Monday, Nov 3, 2025 – Posted by Rich Miller
* From the full, unedited transcript of last night’s episode of 60 Minutes…
NORAH O’DONNELL: Immigration. I mean, you campaigned on immigration. You largely won the election on a promise to close the border–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Did great job, don’t you think?
NORAH O’DONNELL: –and you succeeded on that. Illegal crossings at the Southern border are at a 55-year low. Want to ask you about this. More recently, 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. Have some of these raids gone too far?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No. I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the– by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama. We’ve been held–
NORAH O’DONNELL: You’re okay with those tactics?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah, because you have to get the people out. You know, you have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people that were thrown outta their countries because they were, you know, criminals. Many of them are people from jails and prisons. Many of them are people from frankly mental institutions. I feel badly about that, but they’re released from insane asylums. You know why? Because they’re killers. […]
NORAH O’DONNELL: This past Tuesday, while speaking to American troops in Japan, you talked about U.S. cities that are having trouble with crime. And you said, “If we need more than the National Guard, we’ll send more than the National Guard.” What does that mean, send more than the National Guard?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, if you had to send in the Army or if you had to send in the Marines, I’d do that in a heartbeat. You know, you have a thing called the Insurrection Act. You know that, right?
NORAH O’DONNELL: Uh-huh.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Do you know that I could use that immediately and no judge can even challenge you on that. But I haven’t chosen to do it because I haven’t felt we need it. Do you know that we have a place called Chicago that, with a very bad governor. They threw him outta the family business. He became governor. Do you know that 4,000 people were murdered during his governorship. 4,000 people were murdered during his governorship, and yet he won’t let us bring in the National Guard. He won’t let us bring in– in Chicago–
NORAH O’DONNELL: But when you say, “Send in more than the National Guard,” what does that mean?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, more would be Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines.
NORAH O’DONNELL: So you’re gonna send the military into American cities?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, if I wanted to I could, if I want to use the Insurrection Act. Do you know how many presidents–
NORAH O’DONNELL: Will you– what would be the–
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No, no.
NORAH O’DONNELL: What would– what would cause you to do that?
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Do you know how many presidents have used the Insurrection Act?
NORAH O’DONNELL: Tell me.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Almost 50% of ‘em. Do you know that some of the presidents, recent ones, have used it 28 times? Twenty-eight times. The Insurrection Act has been used routinely by presidents. I haven’t chosen to use it, but if I– because I’ve done well without it. But if I needed it, I could do it. And if I needed it, that would mean I could bring in the Army, the Marines, I could bring in whoever I want. But I haven’t chosen to use it. I hope you give me credit for that. […]
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, let me just say, cashless bail is a disaster. It’s gotta be changed. Sanctuary cities really have to be changed. They’re sanctuary, you know what they’re sanctuary for? Criminals. Things– some basic things have to be changed. But one of the things I really have focused on is making Chicago great again.
Making– and we’re just getting started in Chicago. But what we did in D.C., where we took D.C. from being so bad to so beautiful, such good– the restaurants are booming. You can’t get into a restaurant. They were closing and now they’re all opening every– you can’t get a restaurant now.
You can’t get into a restaurant. But you c– if you wanna buy a restaurant or– or own a restaurant you almost can’t find it. I wanna make this happen all over the country. I want it to be like that in New York, in L.A., in Chicago. I wanna do it as much as you can.
Deep breaths before commenting.
