Trump Rapidly U-Turns After Shock Admission Backfires
The president has U-turned on his own U-turn.
Evan Vucci/REUTERS
Donald Trump has abruptly reversed course after sparking fury among his MAGA base by suggesting he was open to giving some undocumented migrants a path to legal status.
The president appeared to signal a dramatic softening of his hardline deportation agenda following the Republicans’ midterm losses, admitting his crackdown may have gone too far and cost his party votes.
In a Sunday interview with CBS’s 60 Minutes, Trump floated the possibility of striking a bipartisan immigration deal with Democrats, who have long pushed for legal protections for undocumented migrants who have spent years working, paying taxes and raising families in the U.S.

Trump spoke with CBS correspondent Ross Douthat after his midterm mauling.
CBS / 60 Minutes
While insisting that “killers” and “drug dealers” should be deported, Trump suggested there was room for a different approach to migrants without criminal records.
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“If they’re good people working in a landscaping company, or working in a hotel, or doing something, right? And in some cases, paying taxes—there’s a large group of people who think that they should be allowed to stay,” he said.
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Trump went further, saying he would “love” to work with Democrats to ease some of his immigration restrictions, describing an agreement allowing certain long-term migrants to remain in the country as “something that’s actually doable.”
He also acknowledged that his administration’s sweeping deportation campaign, which has deported around 90,000 people who had lived in the U.S. for at least a decade, had ensnared people with jobs and no criminal history. “We also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, were breaking a law, and that was that they came into the country illegally,” the president admitted.
But Trump’s apparent willingness to compromise quickly triggered a backlash from his own MAGA base, with prominent conservative voices accusing him of abandoning one of his central campaign promises.
“I’m kind of confused because I voted for no endless wars and mass deportations but feels like I’m getting endless wars and amnesty… I hope I’m wrong,” MAGA commentator Tomi Lahren wrote on X.
James Fishback, the failed Republican candidate for Florida governor, was even more blunt.
“Trump 6 months ago: ‘We must work to stop the Democrats on mass amnesty.’ Trump now: ‘We must work with the Democrats on mass amnesty.’ Betrayer in Chief,” he posted.
Now, however, Trump appears to have slammed the door on the prospect of an immigration compromise, insisting that he will not support any deal involving amnesty for undocumented migrants.
“There won’t be amnesty,” he told reporters at the White House, adding: “Somebody suggested, will there be amnesty? No, but—they came in. They knew the law.”
Attempting to shut down questions about the apparent reversal, Trump insisted: “My policy hasn’t changed.”
He said the administration would instead remain focused on removing “the worst of the worst.”
The White House, meanwhile, has insisted that Trump never suggested an amnesty.
“The president never said the word amnesty,” a White House official told the Daily Beast.
“There has never been a President stronger on immigration enforcement than President Trump. Thanks to his efforts more than 3 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. and we have the most secure border in American history. Like the President has said, he’s willing to work with anyone to improve the lives of Americans and Make America Safe Again. We want Democrats to show their cards.”
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