Former President Donald Trump stated that he "cannot" forgive his enemies and indicated he never would, even if such forgiveness were a prerequisite for entering Heaven. He expressed a preference for remaining in purgatory over extending forgiveness to those he considers his foes.
These remarks were made during a "60 Minutes" interview with correspondent Ross Douthat. Douthat initially inquired if Trump believed he would go to heaven, to which the former president responded, "I hope so. I don't want to go to hell."
The conversation then shifted to a statement Trump made at a funeral for political activist Charlie Kirk, where he remarked, "I hate my opponents and don’t want the best for them." Douthat then posed a hypothetical scenario: entering paradise hinges on feeling love and forgiveness for individuals like former FBI Director James Comey and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Trump was asked if he could achieve this.
Trump described those named as "extremely dishonest people, very bad people, very bad for our country." When asked directly if his answer was no, he replied, "The answer is no. I want to be honest."
When Douthat pressed further, suggesting that refusing forgiveness in this context would mean denying it before "the judgment throne of God," Trump remained steadfast. "Before the judgment, no. I think they were very bad people," he stated. Trump elaborated on his feelings, saying, "I do hate some of my enemies. I think they’ve been terrible. Look what they’ve put me through, the weaponization. I got indicted. I got impeached."
Douthat questioned how someone with a "most charmed and remarkable life" could not forgive enemies, but Trump reiterated his stance, saying, "I probably cannot do that, no, because I do hate some of my enemies and I always will."