President Donald Trump cited an obviously doctored image of tattoos on the hand of Maryland man Kilmar Abrego Garcia to justify the administration’s decision to abduct and deport the father of two.
Trump made the argument on Monday during an interview with ABC News’ Terry Moran on Trump’s 100th day in office.
“They look, and on his knuckles, he had ‘MS-13,’” Trump said, referring to a doctored photo of Abrego Garcia that he and his team have circulated, while alleging that the man is a part of the MS-13 gang.
Moran noted that the photo does not show conclusive proof that Abrego Garcia is a member, and Trump angrily pushed back.
“It says M-S-1-3,” Trump insisted.
“That was Photoshop,” Moran replied.
“Hey, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime. You know, you’re doing the interview. I picked you because frankly I never heard of you, but that’s okay,” Trump said. “But you’re not being very nice.”
Trump is used to sycophantic interviews from MAGA-friendly outlets, particularly his fans at Fox News, so even Moran’s gentle nudging seemed to rile the president.
The image that Trump used to justify the wrongful deportation is a photo of pictogram-style tattoos on Abrego Garcia’s knuckles. Someone—presumably, the administration—then added “MS-13” above the pictograms, and Trump has passed off the image as if Abrego Garcia’s tattoo includes the digitally added characters. Experts say the pictograms themselves do not prove that the Maryland man is a member of the gang or a sympathizer.
Otherwise, the purported evidence that Abrego Garcia is affiliated with MS-13 comes from a dubious double-hearsay statement in a court filing from a police officer who was later suspended from the force.
A doctored image posted to President Donald Trump’s X account in November 2019.
Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, who traveled to El Salvador to check on Abrego Garcia’s condition while attempting to secure his release, has explained that alleged criminal connections are immaterial to the issue, anyway.
“I am not defending the man. I'm defending the rights of this man to due process,” Van Hollen told ABC’s “This Week” on April 20. “And the Trump administration has admitted in court that he was wrongfully detained and wrongfully deported. My mission and my purpose is to make sure that we uphold the rule of law, because if we take it away from him, we do jeopardize it for everybody else.”
Trump’s stubborn defense of an obviously doctored image also raises serious questions about his mental state and decision-making ability. Either Trump is lying to justify his actions, or he cannot distinguish between reality and make-believe.
He frequently posts doctored images to his social media accounts. Does Trump also believe he has the body of a prizefighter? Does he also think he has played for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Or is he just making up yet another lie to justify another step toward an American police state that he can rule like a dictator?
Campaign Action
