In an interview Tuesday marking the first 100 days of his second term, President Donald Trump zeroed in on a topic that has been among the most controversial actions his administration has taken so far: the mistaken deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia to a prison in El Salvador.
But in the eyes of the president, the mistake is not looking at the evidence that he says shows Abrego Garcia is a gang member who should not have been in the United States.
“The person that you’re talkin’ about, you know, you’re makin’ this person sound — this is a MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie, been in lots of skirmishes, beat the hell out of his wife, and the wife was petrified to even talk about him, okay? This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland…,” Trump told ABC News correspondent Terry Moran in an interview in the Oval Office.
Trump said those who contend that Abrego Garcia is not a member of a gang can see the evidence for themselves: “On his knuckles, he had MS-13” tattooed.
Trump insists the tattoo is definitive and offers to show Moran a picture of it. In a social media post last week, the president holds a photograph that appears to show Abrego Garcia’s knuckles tattooed with MS-13. However, in other photographs, including some family pictures, the finger tattoos are not visible or appear to be other designs.
The government’s allegations about Abrego Garcia’s ties to MS-13 hinge on an anonymous tip and information contained in a 2019 police report. Some experts have cast doubt on linking his tattoos to MS-13.
TRUMP: He had MS-13 on his knuckles, tattooed!
MORAN: That was photoshopped
TRUMP: Terry, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime. I picked you. But you’re not being very nice. pic.twitter.com/NgCpEB8o1S
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 30, 2025