The president of El Salvador scorched members of the news media Monday for suggesting he release a suspected member of the MS-13 gang back to the United States.

“The question is preposterous,” said Nayib Bukele during a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. “How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.”

“How can I return him to the United States?” he added. “Of course, I’m not gonna do it.”

When asked directly if he could release Kilmar Abrego Garcia inside El Salvador, Bukele replied: “Yeah, but I’m not really fond of releasing terrorists into our country. We just turned the murder capital of the world into the safest country in the Western Hemisphere, and you want us to go back into releasing criminals so we can go back into being the murder capital of the world? That’s not gonna ever happen.”

President Bukele rips CNN for asking if he will return a deported illegal alien back to America: “The question is preposterous. We’re not very fond of releasing terrorists. Do you want us to go back to being the murder capital of the world? That’s not going to happen.” pic.twitter.com/Y3gPeYDtqu

— TheBlaze (@theblaze) April 14, 2025

Trump added to Bukele’s disdain of the media, noting: “They’d love to have a criminal released into our country. They would love it. They’re sick. These are sick people.”

JUST IN: President Trump has multiple members of his admin take turns ripping CNN’s Kaitlan Collins after she asked why an alleged MS-13 member was deported to El Salvador.

Lmao.

Pam Bondi, Stephen Miller, Marco Rubio, as well as Nayib Bukele all ripped the media after Collins… pic.twitter.com/R7Y2ZOSt37

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 14, 2025

Earlier Monday, Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff for policy, explained in detail how Garcia was given a final deportation order in 2019, and since he is a citizen of El Salvador, that is the country where he should remain.

🚨 BOOM! Top Trump advisor Stephen Miller just went BERSERK for 3 minutes straight on Fox over the media narrative that Trump must bring home Kilmar Abrego Garcia from El Salvador.

Miller perfectly debunked this ENTIRE claim that Garcia’s deportation was an “error.” This entire… pic.twitter.com/TfGa1VjvpS

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 14, 2025