Donald Trump says a lot of things that shock people. Still, in his 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, he said one of the most shocking things imaginable: That he thinks his deportation policies may have been too harsh, and that he would be willing to work with Democrats on an immigration deal in the new Congress.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” Trump told interviewer Ross Douthat on 60 Minutes in the interview that aired over the weekend.
President Donald J. Trump oversees Operation Epic Fury at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL, March 1, 2026. (White House photo by Daniel Torok)
Former President of the United States Donald Trump speaking with attendees at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s 2023 Annual Leadership Summit at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. By Gage Skidmore.
Trump added that while he’s proud of securing the border, he thinks midterm voters disapproved of the Trump second-term strategy of maximizing deportations, especially when they ensnared people who have committed no crimes.
It’s shocking because having a hard line on immigration has been a core part of Trump’s identity ever since his first run for president, when he ran in part on anger among the Republican base that their party hadn’t been tough enough on immigration.
Part of that anger was a failed bipartisan push, in Barack Obama’s second term, for the sort of immigration reform deal Trump is now proposing.
In addition, many observers are surprised that Trump made this immigration pivot just days after announcing that Stephen Miller, his longtime aide and an outspoken immigration hardliner, had been promoted to White House chief of staff.
And when that immigration reform bill was defeated in 2013, then-senator and future Trump Attorney General Jeff Sessions led the charge, and he had Stephen Miller on his staff at the time.
What’s been the reaction to Trump’s surprising announcement? From some Republicans, a sense of betrayal. From Democrats, some specific policy ideas, along with skepticism about whether or not he’s serious.
A “MAGA Backlash”
The House Freedom Caucus, a group of conservative lawmakers, said on social media Monday morning that their stance remains, in all caps, “NO AMNESTY. NO AMNESTY-LITE. NO AMNESTY GARBAGE UNDER ANY OTHER NAME.”
According to The Daily Beast, some immigration hardliners in Trump’s base have also reacted less than positively to the surprising policy pivot. Many, like the Freedom Caucus, accused Trump of supporting “amnesty,” although Trump did not use that word in the 60 Minutes interview.
That point was echoed by both the White House’s Rapid Response X account and an official White House statement that followed the Douthat interview.
“I’m kind of confused because I voted for no endless wars and mass deportations but feels like I’m getting endless wars and amnesty… I hope I’m wrong,” Tomi Lahren, the conservative commentator, said on social media this week.
James Fishback, who ran an explicitly racist campaign for the Florida governorship before losing the Republican primary to Byron Donalds, denounced the pivot.
“Trump 6 months ago: ‘We must work to stop the Democrats on mass amnesty,’” Fishback said in an X post. “Trump now: ‘We must work with the Democrats on mass amnesty.’ Betrayer in Chief.”
So what do Democrats think about a bipartisan immigration compromise?
Project 2027
While Trump included a massive increase in ICE funding in his “Big Beautiful Bill” in 2025, much of his administration’s immigration action has come at the executive level, without the involvement of Congress.
But now that Democrats will have majorities in both houses of Congress, they will undoubtedly have more say in how immigration policy shakes out, as well as the ability to conduct oversight.
So what does the incoming Democratic leadership think about Trump’s olive branch? According to Time magazine, they have some policy ideas in mind, but they want to make sure he’s serious and won’t pivot back.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who will likely become the next Speaker of the House, laid out what the Democrats would ask for in such a deal.
“We can begin by moving in the House, and ultimately in the Senate, the Dream and Promise Act to restore protection for DACA recipients and TPS recipients,” Jeffries said in a CBS interview Monday, referring to the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Temporary Protected Status.
“And that should be a foundation for broader work that can be done together,” he added.
Time noted that Trump has, on a couple of occasions, hinted at supporting a more moderate immigration policy before backing off under pressure from his base.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has written thousands of articles on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
