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Trump makes big claim on Abrego Garcia, challenges ABC News over MS13 tattooed photoshop reports: ‘Do you want me to...’
President Donald Trump claimed that he could get back Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month.
In a surprising claim, President Donald Trump said that he could get back Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a Maryland man who was wrongfully deported to El Salvador last month. He, however, explained why he is refusing to do so.
The remarks seem to go against what he and his top advisors have said in the past, claiming that the US cannot repatriate Abrego Garcia because he is in the possession of a foreign country, even though the Supreme Court has ruled that the Trump administration must “facilitate” his homecoming.
“You could get him back. There’s a phone on this desk,” ABC News reporter Terry Moran told Trump during a primetime interview that aired Tuesday night.
“I could,” Trump responded.
When asked if he could call up Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, and say, “Send him back”, Trump said, “And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that.” He quickly added, “But he is not.”
Trump stated, “I'm not the one making this decision,” mentioning that the government attorneys are unwilling to assist in repatriating Abrego Garcia to the United States.
The Trump administration has deported him to El Salvador with MS-13 gang, a foreign terrorist organization, members. But Abrego Garcia and his spouse deny the allegation of him being the member of the group.
Trump challenges ABC over Abrego Garcia's tattooed hands
Trump reiterated in the ABC interview that “this is an MS-13 gang member,” pointing to Abrego Garcia's tattooed hands with skulls concealing their mouth, ears, and eyes—a feature that a police document called “indicative of the Hispanic gang culture.”
The President added the letters ‘M’, ‘S’, ‘1’, ‘3’ are tattooed on his knuckles which Terry called photoshopped. “Hey, Terry. Terry, Terry. Don't do that... It says M-S-1-3,” the fumed President asserted. Moran then responded: “That was Photoshopped.”
Trump said, “Terry, no, no,” after Moran stated that the tattoo designs could be read in that way. “No, no. He had MS as clear as you can be. Not interpreted.”
Trump then challenged Trump the ABC News journalist: “Do you want me to show you the picture?”
“I'm not an expert,” Moran replied.
Last month, the administration acknowledged in court that Salvadoran migrant Abrego Garcia was kicked out due to an administrative error, disregarding a 2019 court decision that said he could not be returned to his home country of El Salvador, where his life would be in jeopardy.
US officials have declined to bring Abrego Garcia back to the US, claiming they are powerless to compel El Salvador to comply.
“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,” Attorney General Pam Bondi told media in April.
