President Donald Trump said in a 60 Minutes interview taped Friday that Republicans lost Tuesday's midterm elections largely because he was not on the ballot, while defending his handling of the economy and the war with Iran.1,3
The interview with correspondent Ross Douthat came days after Democrats regained control of both the House and the Senate, with Republican losses including more than 40 House seats and at least seven Senate seats with some races still uncalled. Trump used the conversation to explain the defeat, defend his record on jobs and Iran, acknowledge problems on messaging and immigration enforcement, and signal that some top officials could leave.1,3
About 63 percent of midterm voters disapproved of Trump's job performance, and 44 percent said one reason for their vote was to express opposition to him, according to CBS News exit polling. The polling also found three-fourths of voters viewed the condition of the economy as either poor or not so good, with 70 percent of that group voting for Democratic House candidates, and two-thirds saying Trump's tariff policies hurt the country's economy.1
Asked why Republicans lost, including in places he won by double-digit margins two years ago, Trump said voters "didn't like the war" with Iran or the soaring gas prices it triggered. But he said he believes the primary reason was that "I was not on the ballot," an explanation he has offered several times in recent days, and suggested his pre-election endorsements and rallies "brought a lot of people … a lot closer to victory."1
Ahead of Election Day, Trump frequently urged supporters to "pretend that I'm on the ballot." Asked what happened, he said, "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," Trump said. Some of the candidates were selected with his support, including Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Sen. John Cornyn in the Texas Senate primary and Sen. Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill her late brother's South Carolina Senate seat, to run for a full term. Trump argued that "Cornyn would have lost also."1
The interview came hours after a stronger-than-expected jobs report, and Trump said of the economy that "the numbers are phenomenal." He added, "We're doing numbers that have never been done before. 401(k)s are at their all-time high by a lot. Under other presidents, they were a disaster. 401(k)s have made people rich," Trump said. Pressed on the fact that not all Americans have large retirement accounts, he responded, "But a lot of people do."1
Voters were especially concerned about prices of gasoline, food, utilities and health care, and Trump said the problem was that "we couldn't get the word across." He said, "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?" Trump said. He predicted Americans are "going to notice it in the next two, three, four months," arguing his policies will lead to a resurgence of manufacturing jobs.1
The morning after the election, Vice President JD Vance wrote on social media that "the real reason we lost is obvious to almost everyone" — the broadly unpopular Iran war. Trump said Vance told him about the plan to write that post, and he responded, "You write what you want." Trump said, "I don't disagree" with Vance's diagnosis, "other than one thing." He continued, "The one thing he left out is — that I would say, and maybe he wouldn't say it, I don't know. I've never asked him really. But, if you had … to do again, would you do it? And that's Iran. Would you go and attack Iran?" Trump said his answer is an "emphatic yes," arguing Iran's conventional military has been degraded and its nuclear program has been set back.1
Trump said, "I think historically, this will be a very good decision. Is it a good decision for today and tomorrow? Maybe not? But … I have to go with what's right for our country," Trump said. He added, "If they had a nuclear weapon during my term, I would be excoriated far worse than what's happened." Later in the day, in a visit to the Oval Office, he pointed to a portrait of Ulysses S. Grant and said, "I mean, he was very low on the list and now he's much higher on the list," Trump said. He added, "I think as an example — the fact that I have taken the nuclear weapon away from Iran will not be good, short-term. But long-term, I think it's going to be very important."1
Since September, Iran and the United States have largely held off from major attacks, though the United States launched a set of limited defensive strikes on Iranian targets earlier this week. Trump has suggested in recent months that the war could ramp up again after the election, but he has also frequently predicted Iran is interested in striking a deal, with Qatar mediating a diplomatic push between the two sides. He said he believes Iran is close to striking a deal, but the election outcome "gives them a little bit of a hope certificate." Asked if he plans to escalate now that the midterms are over, he said, "Well, I'm not looking to. I don't think there's any reason to."1
Trump's victory in 2024 was fueled in part by voters' discontent with the Biden administration's immigration policies, but this year exit polling showed 58 percent think the Trump administration's actions on immigration have gone too far. In battleground Texas, many Latino voters who shifted to Trump two years ago moved back to Democrats over those concerns, and Trump acknowledged his deportation policy was at times too severe when he said, "I think it was too tough." He also said he could "very easily" refrain from insulting Democrats to make a bipartisan deal, and Douthat said Trump had expressed a willingness to work with Democrats on immigration reform.1,2,3
On staffing, Douthat said, "In a previous lifetime, you were rather famous for saying ‘you’re fired’ quite often," and asked, "After a big midterm defeat like this, do you expect to fire anyone?" Trump replied, "I do, a little bit," Trump said. He added, "I love my cabinet. I think they’re good. But I’ll be doing maybe a few changes. I don’t want to mention who…" About an hour after the taping, Trump announced on Truth Social, "I am pleased to announce that Mr. Stephen Miller, the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Trump Administration, and one of my most trusted advisors, will become the Chief of Staff starting Monday, November 9, 2026," Trump wrote. He added, "Susie Wiles, who has done an outstanding job, will be moving over to the Trump Political Operation." The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had grown frustrated with Wiles, whom he calls the "ice maiden," and shouted at her in front of others on election night.1,3
Asked about Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who played a central role in the Iran war and faces calls to resign, with Democrats vowing to pursue his impeachment and some Republicans questioning his leadership, Douthat asked, "Do you have confidence in him?" Trump said, "I do," Trump said. He added, "Look, we’ve won two wars. We’ve won Venezuela and taken out billions and billions and billions of dollars already, and we will be taking out many billions of dollars and get along very well…We won that war in less than one hour. And nobody was killed." Asked, "You credit Pete Hegseth for that?" Trump replied, "No, but he was a part of it," Trump said. Douthat later said, "There’s a slight tension between personnel choices and the president’s professed view of where he might make a deal with the Democratic Party," and when asked whether Trump had named any other administration officials who could be fired, Douthat said, "He declined to be specific."3
Miller is scheduled to start as chief of staff Monday, with the possibility of additional changes still open. Iran talks mediated by Qatar continue, with Trump saying a deal is close, and the full interview was set to air Sunday.1,3
