President Donald Trump said he may have been too tough on immigration enforcement, in his first sit-down interview since last week’s midterm elections.
In a conversation with CBS News correspondent Ross Douthat, Trump discussed the Democrats’ strong performance, including wins in traditionally Republican areas. Douthat asked whether the administration’s strict deportation policies had contributed to Republican losses.
Trump said the approach had helped in some ways and hurt in others. He pointed to the border being closed and the removal of people he described as dangerous, saying he had received high marks for those efforts.
He also repeated his claim that millions of people entered the country during Joe Biden’s four years in office, including, he said, people with criminal records and people from mental health institutions.
Trump acknowledged that some immigrants targeted by enforcement were working and had otherwise followed the law, aside from entering the country illegally. He said voters were divided over whether such people should be deported or allowed to remain, particularly if they held jobs and paid taxes.
Asked directly whether his deportation policy had gone too far, Trump said it might have been too tough and that this could ultimately have hurt him.
He also said an immigration agreement with the incoming Democratic Congress might be possible, even if some people on both sides favor more absolute positions. Trump suggested that some Democrats would be willing to work with him on border enforcement and pointed to incoming Texas Sen. James Talarico as an example.
In a nationwide Fox News poll of more than 100,000 registered voters, conducted from Oct. 19 to Nov. 3, 2026, immigration was the only issue on which Republicans held an advantage over Democrats.
