Trump on '60 Minutes': Heaven, Hard Feelings and an Iran War He Still Calls a Good Decision

President Trump's first network television interview since his party's midterm losses was by turns reflective and defensive, The Washington Post reported ^[1]. The interview with CBS correspondent Ross Douthat aired on "60 Minutes" on Sunday.

Why Republicans lost

Asked why Republicans suffered such a defeat, Trump said the No. 1 reason was that he was not personally on the ballot, the Washington Examiner reported in an editorial ^[6]. He then cited the Iran war and its effect on gas prices before naming Israel, the Examiner reported ^[6].

He also made headlines on immigration, telling Douthat that his deportation policy was too tough. "I think it was too tough," Trump said, according to ABC News, adding that it ultimately hurt him ^[2]. A day later he insisted there would be no amnesty, a reversal covered separately on this site.

The war

On Iran, Trump told 60 Minutes the war was a good decision in the long term despite its short-term costs, CBS News reported, describing the conflict as at a "status quo" and warning that the United States is "locked and loaded" ^[3].

Faith and forgiveness

The most unusual part of the interview had nothing to do with policy. Douthat, who is Catholic, steered the conversation from politics to mortality and to the Gospel's call to forgive, Catholic News Agency reported, and Trump chafed at the idea of forgiving his enemies ^[4]. Trump told Douthat he believes he will go to heaven when he dies, The Independent reported ^[5].

For many Christian viewers, it was a striking exchange. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them, a hard teaching for anyone, let alone a President who has spent years under attack. Some commentators on the right argued Trump was simply being honest about a struggle every believer knows. Others said a public figure should hold himself to the standard he claims.

The reaction

The interview drew reaction across the spectrum. Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel mocked the President's answer about heaven, The Independent reported ^[5], while conservative commentators focused on the immigration comments, which unsettled many of Trump's own supporters.

Why it matters

Presidents rarely talk this openly about losing. Trump's answers offer a window into how he sees his final two years: blaming the midterm losses on his absence and the war rather than on his agenda, standing by the Iran decision, and signaling, then walking back, flexibility on immigration.

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What to watch

Watch whether his words on immigration turn into policy changes or stay talk, how he handles the war as gas prices fall, and whether a Democratic Congress gives him reasons to deal or to fight. And watch how he answers the question Douthat asked. For a man of faith, forgiveness is not a political strategy. It is a command.