Trump meets with Cabinet and praises policies that have sparked pushback

Geoff Bennett:

President Donald Trump crossed the 100-day mark with a late-night rally in a heated prime-time interview where he defended his controversial deportations.

Amna Nawaz:

And, today, the president held a roundtable meeting with his Cabinet, who spent much of it touting their records over the past few months.

Laura Barron-Lopez begins our coverage.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

With 100 days of his second term behind him, and the stock market and his polling in a slump, President Trump gathered his Cabinet to praise his work.

Scott Bessent, U.S. Treasury Secretary:

It's been a momentous 100 days with you at the helm.

Pete Hegseth, U.S. Defense Secretary:

Because of your leadership, sir, I believe we're making the military great again.

Elon Musk, Department of Government Efficiency: I think this could be the greatest administration since the founding of the country.

Pam Bondi, U.S. Attorney General:

Your first 100 days has far exceeded that of any other presidency in this country.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Despite the judiciary continuing to voice concern that Trump administration officials are defying court orders, Attorney General Pam Bondi joked with Cabinet secretaries about the lawsuits.

Pam Bondi:

We have still been defending over 200 civil lawsuits filed against you. On top of everything else, I think I'm representing every one of you in this room in some capacity.

(Laughter)

Pam Bondi:

I know you will not be arrested by the U.S. Marshals.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined in, taunting judges over the administration's deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.

Question:

Have you been in touch with El Salvador about returning Abrego Garcia? Has a formal request from this administration been made?

Marco Rubo, U.S. Secretary of State: Well, I would never tell you that. And you know who else I will never tell? A judge.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Last night at a rally marking the 100-day milestone in Michigan…

Donald Trump, President of the United States: I miss you guys. I miss the campaign.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

… Trump touted the deportations of alleged Venezuelan gang members to El Salvador, under the centuries-old Alien Enemies Act, deportations done without due process and blocked in part by the Supreme Court.

But Trump brushed off the court challenges and put the brutal mega-prison conditions on full display in a pre-produced video. The controversy also came up during a sit-down interview on ABC News last night.

Donald Trump:

Terry, but you're not being very nice.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Trump sparred with Terry Moran about Abrego Garcia, who was wrongly deported last month after living in Maryland for 14 years. The president insisted that a photo of Garcia's tattooed knuckles, Photoshopped by the White House with text, was evidence that Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang.

Donald Trump:

He had MS-13 on his knuckles tattooed.

(Crosstalk)

Terry Moran, ABC News Senior National Correspondent:

He had some tattoos that are interpreted that way. But let's move on.

Donald Trump:

Wait a minute. Terry, Terry, Terry…

Terry Moran:

He did not have the letter MS-13.

Donald Trump:

It says MS-13.

Terry Moran:

That was Photoshopped. So, let me…

Donald Trump:

That was Photoshopped. Terry, you can't do that. He had MS-13 on his knuckles tattooed. He had MS as clear as you can be, not interpreted.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

Multiple federal judges have said that the administration has provided weak or no evidence proving its allegations of Garcia's gang membership, calling the assertions — quote — "unsupported."

Trump also told ABC he could bring Garcia back to the U.S., but he's just following the lead of his legal team.

Terry Moran:

You could get him back. There's a phone on this desk.

Donald Trump:

I could.

Terry Moran:

You could pick it up.

Donald Trump:

I could.

Terry Moran:

And with all the power of the presidency, you could call up the president of El Salvador and say, send him back right now.

Donald Trump:

And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that. But he is not.

Terry Moran:

But the court has ordered you to facilitate that release.

Donald Trump:

I'm not the one making this decision. We have lawyers that don't want to do this.

Terry Moran:

You're the president.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

And now his administration is looking for more countries to deport undocumented migrants or possibly U.S. citizens to.

Marco Rubio:

We are active, not just El Salvador. We are working with other countries to say we want to send you some of the most despicable human beings to your countries. Will you do that as a favor to us? And the further away from America, the better.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

This afternoon. Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries joined Senate Democrats as they criticized Trump's first few months in office.

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY):

Donald Trump's first 100 days in office have been a disaster.

Laura Barron-Lopez:

For the "PBS News Hour," I'm Laura Barron-Lopez.