Trump to media: Yes, violent gang members are ‘animals’

President Donald Trump made no apologies this week for using the word “animals” to describe members of the MS-13 gang who enter the United States illegally. He made the comment Wednesday at a roundtable meeting with California officials in response to a question about the vicious gang, many of whose members come from El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala. “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals,” he said. Some Democrats scoffed at the remark and interpreted it as applying to all illegal immigrants. The president reiterated Thursday, “When the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I refer to them as animals. And guess what? I always will.” White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders also defended Trump’s remarks, saying, “This is one of the most vicious and deadly gangs that operates by the motto of, ‘Rape, control and kill.’ … If the media and liberals want to defend MS-13, they’re more than welcome to. Frankly, I don’t think the term that the president used was strong enough.”