Trump Makes 2 Major Admissions After Republicans' Midterm Election Losses
- Trump sat down with 60 Minutes after Republicans lost more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats in the midterms
- The president pointed to the Iran war, low voter turnout among his base, and 'bad messaging' on the economy as reasons for the losses
- Trump hinted at cabinet changes during the interview, and within an hour announced Susie Wiles was out as White House chief of staff
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Washington, USA - President Donald Trump has admitted that his administration's deportation policies were "too tough" and acknowledged "bad messaging" on the economy, days after Republicans suffered significant losses in the midterm elections.
Trump made the remarks in a wide-ranging interview with CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes, recorded just before he announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would be replaced by hardliner Stephen Miller.
Source: Getty Images
Republicans' midterm losses in US
Republicans lost more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats on Tuesday, with some races still uncalled. CBS News exit polling showed about 63% of midterm voters disapproved of Trump's job performance, and 44% said they voted to express opposition to him. Trump told 60 Minutes that voters "didn't like the war" with Iran or the high gas prices it triggered, but argued that the main reason for the losses was that "I was not on the ballot."
On immigration, exit polling showed 58% of voters felt the administration had gone too far. Trump said his border closure earned him "an A+," but he conceded that deporting people who had stable jobs and only one infraction, entering the country illegally, had cost him politically. "I think it was too tough," he said of those deportation policies.
On the economy, three-quarters of midterm voters rated conditions as poor or not good, and two-thirds believed Trump's tariff policies hurt the country. Trump said the problem was an inability to communicate his record.
"I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me," he said, while insisting that job numbers were "phenomenal" and that Americans would "notice it in the next two, three, four months."
Iran war and cabinet changes
Trump defended the US military campaign against Iran, saying it was an "emphatic yes" if he had to decide again, arguing that Iran's nuclear programme had been set back significantly. He predicted historians would judge the decision more favourably than voters currently do, pointing to a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant as an example of a president whose reputation improved over time.
During the interview, Trump hinted that personnel changes were coming. "I do, yeah. Little bit," he said when asked whether he expected to dismiss anyone.
Hours later, Wiles' departure was confirmed, with Miller, widely regarded as the architect of the administration's immigration enforcement strategy, named as her successor.
Trump also told 60 Minutes he still had confidence in Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, despite reported questions from within the White House about Hegseth's future.
On pardons, the president said he intends to issue them aggressively before leaving office, adding: "I don't want to have good people... spending the rest of their life defending themselves." He stated that a self-pardon was "certainly not unreasonable," though he does not expect to pursue one.
Watch a snippet of Trump's trending interview below via the X post:
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White House reacts to rumours of Trump’s 'death'
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that White House confirmed that Trump is alive, after a brief social media announcement about Vice President JD Vance holding a press briefing sent parts of the internet into a frenzy.
Trump, who returned to the White House in January 2025 after winning the 2024 election, is 80 years old and the oldest person ever elected US president.
Close-up photographs circulating online appeared to show bruising on his right hand, visible swelling around his lower legs and ankles, and his visits to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre drew attention each time.
Source: Legit.ng
