Following significant Republican midterm election losses where the party lost over 40 House seats and seven Senate seats, President Donald Trump admitted his administration's mass deportation policy was "too tough" and contributed to the defeat. Despite expressing interest in negotiating an immigration deal with incoming congressional Democrats, Trump simultaneously named hardline immigration architect Stephen Miller as White House chief of staff.
Trump's self-assessment on immigration
- ▪President Donald Trump acknowledged in a November 8, 2026 CBS 60 Minutes interview that his administration's mass deportation policy was "too tough" and hurt Republicans in the 2026 midterm elections, noting deporting working undocumented immigrants damaged his standing
- ▪In a November 8, 2026 60 Minutes interview, President Donald Trump gave his administration an "A+" grade for closing the U.S. southern border
Polling on immigration and Trump's performance
- ▪According to CBS News exit polling from the November 2026 midterms, about 63% of voters disapproved of President Donald Trump's job performance, and 44% voted specifically to express opposition to him
- ▪An Associated Press-NORC poll in July 2026 showed public approval of the Trump administration's handling of immigration fell to 39%, a 10-point drop from the start of his second term
- ▪Exit polling from the November 2026 midterm elections showed that 58% of voters believed the Trump administration's immigration actions went too far
Midterm election results and attributed causes
- ▪President Donald Trump attributed Republicans' 2026 midterm election losses primarily to his absence from the ballot, while also citing voter opposition to the Iran war
- ▪Republicans lost more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats in the November 2026 midterm elections, including losses in heavily Latino regions like South Texas
- ▪In Texas, Democrat James Talarico defeated Trump-backed Republican Ken Paxton in the November 2026 Senate election after Paxton defeated incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Republican primary
Proposals for legal status for undocumented workers
- ▪Republican Representative Maria Salazar introduced legislation in Congress aimed at establishing legal status for undocumented immigrants without providing a pathway to U.S. citizenship
- ▪President Donald Trump expressed interest during his November 8, 2026 60 Minutes interview in working with congressional Democrats to create a legal compromise for long-term undocumented workers
- ▪Former DHS official Adam Klein noted to Newsweek that while President Donald Trump acknowledged enforcement issues, deciding not to deport long-term residents differs significantly from granting permanent legal status
Stephen Miller's appointment and backlash
- ▪As an architect of the administration's immigration strategy, Stephen Miller previously pressed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to conduct at least 3,000 arrests per day
- ▪President Donald Trump announced the replacement of White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles with immigration hardliner Stephen Miller following Wiles's departure on November 5, 2026
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