U.S. President Donald Trump met Monday, with El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele in the Oval Office of the White House. They discussed a range of bilateral issues, including the detention of criminal alien Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, who was deported to a prison in his home country El Salvador.
President Bukele, known for his tough-on-crime policies, said he does not have the power to return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., referring to him as a "terrorist" and stating that he would not smuggle him back into the U.S. The president also said he would not release him into the country.
Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem were also present at the Oval Office meeting.
As discredited far-left CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins tried to get in a remark during the meeting, Trump obliged and said he wanted to hear a question from the "very low-rated anchor."
Collins asked Trump if he would ask Bukele to assist in bringing back Abrego Garcia.
Trump directed Bondi to answer Collins, who said Abrego Garcia was illegally in the country and had previously been ruled by immigration courts to be a member of transnational terrorist group MS-13. It was "up to El Salvador" if it wanted to return him, she said. She added that if El Salvador wanted to return Abrego Garcia, the U.S. would facilitate it by providing a plane.
Trump interjected that CNN asked "with a slant, because they are totally slanted."
"They don't know what's happening, that's why nobody is watching them," Trump said.
"They don't know what's happening, that's why nobody is watching them," Trump said.
Trump said of CNN, "I think they hate our country" and accused it of stifling reporting about decreased illegal border crossings under his administration.
Bukele also slammed Collins' "preposterous" question after she asked the El Salvadorian president if he would help return Abrego Garcia to the U.S. "How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States."
The Supreme Court upheld the decision by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis saying the U'S' government should "facilitate" the release of Abrego Garcia "in El Salvador," and to ensure that his case is "handled as it would have been had he not been improperly sent to El Salvador." The supreme court also cautioned the judge against interfering in the constitutional authority of the president to conduct foreign policy.
The Trump administration hailed the supreme court decision as a victory that affirmed the president's authority over foreign policy.
In a court filing submitted Sunday evening, Department of Justice(DOJ) lawyers argued they are not required to comply with judge Xinis' order to "facilitate" the return of Abrego Garcia.
The lawyers argued that the order itself likely exceeds the power of the courts, arguing they "have no authority to direct the Executive Branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way, or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner."
Trump also asked White House Deputy chief of staff(CoS) Stephen Miller to respond to Collins' question during Monday's Oval Office meeting with Bukele. Miller defended the deportation of Abrego Garcia, arguing that even if El Salvador were to send him back to the U.S., the administration would deport him again. He emphasized that no version of the situation legally ends with the criminal alien living in the U.S.
"We won a case 9-0," Miller said. "And people like CNN are portraying it as a loss, as usual, because they want foreign terrorists in the country who kidnap women and children."
Miller said it was "very arrogant even for American media to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens." He added that because Trump had declared MS-13 a foreign terrorist outfit, Abrego Garcia was ineligible for immigration relief in the U.S.
Rubio argued that the foreign policy of the United States is conducted by the president, not by a court, and that no court has the right to conduct foreign policy.
Noem said that the deportations are a "clear consequence for the worst of the worst" criminals.
Collins noted that Trump had said he would abide by the Supreme Court decision. Trump shot back, "Why don’t you just say, 'Isn't it wonderful that we're keeping criminals out of our country?' Why can’t you just say that? Why do you go over and over — and that’s why nobody watches you anymore. You have no credibility."
Trump and Bukele discussed the partnership between the U.S. and El Salvador in tackling crime and terrorism.
The meeting also touched on other topics, such as tariffs and Iran, but the focus remained largely on the deportation issue and the status of Abrego Garcia.
Regarding tariffs, Trump mentioned that tech-specific tariffs on China were coming soon, indicating that no one would be "getting off the hook" in his trade war with China.
