Trump 60 Minutes interview midterm losses Iran war immigration, Digi Mart USA News: Days after Republicans faced a series of bruising midterm election losses, President Trump stood by his handling of the economy and the Iran war, but he acknowledged some “bad messaging” on economic issues and said his immigration crackdown was “too tough” at times.
In a sitdown with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, the president also suggested some top administration officials could be on their way out. One hour later, he announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would depart her role and be replaced by Stephen Miller.
Republicans lost more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats on Tuesday, with some races still uncalled, including in places that Mr. Trump won by double-digit margins two years ago.
About 63% of midterm voters disapproved of Mr. Trump’s job performance, and 44% said one reason for their vote was to express opposition to him, according to CBS News exit polling.
Asked for his analysis, Mr. Trump told 60 Minutes that voters “didn’t like the war” with Iran or the soaring gas prices it triggered.
He said the primary reason for the losses was that “I was not on the ballot,” an explanation he has offered several times in recent days. He suggested his pre-election endorsements and rallies “brought a lot of people … a lot closer to victory.”
Ahead of Election Day, the president frequently urged supporters to “pretend that I’m on the ballot.” Asked what happened, he said: “I think they didn’t vote, really. I think in some cases, they didn’t like the candidates.
And that’s, you know, their prerogative.” He argued that “Cornyn would have lost also.”
The president defended his stewardship of the economy, saying “the numbers are phenomenal.” He pointed to retirement accounts, saying “401(k)s have made people rich.” Exit polling, however, shows three-fourths of midterm voters viewed the economy as poor or not so good, and two-thirds believed his tariff policies hurt the economy. Mr.
Trump said the problem is that “we couldn’t get the word across,” adding, “I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me.”
The morning after the election, Vice President JD Vance argued on social media that the real reason Republicans lost was the broadly unpopular Iran war. Mr.
Trump said he does not disagree with that diagnosis “other than one thing,” which he identified as the Iran war itself. Asked whether he would do it again, he said his answer is an “emphatic yes,” arguing Iran’s conventional military has been degraded and its nuclear program set back.
Since September, Iran and the U.S. have largely held off from major attacks, though the U.S.
launched limited defensive strikes on Iranian targets earlier this week. Qatar is mediating a diplomatic push between the two sides.
Asked whether he plans to escalate now that the midterms are over, the president said: “Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to.”
On deportation policy, Mr. Trump said he received an A+ for closing the border but was hurt by policies that removed people with good jobs who had entered the country illegally.
“I think it was too tough,” he said. Exit polling shows 58% think the administration’s immigration actions have gone too far.
On Friday, Mr. Trump replaced Wiles with Stephen Miller, a hardliner widely viewed as an architect of the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy.
Asked whether he expected to fire anyone after the midterm losses, he said: “I do, yeah. Little bit,” adding that “I love my Cabinet” but he would be “doing maybe a few changes.” CBS News reported that Wiles submitted her resignation Thursday night.
Asked about his net worth, which Forbes reported has soared since he returned to the White House, Mr. Trump said, “I devote almost no time to my net worth.
I don’t care.” He said his sons run his company and that his stock holdings are invested in broad indexes.
Asked whether he would endorse a 2028 Republican primary candidate, Mr. Trump said “probably,” but “not necessarily.” With Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio widely seen as possible heirs, he said the party “has a tremendous bench.” He also said he intends to issue “tremendous numbers of pardons” before leaving office.
Toward the end of the sitdown, Douthat asked whether Mr. Trump could forgive his political foes to get into heaven.
“The answer is no. I want to be honest, no,” the president said, adding: “I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and always will.”
