U.S. President Donald Trump cited the policy of deporting illegal immigrants, one of his core domestic policies, as one of the reasons for the Republican Party's crushing defeat in the midterm elections.
While leaving open the possibility of personnel reform following the election defeat, he drew the line that he had no intention of resuming attacks targeting Iran.
In an interview with the U.S. CBS program '60 Minutes' that aired on the 8th (local time), President Trump responded to the question, 'Do you think the immigration crackdown had a disadvantage in the midterm elections?' by saying, "It was both helpful and harmful."
This was the first time President Trump sat down with a broadcast host for an official interview after the midterm elections, and it was recorded at the White House on the 6th.
In the interview, President Trump said he "deserves an A+" for closing the borders and deporting the majority of felons who entered the U.S. illegally, but added, "What hurt me is that I was deporting people with good jobs for the sole reason of entering the country illegally, even for a single violation of the law."
He continued, “A significant portion of our country now thinks they should be deported. And many others believe that if they work at landscaping companies, hotels, etc. or are good people, they should be allowed to stay,” adding, “So I think (the immigration policy) was too hard-line.”
This appears to be the first time that President Trump has cited an overly hardline policy of deporting illegal immigrants as a factor in his crushing defeat in the midterm elections. Therefore, attention is being paid to whether there will be policy changes in this regard in the future.
However, on the day this interview was conducted, President Trump nominated Stephen Miller, the architect of his immigration policy and close associate, as the new White House Chief of Staff.
President Trump cited the Iran war and the resulting high oil prices as other factors in the election defeat, and said, "It's hard to believe, but there is tremendous antipathy toward Israel."
He also said, "I think (my supporters) actually didn't vote," despite losing despite numerous requests during the election campaign to "vote as if I was on the ballot." He then claimed, “In some cases, it seems like they didn’t like the candidates.”
In addition, President Trump repeatedly claimed that the media's failure to properly report on his administration's performance was the cause of his election loss, and said, "The message (about economic performance) was misdirected. We failed to convey our intentions properly."
On whether to resume military attacks against Iran, he repeatedly drew a line at the possibility of resuming attacks immediately, saying, "I have no intention of doing so. I see no reason to do so."
He also implied that there would be no airstrikes on Pickaxe Mountain, which is suspected to be a facility for Iran's nuclear weapons program, saying, "There was no (nuclear-related) activity at all."
When asked about the costs of the war, he said, "The countries we protected will repay all the costs of the war," and claimed that the costs would be repaid by allies in the Middle East and Israel.
In addition, when asked whether he expected the Democratic Party, which controls the Senate and House of Representatives of the next Federal Assembly as a result of this election, to pursue impeachment proceedings against him, President Trump said, "I can't imagine," and "What did I do wrong? I had the best two years in the history of the presidency."
When asked about whether there would be a personnel change following the crushing election defeat, he said, "I plan to do so. Maybe I will make some personnel changes."
However, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was rumored to resign after the election, said he would likely keep his position.
In addition, President Trump announced that he will exercise his pardon power, which is the president's unique authority, during the final days of his term. When asked whether he thought he had the authority to grant a pardon to himself, he replied, "Yes, it is not unreasonable."
In addition, regarding concerns raised that the advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to the extinction of humanity, President Trump said, "I am not opposed to safety measures," but added, "But we do not want to fall behind."
