‘He Just Can’t Help Himself’: Trump Crashes Out on CNN Reporter Until Another Journalist Jumps In with One Move That Instantly Flips His Tone
President Donald Trump is well known for his assault on First Amendment rights, such as freedom of the press and freedom of speech, calling journalists enemies of the people and mischaracterizing legitimate reporting as “fake news,” and there seems to be a certain type of reporter that really ruffles his feathers.
A video clip of Trump doing just that to a CNN reporter earlier this summer as the press gathered with him on the South Lawn of the White House as a new flagpole was raised on June 18 resurfaced and went viral again on social media Thursday.
CNN reporter Alayna Treene can be heard asking about the fighting between Israel and Iran, which was underway at the time. “Some of your supporters are wary of the US getting involved in another foreign war,” Treene started before Trump interrupted with his go-to question to queue up his ready-made insult.
“Who are you with?” he asked.
“CNN,” she replied as Trump let out a sigh and shook his head, “Fake news. Fortunately, nobody watches,” he said in a snarky tone.
“Is anybody watching CNN nowadays. I haven’t seen it in a long time,” he stated.
“But some of your supporters are wary of the U.S. getting involved in another foreign war,” Treene began, when Trump interrupted her again.
“Do you ever ask a positive question at CNN?” Then he launched into a mumbling tirade about how much his supporters love him.
“My supporters are more in love with me today and I’m in love with them more than they were even at election time where we had a total, uh, a landslide. You know we won all seven swing states. Did CNN report that? We won all, seven out of seven, which everyone said would be almost impossible,” he droned on, but he wasn’t done bragging about himself.
“We won by millions of votes. We won 2,750 districts versus 505 districts. Think of that, 2,750 versus 505,” he rambled on until a male reporter jumped in.
“I think what she might be alluding to is the base is going to stay with you regardless … but some of the people in the base don’t want a long-term war. They’re afraid we’re going to get into a long-term war,” Real America’s Voice chief White House correspondent Brian Glenn interjected.
Trump took the question seriously from Glenn, who is the boyfriend of MAGA-friendly congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and represents a far-right outlet.
Glenn approached the question in a way that resonates with Trump, by massaging his ego.
The tactic and switch was obvious to viewers online.
“He gets so rude and defensive when you don’t praise him, he is a very weak, sensitive man that needs constant worship. So sad,” one user observed.
“The way he responded to the reporter – is it because she’s female, from CNN, or not kissing his arse that he is so rude?” another wondered.
“He just can’t help himself …. constantly insulting people. THIS is why their is so much hateful rhetoric in this country. If you can’t get the President of the United States to stop, nobody will stop,” Fed Up American said on X.
“Misogynist. He never misses an opportunity to smear and diminish a woman. Then bee face comes in and mansplains. I’m so ashamed of the people that support this bronzer coated turd,” this X user observed.
Another made a legitimate prediction. “We’re not far from the point where Trump doesn’t take questions anymore from any reporters. ‘Positive question,’ please, might as well just have said, why aren’t you flattering me?’
Just this week Trump’s administration waged a censorship campaign against late night comedian Jimmy Kimmel urging the removal of his show, and ABC and Disney complied, something millions of Americans would have never thought possible even eight months ago.
Trump’s rampage against reporters he doesn’t like has no end in sight. On Friday during an Oval Office press conference, a young Black female reporter was on the receiving end of his rage when he told her to be “quiet” and called her “obnoxious.”
“I’m not obnoxious, but I’m trying to ask you, what about your plans for Memphis?” the reporter responded. She was later later identified as American Urban Radio Networks reporter Ebony McMorris.
While McMorris attempted to continue doing her job, Trump pivoted. “I’m not going to talk to you until I call on you,” before taking a question from a different reporter.