Washington DC - President Donald Trump used a television interview looking back at his first 100 days to boast that he could free Kilmar Abrego Garcia if he wanted to – directly contradicting his administration's line on the scandal.

ABC News' Terry Moran on Tuesday pressed Trump about the wrongful deportation of Maryland resident Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was sent to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador.

"Your government sent him back to El Salvador and acknowledged in court that was a mistake," the reporter said. "And now the Supreme Court has upheld an order that you must facilitate his return to the United States."

"The lawyer who said it was a mistake was here a long time, was not appointed by us, should not have said that," Trump replied, denying that Abrego Garcia's deportation was a mistake.

Donald Trump Trump melts down at reporter over fake tattoo photo of wrongly deported Abrego Garcia

"And just so you understand, the person that you're talking about... this is an MS-13 gang member, a tough cookie, been in lots of skirmishes, beat the hell out of his wife," he added, repeating baseless claims made by US officials. "This is not an innocent, wonderful gentleman."

Moran went on to point out that Trump could get Abrego Garcia returned to the US easily, by simply picking up the phone and calling El Salvador's President Bukele.

In response, the president repeatedly said, "I could," but simply will not – the opposite of what members of his administration have claimed in response to a Supreme Court order mandating that Abrego Garcia's return be facilitated.

Bizarelly, Trump then changed tack and insisted he was upholding the law by defying court orders.

"I'm not the one who is making this decision, we have lawyers," he said.