President Donald Trump sharply criticized a CNN reporter during an exchange on Air Force One on Sunday after she questioned whether Iran takes his warnings seriously, turning the moment into a pointed back-and-forth during a flight back to Washington.
The interaction took place while the president was traveling from Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, DC, where reporters were gathered in the cabin for an informal press gaggle.
“Do you think Iran takes your threats seriously?” the reporter asked.
“I think so, don’t you think so, CNN?” Trump replied curtly, as he pointed to past military actions carried out under his leadership, including the killing of Gen. Qasem Soleimani and terrorist leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi during his first administration, as well as B-2 bomber strikes on Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan in 2025 as part of Operation Midnight Hammer.
“Wouldn’t you say that they probably do at this point, after going through it for years with me? Being hit, Soleimani, al-Baghdadi, the Iran nuclear threat wiped out…And then you just had Venezuela,” Trump continued.
“Wouldn’t you say they do, after all of the things we’ve done? What a stupid question,” the president added.
WATCH:
The exchange unfolded as Trump had been commenting on unrest inside Iran, saying over the weekend that the United States “stands ready to help” as the country looks “at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” amid ongoing protests and demonstrations against the Islamic Republic led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. According to AFP, at least 192 protesters had been killed as of Sunday.
Trump had already confronted the same reporter earlier in the flight after she declined to immediately identify the news outlet she represented.
During the same gaggle, another reporter asked whether Iran had crossed a “red line yet to trigger a response.” Trump responded, “They’re starting to, it looks like.”
“There seemed to be some people killed that aren’t supposed to be killed,” he said, adding that “the military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options.”
The CNN reporter then pressed Trump to specify what options had been presented to him.
“Why would I tell you that…Are you asking me to say what will I do, where will we attack, when, and at what angle will we attack from? Who are you with?” Trump shot back.
She replied that she was part of the White House press pool, avoiding naming CNN, but later acknowledged her affiliation after Trump continued to press her.
“Why don’t you just say, ‘I’m with CNN,’” Trump said, adding that CNN is “fake news.”
{Matzav.com}
CNN is the enemy of the people. They are full time employees of the DNC.
For the benefit of Iran people, it’s better that Iran not take Trump’s threats seriously so that they’ll be in for a surprise with another B-2 stealth bomber.