President Donald Trump discussed Republicans' resounding midterms loss in a new "60 Minutes" interview, his first sit-down since the elections.
In the interview, which aired Nov. 8, Trump attributed Democrats' big wins at the polls to the fact that he was not up for reelection.
"I think if I was on the ballot, it would have been a much different situation," he told correspondent Ross Douthat.
Despite his rallying on the campaign trail for several GOP contenders, Trump said his supporters had to transfer their votes to "candidates that they didn't like."
Voters overwhelmingly backed Democrats in an election cycle that will shape Trump's final two years in office.
In addition to addressing the midterms outcome, Trump also discussed his administration's
future and the issues that have defined his second presidency so far on "60 Minutes." Here are three takeaways from the interview.
Trump cites Iran war for Republicans' midterms loss
Trump cited the Iran war and heightened gas prices as the key factors behind Democrats' decisive midterms victory.
"There seems to be a dislike for Israel. So you have that, you have the war itself, you have the gas prices and I think those are the primary reasons," he said.
The president praised the economy, including October's promising new jobs report. But he stopped short of attributing the Iran war for the cost of living.
"It's not really the Iran war because the numbers are phenomenal. The numbers that we have are historically good numbers," 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 also said he doesn't disagree with Vice President JD Vance blaming Republicans' midterms loss on the Iran war. The president, however, said Vance was part of the decision making process to launch the strikes on Iran. Trump said he wished Vance would have said whether, if given a do-over, he would still launch strikes on Iran.
"My answer is an emphatic yes because you can't let Iran have a nuclear weapon. 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.
Trump calls deportation policies 'too tough'
The president also said his hardline mass deportation push may have also cost him in midterms.
"I think it might be too tough," he said, adding, "I think ultimately that hurt me."
He said he is open to working with the new Democratic majority in Congress on an immigration deal.
"I think that's something that's actually doable," he said.
Trump also noted that officials have deported many people without criminal records but with good jobs who have been in the country for years.
"There's a large part of the country that think that they should be allowed to stay if they're good people working in a landscaping company or working in a hotel," he said.
Polls have shown that voters think U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has been too forceful in executing deportation policies around the country.
Before Susie Wiles departure, Trump hinted at changes to his cabinet
During the interview, which CBS said was conducted hours before the president announced Stephen Miller would replace Susie Wiles as the White House chief of staff, Trump hinted at changes to his cabinet.
When Douthat asked Trump if planned on firing anyone from his team after the midterms, he said, "I do, a little bit."
"I love my Cabinet. I think they're good. But I'll be doing maybe a few changes," Trump added.
He also said he has confidence in Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, who has been the subject of bipartisan criticismfrom lawmakers, including for an attempt to livestream an execution and using a messaging app to discuss a classified military operation.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie, a consistent Trump critic, introduced articles of impeachment against Hegseth in September, but the House went on a seven-week recess before lawmakers could vote on it. The House returned Nov. 9, with the impeachment push expected to go forward before Congress finishes its work for the year.
Contributing: Zac Anderson and Jay Stahl
Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. Keep up with her on Instagram @bymelinakhan and TikTok @melina.khan2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 3 takeaways from Trump's '60 Minutes' interview
