President Donald Trump said he wouldn’t forgive some of his political enemies even if it kept him from entering heaven.
The president made his views clear during an interview with CBS News' "60 Minutes" correspondent Ross Douthat, his first sit-down since the midterm elections. The segment aired Nov. 8.
"What do you think happens to Donald Trump when you die?" asked Douthat. "I'm a religious person," said Trump. "So, in theory, I go to heaven."
Douthat then mentioned the "moving Christian forgiveness" of Erika Kirk, widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who said she forgave her husband's alleged killer during Kirk’s memorial in September 2025. Douthat reminded Trump of his own comments, who followed Kirk’s speech at the memorial and said he hated
his opponents and didn’t want the best for them.
"Let’s say you pass away, you're entering the next life, and all you have to do to enter paradise is feel love and forgiveness for James Comey, Nancy Pelosi, anyone who you have expressed hate for over the years," said Douthat. "Do you think you can do it?"
Trump said the "easy answer" to that would be to say, “Yes, I could forgive.”
"Then I wouldn’t be real, would I?" he asked.
'I do hate some of my enemies'
Trump went on to describe people he couldn’t forgive as "extremely dishonest people, very bad people, very bad for our country. I love our country far more than I can love people and people like that."
Then Douthat put it more bluntly: "Is the answer no before the Judgment (Day)?"
"The answer is no. I want to be honest,” said Trump, who was impeached twice by the U.S. House of Representatives while Rep. Nancy Pelosi was speaker.
As FBI director, Comey oversaw the investigation into potential ties between the Trump campaign and Russia during the 2016 election. During Trump's second term, the Department of Justice brought multiple federal cases and charges against Comey, which Comey has maintained are acts of political retaliation.
"I do hate some of my enemies,” said Trump. "I think they've been terrible. Look what they put me through, the weaponization."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump says he won't forgive his enemies, even to get into heaven
