Trump cuts off CNN reporter during ceremony for teen rescuer
During a White House ceremony on Monday honoring a teen lifeguard for rescuing a child from heavy surf, President Donald Trump cut off a CNN reporter and sought support from the 10-year-old boy seated nearby, according to multiple reports.
The president was hosting Ryder Williams, a 16-year-old lifeguard from Santa Cruz, California, who was credited with pulling Nathaniel Rai, 10, from the water at Seabright State Beach last month, as reported by The Independent and The Mercury News. Trump invited Williams to the White House for what he called "a High Civilian Honor." Nathaniel Rai was also present in the Oval Office.
As CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes began asking a question about military exercises in South Korea, Trump interrupted her. "Quiet, quiet, quiet. You are very disrespectful in front of this young man," he said, according to The Mercury News and Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Trump then turned to Nathaniel Rai and asked, "Don't you find her disrespectful? He understands. Quiet. Who are you with?"
Holmes responded, "I'm with CNN." Trump then called her "fake news," "a loud, boisterous person," and "a fake reporter," as quoted by both outlets. The Independent reported that Trump also said "You're fake news. Be quiet! You're a fake reporter."
The White House's "Rapid Response" X account posted a clip of the exchange, tagging Holmes and writing: "Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question. They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive. It's quite troubling."
Question about carrier conditions
The exchange occurred after Holmes attempted to ask whether there are sufficient supplies and food aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, according to The Independent. The carrier has been at sea in the Middle East for more than 265 days, and relatives of sailors have publicly raised concerns about food and hygiene, the outlet reported. Trump rejected those concerns last week at Joint Base Andrews, according to the same report.
Trump responded by saying: "That was a fake CNN report. Over the years, we had them out there much longer. An admiral told me, 'I have been on ships much longer than that, sir.' And people on the Lincoln say it's beautifully taken care of."
The Independent also reported that the carrier will soon be relieved after nearly a year at sea, a deployment that has been repeatedly extended due to the war Trump started with Iran in February.
Previous incidents with female reporters
Holmes is not the first female reporter Trump has publicly ordered to be quiet. In June, he told CNN's Kaitlan Collins to be quiet and also criticized her physical appearance, according to The Mercury News and Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Last year, when Bloomberg's Catherine Lucey asked a question about the Jeffrey Epstein files, Trump told her: "Quiet, piggy!"
The Independent reported an additional incident in November, when Trump attacked New York Times White House reporter Katie Rogers, calling her "a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out." The Times responded by saying its reporting was "accurate and built on first hand reporting of the facts," adding that "name-calling and personal insults don't change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the president's remarks or on whether the families of either boy were told in advance that they might be drawn into an exchange with the press, according to The Independent.