Waterboarding doesn't constitute torture, President Trump Donald John TrumpHR McMaster says president's policy to withdraw troops from Afghanistan is 'unwise' Cast of 'Parks and Rec' reunite for virtual town hall to address Wisconsin voters Biden says Trump should step down over coronavirus response MORE said Thursday, reiterating his past argument that it is an effective way to gather intelligence.

“I mean, torture is real torture, OK? Waterboarding is — I'm sure it's not pleasant, but waterboarding was just short of torture,” he said in an interview with Fox News's Sean Hannity Sean Patrick HannityTrump ABC town hall pulls in fewer viewers than 'America's Got Talent,' NBA, Fox News Dershowitz suing CNN for 0 million in defamation suit If Trump doesn't know why he should be president again, how can voters? MORE. “When — you know, all of a sudden, they made it torture.”

“I spoke with people the other day who are in this world that were talking about it. Absolutely, it works. Absolutely," he said.

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In an interview with ABC anchor David Muir that aired Wednesday, Trump said he would consider reauthorizing banned interrogation methods, including the use of torture. But, he said, he would only do so with the advice of his national security team.

“If they don’t want to do, that’s fine,” he told Muir. “If they do want to do, then I will work toward that end. I want to do everything within the bounds of what you're allowed to do legally. But do I feel it works? Absolutely, I feel it works.”

But Secretary of Defense James Mattis James Norman MattisBiden courts veterans amid fallout from Trump military controversies Trump says he wanted to take out Syria's Assad but Mattis opposed it Gary Cohn: 'I haven't made up my mind' on vote for president in November MORE has denounced the practice. Trump told Hannity that he would respect Mattis’s decision but reiterated that he believed waterboarding is effective.

"Now, General Mattis said that he doesn't intend to use it,” he said. “I'm with him all the way. Do I believe it works? Yes, I do.”