Today’s appearance with El Salvadoran president was nightmare fuel
I think it’s worse than the notorious Zelensky appearance.
First off, he fully blamed Zelensky for the war:
Trump has fully turned on Zelenskyy: "He's always looking to purchase missiles. Listen, when you start a war, you gotta know you can win a war. You don't start a war against somebody that's 20 times your size and then hope that people give you some missiles." pic.twitter.com/1hBWeyu2hg
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
So that’s that. His view is that Ukraine should have surrendered their entire country the minute Russia invaded and crawled on their bellies begging Putin for mercy. He hates Ukraine, always has, and believes that Russia has a perfect right to take what he wants because he’s a big powerful manly man. Like him. (By the way, his make-up is so dark today he is pretty much in blackface.)
He’s openly talking about sending American citizens to El Salvador
Before press came in — but while live feed was running on Bukele’s feed — Trump said to him: “home-growns are next. … You’re gonna need to build about 5 more places.”
Visita a la Casa Blanca
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) April 14, 2025
https://t.co/bzHNwFv3Ch
REPORTER: You mentioned you're open to deporting individuals that aren't foreign aliens but aren't criminal to El Salvador. Does that include US citizens?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
TRUMP: If they are criminals and if they hit people with baseball bats over the head, if they rape 87 year old women, yeah.… pic.twitter.com/JVvdWJjF37
Trump says he'd like to deport American citizens to a gulag in El Salvador: "I'd like to go a step further. I said to Pam, I don't know what the laws are, we always have to obey the laws, but we also have homegrown criminals that push people into subways … I'd like to include… pic.twitter.com/noStvA8JI8
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
COLLINS: Can President Bukele weigh in on this? Do you plan to return Garcia?
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
BUKELE: How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I'm not going to do it. The question is preposterous
TRUMP: These are sick people pic.twitter.com/y2FhtZsAhL
COLLINS: Can President Bukele weigh in on this? Do you plan to return Garcia?
BUKELE: How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? Of course I’m not going to do it. The question is preposterous
TRUMP: These are sick people (referring to the press)
So, if Trump said, “I’d like to have him back,” Bukele could just send him back legally without smuggling him in. But that’s not what Trump is going to do because his hatchetwoman Bondi and his Heinrich Himmler Stephen Miller said that Abrego Garcia would not be brought back because he is a terrorist and the Supreme Court rules 9-0 in favor of the president’s right to conduct foreign policy unimpeded by … anyone.
COLLINS: You said that if SCOTUS said someone needed to be returned you would abide by that. You said that on Air Force One just a few days ago
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
TRUMP: Why don't you just say, 'isn't it wonderful that we're keeping criminals out of our country?' That's why nobody watches you… pic.twitter.com/ZMb7XFrhnS
COLLINS: You said that if SCOTUS said someone needed to be returned you would abide by that. You said that on Air Force One just a few days ago
TRUMP: Why don’t you just say, ‘isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’ That’s why nobody watches you anymore.
Bukele is a real sweetheart:
"I think they hate our country" — Bukele goads Trump into bashing the American media pic.twitter.com/AaWJMAaioE
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
Bukele to Trump: "In fact Mr President, you have 350 million people to liberate. But to liberate 350 million people you have to imprison some." pic.twitter.com/jjVjHF6z4S
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
I don’t even know what to say about this:
Trump: "We've had women. But we've never had three of them right here. Do you guys feel a little bit mistreated? That's good. I like that. I've been very advanced in that regard too." pic.twitter.com/LNjXEQdfxU
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
Bukele to Trump: "In fact Mr President, you have 350 million people to liberate. But to liberate 350 million people you have to imprison some." pic.twitter.com/jjVjHF6z4S
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 14, 2025
I’m at a total loss for words. There was no direct request from the US in this meeting even asking for him to be returned as the Supremes clearly ordered.
It’s clear that he’s defying the Supreme Court by simply twisting their decision into a 9-0 affirmation of their ability to send anyone they want to the Salvadoran gulag. I guess we’ll have to see if the Supremes object. If I had to guess, I’d say they could very easily decide that he has the right to send Americans to overseas gulags at his discretion but like the immigrants, they’ll need to be granted the right to habeas corpus before rubber stamp MAGA judges in Louisiana and Texas.
By the way:
Trump said those El Salvador videos with the prisoners hunched over: “People eat it up, that’s what people want to see.”