Trump Praises Kim Jong-un at White House, Then Berates CNN Reporter

Source: Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP/dpa

US President Donald Trump sharply criticized a reporter from CNN during an event at the White House. When journalist Kristen Holmes asked about possible coordination with North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, Trump repeatedly told her to be quiet and called her a "fake reporter."

Praise for Kim Jong-un

Earlier, Trump had been asked by another reporter whether he was prioritizing North Korea's interests over those of long-standing allies by reducing joint military exercises with South Korea. Trump disagreed, stating: "I'm making it much safer."

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un had always treated him with great respect, Trump said. "I understand him. He understands me," the president added. He gets along "very well" with Kim.

Confrontation with CNN Reporter

When Holmes then asked whether Kim had asked Trump to reduce military exercises with South Korea, Trump reacted irritably.

"Be quiet. You are very disrespectful to this young man," he said, referring to a teenage lifeguard being honored at the White House event for a rescue.

Trump then asked Holmes which outlet she worked for. When she answered "CNN," he replied, "Fake news."

Holmes continued trying to get an answer about possible talks with Kim. Trump then called her a "loud, obnoxious person."

"Be quiet. Be quiet," he said. "You are a fake reporter and you report fake news."

Attack on CNN Report

Trump also attacked CNN during the event over a report about supply conditions on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. The president called it a "fake report" and stated that the ship was being excellently maintained and supplied.

Exchange Over Senator's Remarks

Earlier, Holmes had confronted Trump with remarks from Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Ossoff had accused the president of neglecting official duties and instead focusing on building his ballroom and traveling with his assistant Natalie Harp on the president's plane donated by Qatar.

Trump then compared the senator to the US fictional character Pee-wee Herman and stated he was building a "great facility" in the White House.

White House Response

The White House social media team attacked Holmes after the exchange. In a post on X, the CNN journalist was called a "shameful, humiliating embarrassment for her supposed profession." She had used an event honoring a lifesaver to attack a Trump staffer with a "cheap shot."

The White House further insulted journalists like Holmes: "These scumbags are the absolute dregs."

The White House had already reacted particularly harshly to Ossoff's remark about Trump's assistant Natalie Harp. Communications Director Steven Cheung insulted the senator in a social media post as "the biggest pathetic loser in politics." Instead of demeaning people who work hard for their country, Ossoff should ask himself why he is "an unhappy person" who hates his country, Cheung wrote.