Donald Trump appeared to distance himself from his own administration’s controversial use of the Alien Enemies Act—leaving many wondering if he actually signed the order at all. The White House insists the directive was signed, yet the president himself seemed to suggest otherwise.
The confusion erupted during an Oval Office event last Friday when Trump was asked about his administration’s decision to use the Alien Enemies Act to deport non-criminal immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. Instead of taking ownership, Trump responded vaguely, saying, “I was told that they went through a very strong vetting process.” Notably, he didn’t specify who told him or what exactly that process entailed.
Hours later, speaking to reporters in a separate Q&A, Trump took his denial a step further. When pressed on whether he had personally signed the order, he flatly stated, “I don’t know when it was signed, because I didn’t sign it. Other people handled it.” The stunning remark left journalists scrambling for clarification. If Trump didn’t sign the order, who did? And why would the president distance himself from his own policy?
Adding to the confusion, Trump then praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio, saying, “He wanted them out, and we go along with that. We want to get criminals out of our country.” Yet the deportations in question involved individuals without criminal records, raising further concerns about the administration’s actions.
As the media sought answers, the White House quickly attempted to walk back Trump’s statement. Officials told CNN that the president was “obviously referring to the original Alien Enemies Act that was signed back in 1798.” But given the context—Trump was directly responding to a question about the recent deportations—this explanation was met with widespread skepticism.
Did Trump truly forget signing his own order, or was this an intentional attempt to dodge accountability? As legal battles over the deportations heat up, the White House’s shifting narrative is only fueling more questions.
