Trump: 'I Could' Bring Kilmar Abrego Garcia Back to US

President Donald Trump acknowledged in an interview Tuesday that he "could" secure the return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador, but insisted that the deported man is a "tough cookie" and not the "gentleman" he's being portrayed as in the media.

"The person that you're talking about, you know, you're making this person sound — this is an 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, OK?" Trump told ABC News anchor and senior national correspondent Terry Moran in an interview marking his 100th day in office. "This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland."

Trump's comments about Abrego Garcia, who an administration lawyer said in court was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, came after Moran asked him what he is doing to comply with a Supreme Court order that the administration must facilitate the Salvadoran national's return to the United States.

"Well, the lawyer that said it was a mistake was here a long time, was not appointed by us, should not have said that," Trump argued about the court admission.

The president added that Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, which his attorneys deny.

"He is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman from Maryland," said Trump.

"I'm not saying he's a good guy," Moran responded. "It's about the rule of law. The order from the Supreme Court stands, sir."

"He came into our country illegally," Trump told him.

"You could get him back. There's a phone on this desk," Moran said, pointing to the phone on the Oval Office's Resolute Desk.

"I could," Trump told him. "And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that. I'm not the one making this decision… You want me to follow the law. If I were the president that just wanted to do anything, I'd probably keep him right where he is."

And when Moran contested him, saying the Supreme Court determines the law, Trump argued about immigration and made an apparent jab at former President Joe Biden.

"Listen. I was elected to take care of a problem," he said. "It was an unforced error that was made by a very incompetent man, a man that turned out to be incompetent, that you always said was wonderful, a great genius, right? And now you find out, all of the media, now they're saying what a mistake they made. A man who was grossly incompetent allowed us to have open borders where millions of people flowed in."

Trump added that he campaigned on the issue of immigration and that he's closed the nation's borders.

"When we have criminals, murderers, criminals in this country, we have to get them out and we're doing it," he said.

Trump also argued with Moran about photographs he had shown from the White House of Abrego Garcia that showed "on his knuckles, he had MS-13."

Moran responded that there is a "dispute" over the photographs and told Trump that some are saying the tattoos shown were photoshopped.

"They're giving you the big break of a lifetime," Trump argued with him. "You know, you're doing the interview. I picked you because, frankly, I never heard of you, but that's OK. But I picked you, Terry, but you're not being very nice… he had MS as clear as you can be. Not 'interpreted.' This is why people no longer believe the news, because it's fake news."