After an election that left his party weaker, the president has begun to question whether the hard edge of his deportation campaign went too far, and has hinted at a bargain with the incoming Democratic Congress that would spare some long-settled workers. Yet the same week he elevated Stephen Miller, the architect of that campaign, to run his White House, a gesture that tells its own story about where power still lies. The softer words and the harder choices now sit side by side, and the deaths of two American citizens during the operations hang over whatever comes next.
Trump Says Deportation Policy 'Might Be Too Tough' as Voters Weigh In
Two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal officers during protests against the immigration operations.
"That's not a course correction. That's a promotion."
Mark
Trump said the policy might be too tough. Why does that line carry weight?
Mimi
Because it ties the policy to the election loss. He said it was part of the reason Republicans lost, and that's an unusual admission from him.
Luke
Careful, though. "Might be too tough" is hedged, and he didn't say what he'd change. That's the whole of the concession.
Mark
And the deal he floated?
Mimi
He said he could work something out with Democrats and suggested some people, like those working in hotels or landscaping, might be allowed to stay. Killers and drug dealers would still be deported.
Luke
But no details. We don't know who qualifies, whether it needs legislation, or whether Democrats would engage. "Doable" is his word, not anyone else's.
Mark
Then there's Stephen Miller.
Mimi
Named chief of staff right after the taping. Schumer called it a promotion, not a course correction.
Luke
That's Schumer's reading. What's confirmed is the appointment and the timing. What Miller will do about the deal is unknown.
Mark
And the human side?
Mimi
Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both US citizens, were killed by federal officers during protests. Democrats want oversight of Ice and DHS.
Luke
Worth noting the reporting says the killings happened; it doesn't settle what follows from them. That's what oversight is meant to examine.
El Pulso
- Trump tells 60 Minutes his deportation policy 'might be too tough' and blames it in part for Republican losses at the polls.
- He floats an immigration deal with the incoming Democratic majority that would let some undocumented workers stay, but offers no specifics.
- Hours after taping the interview, he names Stephen Miller, the crackdown's chief architect, as his new chief of staff, drawing Schumer's mockery.
- Democrats pledge to make oversight of ICE and DHS a priority, and any deal will face scrutiny over the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
After an election that left his party weaker, the president has begun to question whether the hard edge of his deportation campaign went too far, and has hinted at a bargain with the incoming Democratic Congress that would spare some long-settled workers. Yet the same week he elevated Stephen Miller, the architect of that campaign, to run his White House, a gesture that tells its own story about where power still lies. The softer words and the harder choices now sit side by side, and the deaths of two American citizens during the operations hang over whatever comes next.
President Donald Trump has told CBS's 60 Minutes that his deportation policy "might be too tough," suggesting it helped cost his party at the polls. The interview, taped Friday and aired Sunday, carried a hint of retreat: he said he could work out an immigration agreement with the new Democratic majority in Congress, calling it "actually doable," though he gave no details.
He drew a line of sorts. People he described as killers and drug dealers, he said, should be deported. But he spoke warmly of others, the workers at landscaping firms and hotels, and people who pay taxes, suggesting they might be allowed to stay.
The gentler tone sat uneasily beside a personnel move. Shortly after the taping, Trump named Stephen Miller, the main architect of his hard-line agenda, as his chief of staff. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer mocked the shift on social media: "That's not a course correction. That's a promotion."
The crackdown had defined Trump's return to office, with large operations in several cities and arrests rising sharply. Two American citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal officers during protests against those operations. Democrats now plan to make oversight of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security a priority, so any deal will be judged against those deaths and the questions about how the operations were run.
President Donald Trump has said that his deportation policy "might be too tough," and that it played a part in his party's loss at the polls. He made the remarks in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, taped on Friday and broadcast on Sunday. "I think it might be too tough, yeah," he said.
He went on to say he thinks he can work with the new Democratic majority in Congress on an immigration agreement. "The deal would be we would work something out," he said, calling it "actually doable." He gave no specifics about what such a deal would contain.
He did sketch some limits. Trump said he believes "killers" and "drug dealers" in the country illegally should be deported. But he suggested he was open to letting others stay, naming people who are "good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel," and, in some cases, people who are paying taxes.
The softer words sat awkwardly beside a personnel decision. Shortly after taping the interview on Friday, Trump named Stephen Miller, the key architect of his hard-line immigration agenda, as his new chief of staff.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer seized on that on Sunday, after the interview aired. "Trump says his immigration crackdown went too far," he wrote on social media, scoffing that the president's answer had apparently been to put the man responsible for it in charge of the White House. "That's not a course correction. That's a promotion."
The crackdown was a defining feature of Trump's return to office. Major operations in multiple cities sent arrests soaring. Two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, were killed by federal officers during protests against those operations. Democrats have said that oversight of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) and the Department of Homeland Security is a priority for the new Congress.
The interview also touched on the race to succeed Trump as the Republican standard-bearer in 2028. Asked whether he would endorse a successor, he said, "Probably, not necessarily." He described a "tremendous bench" of people with whom he has good relationships. Pressed on candidates other than Vice-President JD Vance, he named only Secretary of State Marco Rubio, viewed as a possible 2028 contender. "I think Marco's great," he said, but added that there are many others and he would rather not name them, including some senators he called excellent.
He left the question open. "So I may or may not get involved. I don't know. Maybe I'm better off not getting involved."
What to watch next is whether the talk of a deal becomes anything concrete. With Miller moving into the chief of staff role and Democrats prioritising oversight of Ice and DHS, any negotiation is likely to be shaped by the deaths of Good and Pretti and by questions over how the operations were run.
Citas Notables
I think it might be too tough, yeah.— President Donald Trump, on 60 Minutes
That's not a course correction. That's a promotion.— Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer
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