Trump attacks ‘low-rated CNN’ for pressing him and Bukele on illegally deported man: ‘They hate our country!’

President Donald Trump repeatedly attacked CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins during an Oval Office meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele, claiming her network “hates our country” and personally insulting her as “low-rated” as she pressed both leaders on the status of a wrongly deported Maryland man.

While the president seemed to relish in bashing one of his favorite media targets in front of the populist right-wing El Salvadoran leader, Collins’ questions led to both Bukele and the White House refusing to commit to the safe return of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national living in Maryland who was sent to El Salvador’s notorious CECO prison complex last month.

Abrego Garcia, who has lived in the United States since 2011 and was granted humanitarian protections from deportation to El Salvador in 2019, has been at the center of a legal battle after the administration admitted his removal was an “administrative error.”

After a judge ordered earlier this month that Abrego Garcia — who is married to an American citizen and has no criminal record — must be returned, calling his removal “unconstitutional,” the Supreme Court ruled that the administration must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from the prison — adding that his removal from the United States was “illegal.”

During his White House sit-down with Bukele on Monday, Trump used his hostility towards CNN as something of a cudgel to deflect the issue of the Maryland father’s illegal removal to an El Salvadoran prison complex. And Bukele appeared to goad him along.

For instance, the El Salvador leader said that what Trump was “doing with the border is remarkable” before wondering why “those numbers are not in the media,” prompting Trump to quickly pounce at the opportunity to blast the media.

“Well, they get out, but the fake news, you know, like CNN — CNN over here doesn‘t want to put them out because they don‘t like they don‘t like putting out good numbers,” the president said while gesturing towards Collins. “They don‘t like putting them out because I think they hate our country, actually. But it‘s a shame.”

Moments later, Trump turned back to Collins as she attempted to ask Bukele about Abrego Garcia — making sure to toss out a juvenile insult in the process. “Let’s hear this question from this very low-rated anchor at CNN,” the president sneered.

Brushing off the personal pot shot, the CNN anchor and chief White House correspondent wondered if Bukele would help return the man that Trump’s own administration has previously said was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. The president, however, interjected and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump officials to weigh in on the issue first.

“That’s up to El Salvador if they want to return him. That’s not up to us,” Bondi reacted, receiving praise from Trump for doing a “great job.” Collins then wondered if she could get an answer from Trump on this, noting that he said a few days ago that he’d abide by the Supreme Court if it ruled that someone needed to be returned, prompting yet another snide remark from Trump.

“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?” Trump fumed. “That’s why nobody watches you anymore.”

White House adviser Stephen Miller would go on to defend the deportation of Abrego Garcia, accusing him of not just being an MS-13 member but also painting him as a “terrorist” based on the administration designating the gang as a terrorist organzation, leading Bukele to appropriate that language when Collins finally got a response from him.

“Can President Bukele weigh in on this? Do you plan to return him?” Collins pressed.

“Are you suggesting I smuggle a terrorist into the United States? How can I return him to the United States, like I smuggle him into the United States? Of course, I’m not going to do it,” Bukele replied, adding that Collins’ question was “preposterous.”

“They’d love to have a criminal, you know, released into our country,” Trump added. “They would love it. These are sick people.”

CNN would eventually cut away from the Oval Office meeting moments later and before the leaders were finished taking questions. Before turning to CNN reporter Jeff Zeleny to discuss the breaking news and “misinformation” from the press gaggle, anchor Dana Bash wanted to first address Trump’s comments about the network and Collins.

“I just want to say, for the record, since we heard President Trump say in the Oval Office that CNN hates our country, CNN does not hate our country,” Bash said. “That should go without saying. I‘ve been here for 32 years, and I see a rhetorical device in him trying to say such a thing. That said, I want to focus on the news that we heard.”