Monday, November 9, 2026
The White House is pushing back against the way President Donald Trump's "60 Minutes" interview is being reported. In the interview that aired Sunday — his first sit-down since the midterm elections — the President said he would love to do something on immigration and would "work a deal" for people who have been in the United States illegally for "10 and 15 years" and have committed no other crimes. Coverage of the interview quickly turned that into an "amnesty" deal. A White House official told Fox News Digital on Monday morning: "The President never said the word amnesty."
"We want Democrats to show their cards," the official said. The White House would not rule out working with Democrats on a deal covering illegal immigrants who have been in the United States for more than a decade — and would not clarify what such a deal would include.
The official pointed to the President's enforcement record: "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."
In the interview itself, the President drew a clear line: get the killers and criminals out, and deal differently with people who hold jobs — in a landscaping company, in a hotel — are in some cases paying taxes, and whose only violation was entering the country illegally. He also acknowledged that part of his own base wants everyone deported regardless.
Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida, a Republican, celebrated the comments, saying what the President described "is what the Dignity Act is all about" — her bill would offer legal status to people who have been in the United States continuously since 2020, provided they have committed no other crimes and pay a restitution fee and back taxes.
The interview was taped before Stephen Miller, the administration's leading immigration hawk, was selected to be President Trump's new chief of staff. Some supporters of strict enforcement reacted angrily to the interview, calling any deal a betrayal of the deportation promises the President campaigned on.
For American workers and families, what happens next matters on both sides of the question: any deal would decide the future of millions of long-settled workers in industries from hotels to construction, while the White House's condition — that Democrats show their cards first — means nothing moves until the incoming Democratic Congress puts its own terms on the table.
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