Donald Trump was involved in a heated verbal confrontation on Monday with Kristen Holmes, senior correspondent for CNN at the White House, during an event in the Oval Office, and the presidential communication machinery escalated the attack on social media even mentioning the journalist's children.
The incident occurred when Holmes attempted to ask the president about comments made by Georgia Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff, who had said in a speech on Sunday that Trump "doesn't want to do the work" and prefers "to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie in his apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar," referring to Natalie Harp, the president's executive assistant.
Trump interrupted the journalist before she could ask her question and confronted her in front of those present, including the 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams, who was being honored that day.
According to the transcript of the video shared on social media, the president said: «Shut up, shut up, shut up. You are very disrespectful towards this young man, okay? Don’t you think that's disrespectful? He understands it. Shut up. Who are you with?».
When Holmes responded that he worked for CNN, Trump fired back: “Fake news. You are fake news. You’re a loud and obnoxious person. You are fake news. Shut up. Shut up. You are a fake reporter and you report fake news.”
The White House's reaction wasn't limited to the live exchange. The official "rapid response" account shared a clip of the confrontation, tagging Holmes and calling her "a disgraceful shame to her supposed profession," accusing her of delivering a "low blow" and adding, "These scum are the lowest of the low."
In a second message, the White House escalated the attack to a personal level: «One day, your children will come across your disgusting and inhuman question. They will be sickened and ashamed to have such an insensitive and vengeful father. It is quite disturbing».
CNN came to the defense of its correspondent, describing her as "one of the most respected and talented journalists covering the White House" and noting that she had asked "a challenging, relevant, and publicly significant question on behalf of the American people."
The network described the personal attacks as "unworthy of the position and incompatible with the principles of press freedom."
A colleague of Holmes at CNN also publicly backed her: "Kristen is an incredible reporter, a great person, and above all, a mother. I don't understand such a reaction towards a journalist who asks the president to respond to something a Democratic senator has said."
The episode adds to a documented pattern of attacks by Trump on female journalists. In November 2025, he told a correspondent from Bloomberg aboard Air Force One, “Shut up, piglet” when she asked him about the files from the Jeffrey Epstein case.
In June 2026, he walked out of an interview on NBC after calling the host “corrupt or stupid” and removing his microphone.
The White House's communications director also took the opportunity to publish a series of insults directed at Senator Ossoff, whom he called "the biggest loser in politics."
According to a report by The Guardian, Trump responded to Holmes' original question about Ossoff by calling the senator "a Pee-wee Herman lookalike," without addressing the substance of the criticisms regarding his relationship with Natalie Harp, whose unusual closeness to the president has generated increasing media scrutiny in recent months.
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