President Donald Trump has described his administration’s mass deportation policy as “too tough,” in a striking admission made after his Republican Party suffered a heavy defeat in the congressional midterm elections, according to News ORF.
In an interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump suggested that many Americans believe undocumented immigrants should not be removed from the country if they are working and contributing to society. He pointed to people employed in landscaping companies or hotels, saying that some of them also pay taxes.
“I think it was too tough,” Trump said. “I think it might be too tough.”
The president’s comments came days after Republicans lost control of both chambers of Congress. Democrats will take control of the House of Representatives and the Senate in January, giving the opposition party substantial power to shape legislation and challenge the administration.
Trump said he believed it might be possible to reach an agreement with Democrats on immigration. He did not offer detailed proposals, but he hinted at the possibility of a legal pathway for certain undocumented immigrants who work and pay taxes.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” he said, adding that he thought a deal was “doable.”
The statement marks a notable shift in tone from a president who made immigration enforcement a central promise of his political career. Since returning to office, Trump has pursued large-scale deportations and relied on aggressive raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, known as ICE.
Those operations have provoked protests in several major cities. The government later scaled back some enforcement activity after two U.S. citizens were killed in incidents connected to ICE operations.
The hard-line approach appears to have damaged Republican support in key industries. Many undocumented immigrants work in agriculture, hospitality, construction and other sectors that depend heavily on immigrant labor. Deportations have disrupted workplaces and alarmed business owners, including some who traditionally support the Republican Party.
Trump acknowledged that his immigration policy had both helped and hurt him politically. He argued that he deserved credit for securing the border and removing people he described as criminals, but admitted that the removal of long-settled workers had cost him support.
Yet his message of compromise sits uneasily beside his latest personnel decision. Shortly after the interview was recorded, Trump appointed Stephen Miller as his new White House chief of staff. Miller is widely regarded as the architect of the administration’s toughest immigration policies.
Trump also said he wanted to work with Democrats on immigration, despite having insulted them during the election campaign. Asked whether he could avoid offending them for six months, he replied: “Easily.”
Whether his words will lead to a genuine change in policy remains uncertain. For now, the president has admitted that a policy once presented as a political strength may have become a costly weakness.
