President Donald Trump drew sharp pushback from parts of his MAGA base after a Sunday night interview on 60 Minutes. During the conversation, he signaled that he could be willing to work with Democrats on letting a sizable group of people who entered the country illegally remain in the United States. Mediaite points out that some outlets and influencers read the remarks as openness to amnesty for workers without criminal records who play a role in the economy.
Ross Douthat asked Trump whether immigration had hurt him in the midterms and whether the crackdown itself had done the same. Trump replied that the record was mixed. He stated, “I think it both helped and hurt. I think I got an A-plus for closing up the border. I get very high marks for getting the bad ones out. But I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs that committed one violation or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally.”
Trump went on to describe differing views across the country. He said a large segment wants those individuals removed, while another large segment believes they should stay if they are good people working in landscaping companies or hotels and, in some cases, paying taxes.
White House and MAGA outlets respond to the 60 Minutes exchange
He added, “Now, there is a large part of the country that thinks they should be put out, and there’s a large part of the country that thinks they should be allowed to stay. If they’re good people working in a landscaping company or working in a hotel or doing something right, in some cases paying taxes, there is a large group of people who think that they should be allowed to stay.”
The White House’s rapid response account on X addressed the criticism directly. In a reply to a post from The Blaze, the account stated, “Wrong. The word ‘amnesty’ was never even said in this entire exchange.” The response pushed back on claims that Trump had floated amnesty for illegal migrants who hold jobs and have clean records. The backlash also lands at a tense moment, with parts of the base already accusing Trump of sabotaging the midterm elections.
The Blaze was not alone in raising objections. The Gateway Pundit ran an article about the interview under the headline The End of America… Trump Says He May Grant Amnesty to Illegals Who Have Been Here for 10-15 Years. The piece presented the comments as Trump suggesting a possible path for long-term illegal immigrants to remain.
Fox host Tomi Lahren joined the criticism by sharing an older statement from Trump. She posted his 2013 tweet that read, “Amnesty is suicide for Republicans.Not one of those 12 million who broke our laws will vote Republican. Obama is laughing at @GOP.” The post contrasted Trump’s earlier opposition to amnesty with the remarks from the Sunday interview.
Other MAGA-aligned outlets and influencers also voiced concern after the 60 Minutes segment aired. They argued that the comments moved away from a strict approach to immigration enforcement. The reactions centered on Trump’s indication that some people who entered illegally, hold jobs, and have no additional violations might be allowed to stay through a potential arrangement with Democrats. The mood echoes other die-hard supporters feeling betrayed by Trump.
Published: Nov 10, 2026 08:00 am