Trump says he wants to work with Democrats on immigration. Then admits his current policy is ‘too tough’ and it hurt him in the midterms

President Donald Trump said during a Sunday interview on 60 Minutes that he is open to working with Democrats on immigration. He also told correspondent Ross Douthat that his current approach was “too tough” and that it ultimately hurt him in the midterms.

Douthat asked Trump what one thing he would like to work with a Democratic majority on. Trump answered with a single word: “Immigration.” Douthat then pressed further, asking whether immigration issues had hurt Trump in the midterms and whether the crackdown itself had done so.

Trump said he believed the policy both helped and hurt him. He credited himself with an A-plus for closing the border and said he received very high marks for removing the bad ones. At the same time, he noted that authorities had also removed people who held good jobs and whose only violation was entering the country illegally.

Trump says some removals of working people proved too tough

Trump’s remarks signal a significant shift in his hardline immigration policy. Earlier this year, his administration announced that it would suspend immigration visa approvals from 75 countries. But in his 60 Minutes interview, Trump seemed willing to soften his stance regarding the matter.

Trump described a split in public opinion. He said a large part of the country believes those individuals should be put out. He also said a large part of the country believes they should be allowed to stay if they are good people working in landscaping or in a hotel, and in some cases paying taxes.

When Douthat asked whether Trump thought his deportation policy had gone too far, Trump answered, “I think it was too tough.” Douthat followed up by repeating the phrase, and Trump responded, “I think it might be too tough, yeah, and I think ultimately that hurt me.”

Douthat then asked what a deal with Democrats would look like. Trump said they would work something out and that he viewed it as something that is actually doable. Douthat asked specifically whether that could mean creating some kind of legal status for the landscapers.

Trump gave the example of a woman working in a hotel as a maid, a cleaner, or a waitress who performs a lot of good things in great jobs. He said that when such a person is suddenly taken out of the country, it is tough. He added that there is a group of people on the pretty far right who would like everybody taken out.

Douthat asked if any of those people work in Trump’s administration. Trump answered, “Yes.” Trump, however, would not name names.

The Wall Street Journal published a report examining the factors behind Trump’s and the GOP’s midterm setbacks. According to the newspaper, Melania Trump expressed concerns about the deportations, telling people that individuals she knew were being deported. Trump also reportedly told aides that Stephen Miller, his new chief of staff, had “gone too far” with the deportation campaign.