The White House took a direct jab at The New York Times this week, mocking the paper’s headline regarding Senator Chris Van Hollen’s controversial trip to El Salvador to visit deported alleged MS-13 gang member Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia.
The Times originally published an article titled “Senator Meets with Wrongly Deported Maryland Man in El Salvador” — a framing that drew immediate ire from the Trump administration. In response, the White House reposted the headline on social media, edited in bold red letters to read:
“Senator Meets with Deported MS-13/Illegal Alien Who’s Never Coming Back in El Salvador” with the he caption: “Fixed it for you.”
Fixed it for you, @NYTimes.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) April 18, 2025
Oh, and by the way, @ChrisVanHollen — he’s NOT coming back. pic.twitter.com/VoAphh2ZPY
The social media post quickly went viral, with supporters praising the administration for “calling out media spin” and critics accusing the White House of undermining press independence.
A Controversial Trip Abroad
Senator Van Hollen, a Maryland Democrat, traveled to El Salvador this week to advocate for Abrego Garcia, whom he claims was “wrongfully abducted and deported” by the Trump administration. He pushed for a meeting with Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, arguing that Garcia, who had been living in Maryland, was entitled to remain in the U.S.
Despite being initially denied access, Van Hollen eventually met with Salvadoran Vice President Félix Ulloa and later secured a brief meeting with President Bukele himself. However, the outcome was not what the senator had hoped for.
“Now that he’s been confirmed healthy, he gets the honor of staying in El Salvador’s custody,” Bukele posted on X (formerly Twitter), sarcastically referencing claims from Democrats that Abrego Garcia was being tortured in a Salvadoran prison.
In another post, Bukele mocked the trip, writing:
“Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture’, now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!”
Trump: “He Looked Like a Fool”
Back in Washington, President Donald Trump had harsh words for the senator.
“Senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland looked like a fool yesterday, standing in El Salvador begging for attention from the Fake News Media,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “GRANDSTANDER!!!”
Trump also doubled down on Abrego Garcia’s criminal background, citing multiple rulings from immigration judges that affirmed his verified membership in the violent MS-13 gang. Garcia’s 2019 deportation order was upheld by two separate judges, one of whom cited credible intelligence sources confirming his rank within the gang.
“Not a very innocent guy,” Trump said during remarks at the White House. “He’s an illegal alien, MS-13 gang member, and a foreign terrorist. This comes out of the State Department. This man is a very violent person.”
Trump also contrasted the media’s attention to Abrego Garcia with the pain suffered by American families affected by MS-13 violence. On the same day as Van Hollen’s trip, Trump met with Angel Mom Patty Morin, whose daughter was murdered by MS-13 members in Maryland in 2013.
Stephen Miller: “He’s Not a Maryland Man”
Trump senior immigration advisor Stephen Miller was equally scathing in his assessment of the controversy.
“Senator Van Hollen seems to be under the very confused impression that this MS-13 terrorist is his constituent,” Miller said. “He is not a ‘Maryland man.’ He is not a Maryland anything. He is an illegal alien from El Salvador with a deportation order from the United States.”
Political Fallout and Media Scrutiny
The White House’s decision to publicly mock the New York Times and slam Van Hollen’s trip underscores the Trump administration’s aggressive posture toward both illegal immigration and mainstream media outlets.
It also reflects a broader political shift: a growing number of Americans — including a majority of independents — support tougher immigration enforcement. Recent polling shows Trump’s immigration policies are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, especially after high-profile crimes committed by illegal aliens have reignited public debate.
Still, the political optics of a U.S. senator flying abroad to advocate for a convicted gang member remain controversial — and for Trump’s base, deeply galvanizing.
As President Trump put it: “They want this man brought back into our country where he can be free. We’re not going to let that happen. Not now, not ever.”
READ NEXT: Trump Team Proves ‘Mistakenly’ Deported Man Belongs To MS-13
Deported gang member to HIS HOME COUNTRY, where he was also wanted for GANG ACTIVITY.
good grief, the Democrats have lost their minds
He was NOT WRONGLY deported. Garcia had a VALID DEPORTATION ORDER in place He CONNED a judge into staying the deportation because Garcia “feared” for his life if deported back to his NATIVE EL SALVADOR, considering that ALL of his MS-13 Gang Banger buddies were here with him..
NO, Garcia was NOT wrongly deported and Garcia IS HOME – El Salvador IS his home country and THAT is where he is now. His wife is FREE to go join him -once she gets it through her head that he is NEVER gong to be allowed back into the USA again. Her being a US citizen means is NOT at play here – Garcia IS HOME. The senators who are knocking themselves out over an illegal carinal gangbanger are LYING or just PLAI IGNORANT about the legal facts of this matter.
Is there anyone who can explain how the left became so crazy besides the fact we have nonstop leftist propaganda from the MSM.