White House press secretary Sarah Sanders doubled down Thursday on President Donald Trump’s Wednesday comments referring to members of MS-13 as “animals.”
WATCH:
During Thursday’s press briefing, CBS’ Steven Portnoy asked Sanders if Trump believes “some immigrants” are animals, following a media storm that took Trump’s comments completely out of context and asserted he was talking about all immigrants. (RELATED: Media Falsely Accuses Trump Of Calling Immigrants ‘Animals’)
“I want to ask you because so many people around the country are talking about it over the past 24 hours, what did the president mean when he said some immigrants aren’t people, they’re animals,” Portnoy asked.
Sanders reiterated that the president was referring to MS-13 gang members and explained the gang’s history of violence.
“This is one of the most vicious and deadly gangs that operates by the motto of rape, control and kill,” Sanders continued. “Frankly, I don’t think the term that the president used was strong enough. MS-13 has done heinous acts. It took an animal to stab a man 100 times and decapitate him and rip his heart out. It took an animal to beat a woman they were sex trafficking with a bat, 28 times, indenting part of her body. And it took an animal to kidnap and rape a 13-year-old Houston girl.”
Sanders added, “The president should continue to use platform and everything he can do under the law to stop these kinds of horrible, horrible, disgusting people.”