In his first 60 Minutes appearance in five years, President Donald Trump defended his policies on immigration, trade, and foreign affairs while faulting Democrats for the nation’s prolonged government shutdown. The wide-ranging interview with Norah O’Donnell at Mar-a-Lago came amid rising tensions both at home and abroad, and after a previous legal battle between Trump and CBS’s parent company, Paramount.
Trump attributed the now monthlong shutdown to Democratic obstruction. Senate Democrats are blocking efforts to reopen the government until Republicans agree to extend government subsidies for over 20 million Americans who use Obamacare for their health insurance.
“The Republicans are voting almost unanimously to end it, and the Democrats keep voting against ending it,” Mr. Trump said. “You know, they’ve never had this. This has happened like 18 times before. The Democrats always voted for an extension, always saying, ‘Give us an extension, we’ll work it out.'”
He said Democrats have become “crazed lunatics” who have “lost their way.”
While federal workers remain unpaid and millions risk losing food benefits, the president insisted his approach was consistent and would continue until Congress acts. He credited his tariffs for record stock market gains and warned that overturning his authority to impose them would devastate the economy.
On domestic security, Trump said the recent ICE raids on undocumented immigrants were insufficient and approved of aggressive enforcement tactics. He also confirmed the deployment of National Guard units to several U.S. cities and said he would not hesitate to invoke the Insurrection Act if unrest required military intervention.
The president addressed the recent indictments of James Comey, John Bolton, and New York Attorney General Letitia James, claiming no involvement but suggesting justice officials acted on evidence of corruption.
Trump defended his order to resume nuclear weapons testing, asserting that the U.S. must match the activities of rivals like Russia and China. He recently met with Chinese President Xi Jinping to secure a one-year trade deal reducing tariffs and reopening markets for U.S. agricultural exports and rare earth minerals.
Internationally, Trump maintained that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains stable and said Hamas would face swift consequences for violations. On Ukraine, he blamed the conflict on the previous administration, contrasting his diplomatic approach with President Biden’s.
He also defended U.S. military strikes on Venezuelan drug smuggling operations, saying he would not discuss possible escalation.
Closing the interview, Trump downplayed talk of a third-term run in 2028 but praised Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as part of what he called a strong Republican bench.
Source: CBS