White House deputy press secretary Hogan Gidley justified the administration’s continued use of the word “animal” to describe MS-13 gang criminals in a Wednesday interview on Fox News.
“What do you call somebody who comes into this country illegally, unlawfully, whose motto is rape, control, kill? It is not gum drops, hugs and kisses. It is a violent, brutal gang that goes across this country terrorizing American citizens. Cutting off people’s heads. Tearing hearts out of people’s bodies. This behavior is animalistic,” Gidley declared.
Gidley’s appearance comes ahead of a visit from President Donald Trump to Long Island to discuss MS-13 crime in the area. The president was criticized by some media outlets and prominent personalities for using the moniker “Animals” to describe MS-13 gang criminals in a recent roundtable on sanctuary cities.
Trump doubled down, saying, “When the MS-13 comes in — I referred to them as animals, and guess what? I always will.” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders similarly noted later that calling MS-13 gang criminals did not even go far enough in describing their depravity.