President Trump on Friday accused the national media of purposefully claiming he called all immigrants "animals," when he was referring only to members of the MS-13 gang.

“Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, 'Animals.' Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as 'Animals,' a big difference - and so true,” Trump tweeted Friday morning. “Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual!”

[Related: Kellyanne Conway: Critics of Trump's 'animals' comment owe him an apology]



Fake News Media had me calling Immigrants, or Illegal Immigrants, “Animals.” Wrong! They were begrudgingly forced to withdraw their stories. I referred to MS 13 Gang Members as “Animals,” a big difference - and so true. Fake News got it purposely wrong, as usual! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 18, 2018



Major media outlets misrepresented reports of Trump’s comments, claiming that he called all illegal immigrants are “animals.”

A released transcript of the Wednesday round table meeting at the White House with elected officials from California revealed the context and nature of Trump’s comments, when he referred to "animals" after being asked about the MS-13 gang.

[Opinion: It was MS-13 Trump called 'animals,' not undocumented immigrants]