President Donald Trump said he is preparing to make additional changes to his Cabinet as he reshapes his agenda for the final two years of his presidency after the Republican Party’s crushing midterm election defeat.
In a wide-ranging interview with CBS 60 Minutes, Trump acknowledged that some members of his administration could soon leave office. He also outlined his plans on immigration, the economy and the ongoing war with Iran.
Trump said he was considering issuing a large number of presidential pardons before leaving the White House and offered clues about who could eventually lead the Republican Party in 2028.
Asked by correspondent Ross Douthat whether he expected to dismiss anyone after the election losses, Trump replied: “I do. Yeah.” He then added: “Little bit.”
“I love my Cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t wanna mention who.”
The interview was recorded Friday, only hours before Trump announced that White House chief of staff Susie Wiles would step down.
Wiles, who submitted her resignation Thursday night, is being replaced by longtime Trump ally Stephen Miller, one of the administration’s most powerful voices on immigration policy.
Trump’s remarks, however, indicated that the personnel shake-up may extend beyond the chief of staff’s office.
President Donald Trump said he was considering further Cabinet changes after the Republican Party suffered a crushing midterm election defeat
Trump has already replaced White House chief of staff Susie Wiles with longtime ally Stephen Miller, one of the administration’s leading voices on immigration
Susie Wiles resigned as White House chief of staff last week, with Trump announcing her departure shortly after recording his 60 Minutes interview
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is among the officials whose future has come under scrutiny.
CBS reported that Trump had privately asked advisers whether Hegseth should remain in his post, even as the president publicly maintained that he had confidence in his Pentagon chief.
Trump reiterated that support during the interview.
“They want to impeach him. Very unfair,” he said, while defending what he described as American military victories in Venezuela and Iran.
“We had two wars, we won both.”
The possible Cabinet changes come after Republicans endured a devastating midterm defeat, losing control of both the House and Senate.
Democrats won more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats, although several races remained unresolved.
Trump conceded that voters were dissatisfied with his handling of the Iran conflict and the resulting spike in gasoline prices.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced questions about his future, although Trump said he still supports the Pentagon chief despite calls for his removal
Vice President JD Vance is viewed as a leading contender to succeed Trump in 2028, although Trump has not endorsed him
Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio as “great” while discussing potential successors to his MAGA movement
“They didn’t like the war. They didn’t like the fact that gasoline went up,” he said.
At the same time, Trump argued that Republicans’ poor performance was partly caused by his absence from the ballot, despite his extensive campaigning on behalf of the party.
“I think they didn’t vote, really. I think they didn’t vote. I think in some cases, they didn’t like the candidates. And that’s, you know, their prerogative.”
The president also acknowledged that his administration had failed to persuade voters that its economic policies were delivering results.
“I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time. So I don’t know, how much can I talk about it?” he said.
Trump nevertheless insisted that the economy was performing exceptionally well. He predicted that voters would begin to see the benefits within months as new factories open and manufacturing investments come online.
MORE ON THIS: Scotland 21-43 New Zealand: All Blacks claim emphatic Murrayfield win
Immigration enforcement is also likely to become a focus of Trump’s agenda for the remainder of his presidency.
In one of the interview’s most notable admissions, Trump suggested that his administration may have gone too far in deporting some undocumented immigrants.
“I think it might be too tough, yeah. And a lotta people would say that it’s great. But a lotta people think it’s too tough,” he said.
Trump made the comments during a wide-ranging interview with 60 Minutes correspondent Ross Douthat, right, as he outlined his plans for the final two years of his presidency
Trump said he loves his Cabinet but acknowledged that he could make “a few changes” as Democrats prepare to take control of Congress
Trump defended launching the war against Iran despite agreeing with Vance that the unpopular conflict contributed to Republican losses in the midterms
Trump said the removal of dangerous criminals would remain a priority, but argued that some undocumented immigrants who had spent years working in the United States—including hotel employees and landscapers—deserved different consideration.
He also indicated that he was open to negotiating with Democrats after their gains in Congress.
“I’d love to do something on immigration,” he said.
Asked whether he could stop attacking Democrats for six months if doing so helped secure a bipartisan immigration agreement, Trump replied: “Very easily.”
On Iran, however, Trump showed little interest in reconsidering his decision to launch the war, even while acknowledging its political fallout.
He agreed with Vice President JD Vance’s view that the conflict had hurt Republican prospects in the election but insisted the military action had been justified.
Asked whether he would make the same choice again, Trump gave an “emphatic yes.”
“I think historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not,” he said.
Even so, Trump said he had no immediate intention of expanding the conflict.
“Well, I’m not looking to. I don’t think there’s any reason to,” he said.
Trump maintained that his economic policies were working despite concerns about rising costs, while conceding that poor messaging may have contributed to the Republican defeat
Trump acknowledged that his aggressive deportation campaign may have gone too far and said some hardworking undocumented immigrants deserved different treatment. Pictured, ICE agents conduct enforcement operations in Minneapolis
Trump defended the war against Iran as necessary to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons but said he was not seeking to escalate the conflict. Pictured, strikes hit the Iranian capital Tehran in March
Looking toward 2028, Trump suggested that he could endorse a Republican candidate to succeed him, although he stopped short of making a firm commitment.
“Probably. Not necessarily,” he said when asked whether he would endorse a successor.
He singled out Secretary of State Marco Rubio for praise. Rubio is regarded as a potential challenger to Vance for the Republican nomination.
“I think Marco’s great,” Trump said, while acknowledging that the party had several possible successors.
Asked whether the MAGA movement could continue without him leading it, Trump replied: “I think so. Because MAGA is basically common sense, you know?”
Trump also said he plans to make extensive use of his presidential pardon powers before leaving office.
“I intend to issue tremendous numbers of pardons,” he said, explaining that he wanted to protect people who had worked in his administration from potentially enduring years of legal battles.
When asked whether he intended to pardon himself, Trump replied: “I don’t,” while suggesting that the possibility was not entirely unreasonable.
With Democrats preparing to take control of Congress, Trump faces two years of divided government, potential investigations and challenging negotiations over the rest of his presidency.
