"I get hurt because we also took people that had good jobs, that created one violation, or breaking of the law, and that was that they came into the country illegally," Trump said in the interview, which was recorded Friday.

The president said "a large group of people" believe immigrants who are "good people, working in a landscaping company or working in a hotel or doing something ... and, in some cases, paying taxes," should be "allowed to stay." Asked whether a deal with Democrats could include creating legal status for undocumented workers, Trump said yes.

But he also acknowledged pressure from within his own coalition, saying people "on the sort of pretty far right ... would like everybody taken out," and that some of them were in his administration. On Friday, Trump promoted Stephen Miller, who conceived of the mass deportation policy enacted since Trump returned to office, to White House chief of staff, replacing Susie Wiles.

The comments came after Democrats won control of both the House and Senate in the midterm elections, a result that will give them power to investigate the administration and challenge Trump's agenda. Trump blamed "bad messaging" for the losses.

"I think it was bad messaging, maybe by me, but I would talk about it all the time," Trump said, adding that the media did not cover "positive news for me. So I have to do it myself. I have to get it out there." Pressed by CBS News' Ross Douthat about what the "bad message" was, Trump said, "We couldn't get the word across."

The White House has mostly been without a press secretary since late August, after Karoline Leavitt left the administration. Katie Zacharia briefly replaced Leavitt but departed after just five days.

Trump also downplayed the economic impact of the Iran war and addressed questions about his personal finances. Asked about his net worth increasing by nearly $3 billion since he returned to office, Trump initially said, "So did everyone's." Forbes reports Trump's net worth at $7 billion, up $2.7 billion since he was elected in 2024. His financial disclosure forms show $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency earnings.

"I devote almost no time to my net worth. I don't care. I have a lot of money, and far more than I ever thought I'd have. And I guess it's gone up. I don't even know," Trump said, adding that one of his sons "watches over money" and that the two do not discuss finances.

Trump's sons founded cryptocurrency company World Liberty Financial two years ago. Trump is a co-owner, and investors include Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family and national security adviser for the United Arab Emirates.

"I think if I told you that story and it was about the Biden family, if I said Joe Biden is the part-owner of a company and it has all of these investments from the Middle East, you would say, 'That sounds corrupt,' right?" Douthat asked.

"Because I know nothing about it," Trump replied, adding that he did not know whether foreign investors in the company believe they are buying influence.

The interview marks a rare public concession from Trump on immigration, an issue that has animated his political base but also mobilized opposition in cities like Philadelphia, where immigrant communities and advocacy groups have organized against deportation raids. The president's openness to legal status for some undocumented workers could put him at odds with hardliners in his own party, even as he elevates Miller—one of the policy's most vocal architects—to the top staff position in the White House.