US President Donald Trump acknowledged on Sunday that his mass deportation of undocumented immigrants was 'too tough,' according to an excerpt of a CBS interview aired the same day. Asked about his deportation policy, Trump told CBS's "60 Minutes" program: "I think it was too tough…I think it might be too tough." The excerpt was published by CBS on X ahead of the broadcast later that Sunday, and the interview was recorded after the Republican Party suffered heavy losses in the midterm elections earlier in the week.
While Trump has secured some domestic support for tightening border enforcement, his administration's aggressive campaign to deport millions of undocumented migrants has drawn widespread criticism from across the political spectrum. The remarks came amid ongoing debate over how strictly the administration should enforce immigration law.
On Friday, Trump appointed Stephen Miller — the architect of the hardline immigration policy — as his chief of staff, signaling a determined pushback following the Republican Party's electoral defeat. Miller has long been associated with imagery of masked immigration agents in confrontations with undocumented migrants, and he previously backed federal agents who shot and killed two Americans early in the year.
The appointment underscores the administration's resolve to maintain its tough stance on immigration even as public sentiment shifted after the midterm elections. Critics argue that the scale of deportations under Trump's approach far exceeds what is proportionate or sustainable, while supporters maintain that strict enforcement is essential to border security.
The CBS interview marks one of the few public moments where Trump himself has directly addressed the perceived harshness of the deportation program, offering a rare candid admission from a president widely known for his uncompromising rhetoric on immigration.