Donald Trump sits for a 60 Minutes interview. Then he is asked if he would forgive his enemies to enter heaven: ‘The answer is no’

President Donald Trump recently sat down for an interview on 60 Minutes that took an unexpected turn regarding his views on his own mortality and his political rivals. The conversation was led by Ross Douthat, a conservative writer who joined the program for its current season. During the exchange, the discussion shifted away from policy and toward the personal beliefs of the 80-year-old president.

Douthat began the sequence by bringing up the topic of death. He asked if surviving multiple assassination attempts changed how the president viewed his mortality. When prompted to share what he thinks happens after death, Trump paused before saying, “Well, I hope I’m missed.” The president laughed and gestured with his arms as he added, “I hope I’m missed, I don’t know… I think I’ve done a good job as…”

The interviewer pushed further, asking specifically about the destination of the president himself. Trump mentioned he is a religious person and believes in heaven, though he admitted, “I hope so. I don’t want to go to hell.” The tone grew more intense when Douthat brought up the memorial service for activist Charlie Kirk. Douthat reminded the president of comments made there regarding the necessity of forgiving enemies.

The conversation hit a peak when Douthat presented a hypothetical scenario about the afterlife

Douthat asked if the president could feel love and forgiveness for figures such as James Comey or Nancy Pelosi if that were the requirement to enter paradise. Trump pushed back on the idea, suggesting that agreeing to do so would feel like he was not being authentic. He described those individuals as dishonest and bad for the country. He noted, “I love our country far more than I can love people and people like that.”

When Douthat asked if the answer to the forgiveness question was no, the president confirmed it. He stated, “The answer is no…” as he discussed the difficulties he has faced, including indictments and what he described as weaponization.

Douthat, who has written about religion, expressed surprise at the president’s position. He told the president, “Mr. President, you have had the most charmed and remarkable life of any American in my entire lifetime, and you are telling me you couldn’t find it in your heart to forgive some of your enemies? After all that’s been given to you? Come on!”

Trump appeared to struggle with how to respond to the challenge. He acknowledged that the easy answer would be to claim he could forgive them, but he stood by his stance. He replied, “I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and I always will.”

In an extended part of the session, the host asked the president how he wants his tenure to be remembered in the future. Trump paused before answering, “That I made America great again.” The interview concluded shortly after that exchange.

The White House has been contacted for comment regarding the broadcast.