President Trump’s wide-ranging interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat after the midterm losses: his defense of the economy and the Iran war, an admission that deportation policy “might be too tough,” the replacement of Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with Stephen Miller, plans for “tremendous numbers of pardons,” and his undecided stance on a 2028 endorsement.
Following significant midterm election setbacks for the Republican Party, President Trump stood firmly behind his economic record and military actions in Iran. However, he acknowledged notable messaging missteps on the economy and conceded that his administration's deportation policy "might be too tough" at times.
During an interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, which aired Sunday, the president also signaled imminent personnel adjustments within his White House team. Shortly afterward, he confirmed Chief of Staff Susie Wiles would step down, with Stephen Miller taking over the position.
Below are the primary takeaways based on the full 60 Minutes Transcript and national exit poll data:
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According to national exit polling, about 63% of voters disapproved of President Trump's job performance, and 44% said their House vote was meant to express opposition to him.
Addressing the electoral outcomes, Mr. Trump observed that voters "didn't like the war" with Iran or the associated spike in fuel prices. Nevertheless, he argued the overriding reason for the party's losses was structural: "I was not on the ballot". He noted that despite urging supporters to act as if he were on the ballot, "I think they didn't vote, really. I think they didn't vote. I think in some cases, they didn't like the candidates. And that's, you know, their prerogative".
Referring to general-election races where candidates he endorsed lost or struggled such as in Texas, where he backed Ken Paxton over Sen. John Cornyn in the primary Mr. Trump maintained that "Cornyn would have lost also".
The president strongly defended his administration’s economic stewardship, pointing to positive jobs reports and retirement fund gains. "We're doing numbers that have never been done before. 401(k)s are at their all-time high by a lot. Under other presidents, they were a disaster. 401(k)s have made people rich," he noted, adding, "But a lot of people do," when questioned about Americans lacking sizeable retirement accounts.
Addressing widespread voter anxiety over living costs, Mr. Trump blamed communication breakdowns: "I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time. So I don't know, how much can I talk about it?" He assured that upcoming job expansion in manufacturing would shift public sentiment.
Responding to internal party assessments attributing midterm losses to the war in Iran, Mr. Trump acknowledged the short-term political hit but reaffirmed his decision. He gave an "emphatic yes" when asked if he would take the same action again, citing the degradation of Iran's conventional forces and nuclear capability.
"I think historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not? But … I have to go with what's right for our country," he stated, predicting that history would judge the strategic outcome favorably. Regarding further escalation post-midterms, he confirmed, "Well, I'm not looking to. I don't think there's any reason to".
Addressing exit polling data indicating that a majority of voters viewed immigration enforcement as overly aggressive, Mr. Trump maintained that "I think I got an A+ for closing up the border". However, he conceded the deportation policy "might be too tough," adding that it hurt him politically when enforcement affected gainfully employed individuals.
"For getting people out, I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out. But 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," he explained. He expressed willingness to engage with congressional Democrats on future immigration policy.
When questioned about reporting regarding his rising net worth during his presidency, Mr. Trump dismissed suggestions that he focuses on personal gain. "I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don't care. I have a lot of money, and far more than I ever thought I'd have. And I guess it's gone up. I don't even know," he stated.
He clarified that his personal holdings are invested in broad index funds while his family operates his businesses independently. "I have a company. My sons run the company. It's hard to say to them, 'Don't do anything anymore for four years because I'm president,'" he added.
Prior to the announcement of Susie Wiles' departure, Mr. Trump confirmed that administration staff shifts were underway. Asked directly about potential firings post-midterms, he responded, "I do, yeah. Little bit," while noting, "I love my Cabinet," but "I'll … be doing maybe a few changes".
He reiterated firm backing for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth amid impeachment efforts, claiming, "They want to impeach him. Very unfair. We had two wars, we won both. We won Venezuela, we won Iran".
Looking ahead to the next presidential cycle, Mr. Trump remained uncommitted regarding a formal primary endorsement, despite potential candidates like Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Asked if he plans to back a successor, he answered "probably," but "not necessarily".
"I may or may not get involved. I don't know. Maybe I'm better off not getting involved. I think it would play a big role if I did, because my endorsement capacity has been very strong," he observed.
Mr. Trump confirmed plans for an extensive use of clemency powers before the end of his term. "I don't want to have good people that are serving this country and doing a great job spending the rest of their life, like I had to do for four years, defending myself by radical left lunatics, by people that were very nasty and mean. I intend to issue tremendous numbers of pardons," he declared.
He indicated he does not anticipate attempting a self-pardon, though noting "it's certainly not unreasonable". He also defended past pardons for January 6th defendants, stating, "I pardoned the J6ers. I don't think any group's been treated more unfairly than them, and to this day, when they see me they cry". Regarding individuals who clashed with law enforcement, he added, "there were some that got rough, but, you know, they were rough to them, too".
Discussing military documentation of Unexplained Anomalous Phenomena (UFOs) following executive disclosure directives, Mr. Trump shared insights from direct pilot debriefings.
"I'm not too much of a believer, but I sat in the Oval Office, first term and a little bit second term, meeting with Air Force pilots that are really good, solid people. These are not people that you would say are conspiracy theorists. They don't even know what it means. But they're great, great pilots. Young, handsome. They have beautiful, nice flat tops. I'd like to have a haircut just like them. They look perfect, like Tom Cruise. … They're thin, you know, very thin and very everything. And … they're the real deal. And they've told me things that are very strange," he detailed.
Source: CBS NEWS
