion since his 2024 election. Financial disclosure forms indicate the president has earned $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency profits.
Trump stated that he devotes little time to managing his wealth. "I don't even know," he said regarding the increase. He added that one of his sons oversees the money and that they do not discuss finances. The president is a co-owner of World Liberty Financial, a cryptocurrency company founded two years ago by his sons. The company includes investors such as Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and U.S. national security adviser for the United Arab Emirates.
Douthat asked if a similar scenario involving the Biden family and Middle Eastern investments would appear corrupt. Trump responded that his stake was different because he knew nothing about the company's operations. He added that he did not know if foreign investors believed they were purchasing influence.
