President Donald Trump didn’t back down during a fiery ABC News interview, clashing with reporter Terry Moran over a deported man’s alleged MS-13 gang ties.

Trump insisted the man, Kilmar Abrego Garcia, had “MS-13 tattooed on his knuckles,” while Moran claimed the image was photoshopped. The exchange, aired on April 29, showed Trump’s resolve to protect America from dangerous criminals, even as the media pushed back.

Trump was discussing Garcia, who was deported to El Salvador in March 2025 despite a court order, when the debate erupted. “He had MS-13 on his knuckles, tattooed!” Trump said, pointing to a photo he’d shared on Truth Social on April 18.

The image showed Garcia’s hand with a marijuana leaf, smiley face, cross, and skull—symbols Trump said represented out MS-13. Moran interrupted, saying, “That was photoshopped,” but Trump wasn’t having it. “Terry, they’re giving you the big break of a lifetime. I picked you. But you’re not being very nice,” Trump shot back, refusing to let the media spin the narrative.

Trump’s stance aligns with his administration’s crackdown on foreign criminals. Garcia was among over 250 Venezuelans and Salvadorans sent to an El Salvadoran mega-prison as part of this effort.

The White House has maintained Garcia’s gang ties, with Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt saying, “Abrego Garcia will never live in the United States of America,” per The BBC.

Trump doubled down in the interview, offering to show Moran the photo again. “Do you want me to show you the picture?” he asked, emphasizing the clarity of the evidence. “He had MS, as clear as you can be. Not interpreted.”

Moran tried to pivot, saying, “He had some tattoos that are interpreted that way,” but experts like El Salvador’s Security Minister Gustavo Villatoro have supported Trump’s view.

Villatoro told CNN on April 14 that specific tattoos can identify gang members, a practice shared with U.S. authorities for deportations. While some, like Loyola Law School professor Sean Kennedy, told Al Jazeera on April 30 that such symbols aren’t typical MS-13 markers.

The interview underscored Trump’s frustration with the media. “This is why people no longer believe the news because it’s fake news,” he told Moran, calling out ABC as “one of the worst.”