Trump berates CNN reporter Kristen Holmes, calls her 'fake news' during photo-op

Trump Berates CNN Reporter Over North Korea Question

President Donald Trump lashed out at a female reporter on Monday after she asked about his decision to significantly reduce military coordination with South Korea.

During a photo-op with a teenage lifeguard, Trump had no problem ranting about his supposedly strong relationship with Kim Jong Un. However, he had a major meltdown when CNN's Kristen Holmes asked whether the North Korean leader had requested that he scale back joint military exercises with South Korea.

"Quiet, quiet, quiet! You're very disrespectful in front of this young man. Okay? Don't you find her disrespectful? Heh. He understands. Quiet!" Trump said.

His outburst escalated when the reporter revealed she was with CNN.

"Fake news. You're fake news. You're a loud—you're a loud, boisterous person. You're fake news. Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet!" Trump said. "You're a fake reporter, and you report fake news."

Pattern of Attacks on Female Reporters

Trump's outburst is the latest in a well-documented history of lashing out at female reporters. The president has called female reporters "the worst" and "second-rate," telling them to "be quiet," that they "know nothing about nothing," and that he dislikes their "attitude." His vitriol has intensified during his second term:

• November: Told Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey "Quiet, Piggy!"
• Last month: Targeted CNN's Kaitlan Collins with transphobic jokes

White House Response

Separately on Monday, the White House attacked Holmes for another question about criticism of the president's relationship with aide Natalie Harp. In a post on X, the White House called the question "disgusting and inhumane."

Trump Downplays USS Abraham Lincoln Crisis

President Trump on Monday again downplayed reports of low food supply and poor conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, which has spent nine months at sea, primarily in the Persian Gulf.

"Mr. President, is there enough food on the USS Lincoln?" a reporter asked Trump immediately after he finished berating the CNN reporter.

"Yeah, it is. That was a CNN fake report. The Lincoln has been out there for a period of time … but over the years we've had 'em out there much longer," Trump said. "I was at a group meeting, and an admiral came up to see me over the weekend.... He said 'I've been on ships that are out there much longer than that sir, and I know people on the Lincoln, they say it's beautifully maintained'.… It was fake news reporting from CNN."

Widespread Reports of Poor Conditions

It wasn't just CNN. Multiple outlets have reported extremely low morale aboard the Lincoln caused by:

• Low supply of dismal-looking food
• Insufficient provisions
• Contaminated water

These conditions, combined with the nine-month deployment, have caused some sailors to literally jump ship. Family members of sailors and Marines aboard the Lincoln have detailed concerns about their mental health to various publications, including the Military Times, USA Today, and MS NOW.

Republican Response

The Republican response to these reports has been either flat-out denial with no evidence—like Trump—or attacking and emasculating the sailors.

"How weak are you?" Fox News contributor Joey Jones ranted on Sunday. "To sit there and say it was terrible because you had a corndog and a hotdog?… If this is a representation of who our military is now … we're just Rome sitting here waiting to burn."

Over half of America opposes the war.

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