A mixed verdict on the interview
US President Donald Trump gave his first long television interview since Republicans lost control of the House and the Senate in the midterm elections. He spoke to CBS's 60 Minutes, which aired on Sunday, 8 November, after the interview was recorded on Friday, 6 November, according to AGI. Asked by journalist Ross Douthat whether the deportation drive had hurt him politically, Trump said it had done both. He said the policy had helped on the border with Mexico but had also cost him, because the government removed people with good jobs whose only violation was entering the country illegally. Trump said many people believe that undocumented workers in gardening or hotels should not be deported.
I think it might be too tough.
Stephen Miller takes over the White House staff
Trump named Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles, in a decision that Digi24 places on Friday, 6 November. Spiegel describes Miller as the central architect of the deportation policy and a hardline figure who had been close to the president since before his second term. Digi24 notes that the appointment appeared to contradict Trump's remarks on the interview. Trump's comments came hours before the announcement, according to AGI. The timeline below shows the sequence of the two events.
- Interview recorded; Stephen Miller named to replace Susie Wiles as chief of staff
- 60 Minutes broadcasts the interview on CBS
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer used a post on X to mock the move, writing:
That's not a course correction. That's a promotion.
An offer to Democrats on a deal
Trump said he could work with the Democrats who will control both chambers of Congress from January on an immigration agreement. He described a moderate arrangement in which criminals would still be deported while people who had lived and worked in the country and paid taxes could stay. Al Jazeera reports that Democrats call oversight of ICE and the Department of Homeland Security a priority for the new Congress. Asked how the deal would work, Trump described a broad compromise rather than a specific text.
The deal would be we would work something out.
Trump added that he thought such an agreement was doable, according to Al Jazeera.
Operations, deaths and protests
Extensive operations to detain and deport immigrants were launched in several US cities, and arrests rose sharply, according to Al Jazeera. Digi24 says the raids at workplaces, homes and public spaces caught people with no criminal record, separated families and spread fear in immigrant communities. Two US citizens were killed by federal officers during protests against the operations, and Digi24 places one of the shootings in Minneapolis earlier this year. Spiegel reports that the administration scaled back the operations somewhat after the deaths. Democrats have made the conduct of ICE a central issue for the new Congress.
Iran and the voters' verdict
AGI reports that Trump said he was not seeking an escalation of the conflict with Iran. He said voters had not liked the war and had not liked the rise in petrol prices. Trump also pointed to what he called a large, surprising discontent toward Israel, which launched the offensive against Iran alongside the United States. The interview came after the midterm defeat in which Trump's party lost its majorities in Congress.