Trump Compares Immigrants to a Notorious Motorcycle Gang

President Donald Trump attends a White House press briefing on Jan. 20, 2026.
Credit:

Kevin Dietsch/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• President Donald Trump stated that immigrants make the Hell’s Angels biker club appear to be “the sweetest people on Earth” during a Jan. 20 press briefing.
• Trump praised the Hell’s Angels, which the Department of Justice has previously labeled a “criminal enterprise,” claiming the organization “voted for” and “protected me.”
• These comments emerged amidst the Trump administration’s contentious immigration policies.

During a press briefing on January 20, 2026, President Donald Trump drew a controversial comparison between immigrants entering the United States “illegally” and the Hell’s Angels, a motorcycle organization notorious for its ties to criminal activities.

In addressing immigration issues, Trump remarked that those who entered the U.S. unlawfully made the Hell’s Angels, labeled as a “criminal enterprise” by the Department of Justice in 2009, look benign. He indicated that the organization has been implicated in various criminal activities, including murder.

At 79 years old, Trump claimed that immigrants made the motorcycle club, linked to serious offenses, appear to be “the sweetest people on Earth.”

“People that came in illegally … many cases, they’re criminals, in many, many cases,” he told reporters. “Remember when they used to say that the people that come into our country as immigrants are very nice people, they’re wonderful people, they don’t commit crime? No. They make our criminals look like babies,” Trump said.

He further stated, “They make our Hell’s Angels look like the sweetest people on Earth,” referencing the club, which has an infamous history involving an assassination plot against musician Mick Jagger.

In an unexpected turn, Trump expressed admiration for the Hell’s Angels, claiming the motorcycle club has supported him politically. “The Hell’s Angels are now considered a nice, high-quality person. I like the Hell’s Angels,” he said. “They voted for me. They protected me, actually, believe it or not. But they make our criminals look like babies.”

President Donald Trump at a White House press briefing on Jan. 20, 2026.

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In a more nuanced part of his briefing, which marked the one-year anniversary of his inauguration, Trump expressed sympathy for “good people” who have entered the U.S. illegally. He indicated that the individuals targeted for deportation often come from prisons in other countries.

Trump stated, “We have a lot of heart for people [who] came in illegally, but they’re good people and they’re working now on farms and they’re working in luncheonettes and hotels we’re not looking to … we’re looking to get the criminals out right now. The criminals,” he stressed. “I think it’s very important.”

He elaborated, “Every once in a while you see a story, we take somebody, he should be out because they came in illegally. So in theory, they should be but we’re focused on the murderers, the drug dealers, the mentally insane — we have a lot of mentally insane killers. I mean, you can’t even talk to ‘em.”

President Donald Trump speaks to reporters on Jan. 20, 2026.

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The actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have come under renewed scrutiny in 2026, nearly a year after Trump resumed office and initiated his administration’s controversial mass deportation efforts.

Data from the University of California, Berkeley’s Deportation Data Project revealed that nearly 75,000 people arrested by ICE during Trump’s initial nine months in office had no criminal record. This information came from an internal ICE report released in a lawsuit against the agency.

That report illustrated that almost one-third of those detained in that period had no prior criminal history. Additionally, for individuals with past convictions, the data did not differentiate between minor offenses and serious crimes.