Concession on deportation policy

Donald Trump has conceded that his deportation policy was too harsh, in an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes broadcast on Sunday. Asked by correspondent Ross Douthat whether the policy had gone too far, Trump first suggested it had been, then allowed that many people would say it had been great.

The president acknowledged that the aggressive crackdown had hurt him politically, and said he was open to an arrangement allowing some undocumented immigrants to remain in the United States. He explained the political cost by pointing to who had been caught up in enforcement. He said he gets hurt because those removed included people who had good jobs and had created only a single violation.

A proposed deal with Democrats

The shape of the arrangement Trump floated was specific. He proposed targeting people convicted of serious crimes while making an accommodation for those who had been in the country for 10 or 15 years. Under his description:

• •People deported would include killers, rapists and drug dealers.
• •Long-term undocumented residents would be allowed to stay.
• •Some Democrats, Trump said, had already contacted him about a deal.

He said people who had been in the country for a decade or more should have a deal worked out for them, adding that he thought that was something actually doable.

Asked whether he could refrain from name-calling for six months if that was the price of an agreement, he replied: Very easily.

The record he was defending

Trump's self-assessment of his own policy was mixed rather than apologetic. He claimed people gave him an A+ for closing up the border and very high marks for getting the bad ones out - even as he accepted that the removal of working people had damaged him politically.

The enforcement record on the ground has drawn criticism. Since Trump returned to office, sweeping Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids at workplaces, homes and public spaces have caught people with no criminal records, separated families and spread fear in immigrant communities. Earlier this year, federal agents also shot and killed two US citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, during operations in Minneapolis.

The concession came in a notable week for the policy. On Friday, Trump had announced his decision to elevate Stephen Miller, the architect of the immigration crackdown, to White House chief of staff.

What he said next

The deportation comments were among several headlines from the interview. Trump conceded that the administration had failed to communicate its economic achievements, saying: I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me. On artificial intelligence, he signalled openness to safeguards, saying he did not mind guardrails but did not want the country in a deep second position.

The interview ended on the question of how his presidency would be remembered. Asked what single line history would record, Trump said: