President Donald Trump said he could not forgive some of his political enemies during a Sunday interview on CBS' 60 Minutes that turned to death, faith and the afterlife. The 80-year-old president faced questions from correspondent Ross Douthat about whether his religious beliefs extended to forgiveness.
The exchange came during Trump's first sit-down interview since the midterm elections, according to The Daily Beast. Douthat, a conservative Catholic writer and former New York Times commentator, joined the program for its latest season. Originally reported by The Daily Beast.
Questions about mortality and heaven
Douthat asked whether surviving multiple assassination attempts had changed Trump's understanding of his own mortality. When asked what happens after death, Trump initially focused on whether people would miss him, rather than what he believed would happen to him personally.
After Douthat clarified that distinction, Donald Trump said: "Well, I'm a religious person, so in theory I go to heaven."
The conversation then moved from Trump's expectations of an afterlife to the Christian teaching of forgiveness. Douthat raised the memorial service for murdered right-wing activist Charlie Kirk last year, where Kirk's widow, Erika, had spoken about forgiving enemies.
Comey and Pelosi become a test of forgiveness
Douthat contrasted that message with Trump's remarks at the memorial expressing hatred toward his opponents. He acknowledged a joking element in those remarks but pressed the president on the beliefs behind them.
The correspondent posed a hypothetical: Could Trump feel love and forgiveness toward former FBI director James Comey and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi if doing so were required to enter paradise?
Trump said an affirmative answer would be easy but would not reflect his feelings. He described both political adversaries as dishonest and harmful to the country, arguing that his love of the country outweighed any affection for them.
When Douthat challenged him to consider forgiveness in light of his extraordinary life, Donald Trump replied: "I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and I always will."
A closing question on his legacy
In an extended version of the interview, Douthat asked how Trump wanted his presidency remembered a century later. Trump returned to his signature political message, saying his legacy would be making America great again.
Originally reported by The Daily Beast.