President Donald Trump on Tuesday discussed his first 100 days in office in a sometimes tense interview with ABC News, where he defended his handling of the economy, high tariffs on China and his administration’s immigration crackdown, among other issues.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to reporters during a meeting with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas ... More
Trump had several tense exchanges with ABC News anchor Terry Moran during the interview, where he described the network as “one of the worst.”
The president defended his decision to hit China with steep tariffs, but said he expected this to have no impact on U.S. consumers, as he believes China will “eat those tariffs.”
The president claimed China was “ripping us off like nobody has ever ripped us off,” and while he acknowledged that a 145% tariff amounted to a trade embargo, he thought it was “good” and “they deserve it.”
The comments on the China tariffs are a shift in tone from last week, where Trump suggested that trade negotiations with Beijing were around the corner and the 145% tariff rate would soon “come down substantially.”
The president also dismissed a question about voters feeling economic anxiety, saying that prices had come down under him: “Since I came in, gasoline is down, groceries are down, egg prices are down — many things are down, just about everything.”
Trump also suggested tourism to the U.S. was “way up,” despite data showing otherwise, and told Moran, “Wait till you see the numbers.”
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Moran asked Trump about his administration’s sweeping deportation efforts and whether proper due process was being followed. The president said: “If people come into our country illegally, there's a different standard. These are illegal. They came in illegally.” When pressed again about due process, Trump said: “Well, they get a process where we have to get 'em out, yeah.” Trump said his administration has to “act fast” in removing undocumented migrants and claimed there were “21 million people” in the U.S. illegally—a number Trump has repeatedly used despite the actual estimated number being lower. The president then asked, “Do you think we can give 21 million trials?”
The president was also asked about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Maryland resident who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador. Despite earlier denials by his administration, Trump acknowledged he “could” secure the deported man’s return to the U.S., but indicated he will not do so, despite a Supreme Court order instructing the same. Trump said the Justice Department lawyer who said Abrego Garcia’s deportation was “not appointed by us” and “should not have said that.” The president then insisted Abrego Garcia “came into our country illegally.” When asked if he could pick up the phone in the Oval Office and arrange for Abrego Garcia’s return, the president said he could, and “if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that…I'm not the one making this decision.” When Moran pointed out he was President, Trump replied: “I follow the law. You want me to follow the law.” Trump also claimed Abrego Garcia was a member of the MS-13 gang, despite his lawyers repeatedly denying this accusation. The President even showed Moran an image of the text “MS-13” tattooed on his hands, but when the ABC anchor pointed out the image was “photoshopped,” the president appeared agitated and told Moran: “Terry, you can’t do that. They’ve given you the big break of a lifetime. You know, you’re doing the interview.” Trump then insisted that Moran should: “go look at his hand,” and the photo claiming “He had MS-13.”