US President Trump defended his administration’s ICE raids and argued “they haven’t gone far enough” in a “60 Minutes” interview that aired Sunday night, his first sit-down with CBS News since suing the network. The interview was filmed Friday at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. He dismissed criticism of his immigration crackdown and blamed “the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama” for holding back the raids, according to a preview of the programme. CBS News anchor Norah O’Donnell said “Americans have been watching videos of ICE tackling a young mother, tear gas being used in a Chicago residential neighborhood, and the smashing of car windows,” and asked, “You’re okay with those tactics?” Trump replied, “I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” and added, “Yeah, because you have to get the people out.” Trump also weighed in on the New York mayoral race, targeting “communist” front-runner Zohran Mamdani. “He’s far worse than a socialist,” the president said. O’Donnell asked, “Some people have described him as a left-wing version of you … charismatic, breaking the old rules. What do you think about that?” Trump quipped “Well, I think I’m a much better-looking person than him, right?” The “60 Minutes” interview comes weeks after Bari Weiss, a former opinion editor for the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times who founded the Free Press, became editor-in-chief of CBS News. Trump sued CBS parent company Paramount over a 2024 “60 Minutes” segment featuring then-vice president Kamala Harris.
