Donald Trump has had some tense moments with the press over the years. Here are photos documenting some.
1 of 18Donald Trump vs. The Press
From the moment he announced his candidacy in 2015, President Donald Trump has clashed with the press. His willingness to answer questions he deems ‘unfair’ or ‘nasty’ or ‘rude,’ has left him at bitter odds with the journalists who are tasked to cover him every day. And when those reporters don’t play along with him during press conferences, he starts fighting. While there’s a new argument to be had every day, now that the Coronavirus Task Force briefings have become the norm, there are a few major blowouts that have stood out among the rest.
Who could forget him calling CNN’s Jim Acosta ‘terrible’ and ‘nasty’ in November 2018 for asking a simple question about the Mueller Probe, and getting his White House press pass revoked. Or freaking out on CBS’ Paula Reid in April 2020 for being ‘a fake’ for asking about his coronavirus response. To see photos of President Trump spar with these reporters, and more, click through this gallery.
Lesley Stahl
Lesley Stahl conducted an interview with Donald Trump at the White House that got so heated, he walked out. He called her line of questioning about coronavirus ‘unfair and biased’ and leaked the unedited interview before it aired on ’60 Minutes.’
Jennifer Griffin
Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin has become Donald Trump’s latest target in the press, after he called for her to be fired. It comes amid a September report in The Atlantic that claimed the president called veterans who were killed in the war ‘suckers’ and ‘losers’.
Barbara Walters vs. Donald Trump
An unearthed interview from 1990 revealed that Barbara Walters never had time for Donald Trump’s BS. She called him out for being a failed businessman and a liar.
Donald Trump vs. Chuck Todd
Donald Trump called for NBC to fire anchor Chuck Todd after he played an incomplete clip featuring Attorney General William Barr on ‘Meet The Press.’ It was regarding dropping charges against Michael Flynn. Trump said that ‘Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd should be FIRED by ‘Concast’ (NBC) for this fraud.’
Donald Trump vs. Don Lemon
On May 2, 2020, Donald Trump retweeted a conspiracy theory about Barack Obama. This prompted CNN anchor, Don Lemon, to address Trump during a May 3 broadcast, asking why he was worried about conspiracy theories when there was so much going on in the world (i.e. coronavirus). In a level-headed rant, he compared the president to his predecessor, listing all the ways that he felt that Obama was better than Trump.
Nicolle Wallace
Donald Trump unleashed a vicious personal attack on former White House Communications Director, Nicolle Wallace, who now anchors ‘Deadline: White House’ on MSNBC.
Brian Williams Vs. Donald Trump
President Trump went off on Brian Williams on April 29, saying in a series of late-night tweets that he was ‘dumber than hell’ and a ‘liar’ for his 2015 supsension from NBC News. It’s unclear what prompted the rant, but it could be that Williams reported on his show that Trump had yelled at his campaign manager.
Weijia Jiang
Weijia Jiang of CBS News was scolded by President Donald Trump during an Apr. 19, 2020 news conferece where she asked him about his non-response to the coronavirus outbreak in February. He told her to to ‘Keep your voice down,’ and ‘Nice and easy. Nice and easy, just relax,’ in a belittling way.
Paula Reid
CBS’ Paula Reid was praised for her unwillingness to back down during an April 2020 press conference, while asking why he didn’t take action against COVID-19 in February. Trump had a full meltdown, citing data from January, and eventually sputtering and yelling that she’s ‘a fake.’
Donald Trump vs. Jonathan Karl
Donald Trump answers a question from ABC News’ Jonathan Karl during a news conference with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella at the White House in Washington. It took place in Oct. 2019.
Peter Alexander
In March 2020, Trump called NBC’s Peter Alexander ‘terrible’ for asking him to send Americans a hopeful message amid the COVID-19 crisis. ‘That’s a nasty question. You’re a terrible reporter. And I think it’s a very bad signal that you’re putting out to the American people.’
Yamiche Alcindor
An unidentified White House aide attempted to take the mic out of the hands of PBS NewsHour journalist Yamiche Alcindor on March 29, 2020, after she asked Trump about giving aid to governors during the COVID crisis. ‘Look, let me tell you something. Be nice. Don’t be threatening. Be nice,’ Trump told her.
Donald Trump vs. Jeff Mason
Reuters’ Jeff Mason pressed Trump in October 2019 about his call to Ukraine during a White House press conference. Trump refused to answer, so Mason kept asking until the president unloaded, calling him and the entire press corps ‘corrupt hoaxes.’
Jeff Mason & The Entire White House Press Corps
President Donald Trump amped up his rhetoric against the media at a White House press conference on Tuesday. He called some outlets ‘corrupt’ while having a testy exchange with a reporter for Reuters.
Donald Trump vs. Jim Acosta
Trump called CNN’s Jim Acosta a ‘rude, terrible person after he attempted to ask him a question about the Mueller probe in November 2018. ‘The way you treat Sarah Huckabee is horrible, and the way you treat other people is horrible. You shouldn’t treat people that way,’ he said.
President Donald J. Trump blasts CNN’s Jim Acosta
When Jim Acosta attempted to ask him about the Mueller probe again, Trump went off and sent an aide to snatch his mic. ‘I’ll tell you what, CNN should be ashamed of itself, having you working for them,’ he said. The White House temporarily revoked Acosta’s press pass after this.
Philip Rucker
On April 23, 2020, The Washington Post’s White House correspondent, Philp Rucker, was the target of Donald Trump‘s insults during a COVID-19 press briefing. After the reporter tried to hold him to account for suggesting that light and heat could be good ways to treat the coronavirus, Trump fired back, ‘I’m the president and you’re fake news.’
