It was a rare event during the four years that President Joe Biden spent in office, when he would deign to make himself available to the Fourth Estate. Readers will likely recall that the handlers who filled the Biden White House would sometimes go months without scheduling any press conferences for the media to directly ask him questions.

Pres. Trump is the polar opposite of that, practically jumping at opportunities to welcome the media and the American people into the Oval Office during his second term.

As we wrote earlier on Friday, listed among the run-of-the-mill items on his official schedule, he was set to get his annual physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. As my colleague Susie Moore shared:

Friday, President Donald Trump heads to Walter Reed Hospital for his annual physical. After that, he heads to Mar-a-Lago. 

It was during that return journey on Air Force One to Florida that Trump decided to pop his head into the back of the plane and host an impromptu presser. For anyone who might be unfamiliar, the sitting president has the option of surprising the pool reporters with an availability for questions, in the back of Air Force One where they’re seated when they travel with POTUS.

On one question, about district court Judge Xinis’ order (and amended order on Friday) about the U.S. deporation of Salvadoran national Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the reporter tried to trap Pres. Trump:

🚨President Trump:

“If the Supreme Court said, ‘bring somebody back [from deportation],’ I would do that. I respect the Supreme Court… I’m not talking about the lower court. I have great respect for the Supreme Court.” pic.twitter.com/ci6XNlbtYO

— Derrick Evans (@DerrickEvans4WV) April 12, 2025

But he caught on to the tactic right away, The president was very careful with his words, only speaking about the U.S. Supreme Court’s late Thursday order, not the lower court’s rulings, explaining that “If the Supreme Court said, ‘bring somebody back [from deportation],’ I would do that. I respect the Supreme Court.”