Trump says he ‘doesn’t want to go to hell’ when asked about death in 60 Minutes interview

President Donald Trump faced questions about his mortality in his first major interview since last week’s crushing midterms defeat for Republicans, saying he doesn’t want to go to hell when he dies.

Sitting down with correspondent Ross Douthat for Sunday night’s instalment of 60 Minutes on CBS News, the president did concede that inflation and high gas prices sparked by his war with Iran had played a part in his side’s defeat but otherwise reverted to blaming the media, his own candidates and voters for failing to turn out in sufficient numbers.

Douthat, a recent addition to the program and a conservative Catholic, eventually invited Trump to reflect on his legacy, abruptly shifting the focus of their conversation by saying: “Let’s talk about death.”

After noting that the president had had several brushes with death in recent years – not least when he was clipped in the right ear by a sniper’s bullet while speaking at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024 – Douthat suggested that such experiences must have had “some kind of effect” on his psychology and asked: “What do you think happens when you die?”

“Well, I hope I’m missed,” Trump answered with a chuckle. “I hope I’m missed, I don’t know... I think I’ve done a good job as...”

Pressing him further, the journalist asked: “What do you think happens to Donald Trump when you die? Not your memory, yourself.”

“You mean where I go?,” the president responded. “Well, I’m a religious person, so in theory I go to heaven.”

“Do you think you are going to heaven?” Douthat asked.

“I hope so. I don’t want to go to hell,” Trump answered.

The CBS reporter went on to reference comments Trump made at a memorial for the murdered Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk in Arizona last year, when he said of his enemies: “I hate my opponents and I don’t want the best for them.”

Douthat acknowledged that the president had been joking but observed, “I think that facts come through jokes,” to which Trump agreed.

Elsewhere in the interview, the president insisted the economy was in “phenomenal” shape and that it had simply been a matter of inadequate messaging that led the American electorate to believe otherwise.

He said he agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s assessment that the unpopular Iran conflict had cost the GOP support but said he would not hesitate to attack Tehran again if he had his time over while underlining that he is “not looking to” do so currently.

Perhaps Trump’s most surprising reflection was that his hard-line immigration policies had perhaps been “too tough” and alienated the public, saying he deserved an A+ for closing the border and deporting undocumented migrants who had committed crimes but that people had reacted against the actions taken against illegal immigrants who were making positive contributions to society.

The interview was recorded before the president announced Friday that his long-serving White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles was stepping aside and being replaced by adviser Stephen Miller but he nevertheless trailed turnover within his top team.

“I love my Cabinet,” he told Douthat. “[But] I’ll be doing maybe a few changes.”