President Trump attacked an ABC News reporter Tuesday after she asked about the Epstein files, threatening to have the network taken off the air for questioning him about the controversy.
After White House reporter Mary Bruce asked about the 2018 death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump blasted her network as “fake news” and called her “one of the worst” reporters covering the West Wing.
The president defended Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in response to the question about Khashoggi’s death, which U.S. intelligence has found was likely ordered by the Saudi government.
But it was Bruce’s question about why Trump has not released files relating to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein that set the president off.
“It’s not the question I mind, it’s your attitude,” Trump told Bruce. “I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask. … You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
The president theorized that leaders at ABC News were “psyching” Bruce “up” to ask Trump a leading question about Epstein, before he denied, as he has in the past, any connection to the disgraced financier.
Trump sought to cast Democrats as perpetuating a “hoax” about Epstein’s ties to famous people and politicians, saying he had “nothing to do with” him.
As Bruce attempted to follow up, Trump interjected, saying, “the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong.”
“And we have a great [Federal Communications Commission] chairman who should look at that,” the president said. “Because when you come in and you’re 97 percent negative to Trump and Trump wins the election by a landslide, that means obviously your news is not credible. And you’re not credible as a reporter.”
Trump has warred with ABC News for years, suing the company last year for defamation and extracting a $15 million settlement from the Disney-owned broadcast network.
Brendan Carr, Trump’s Federal Communications Commission chair, has criticized ABC over its news coverage and urged the network to take late-night host Jimmy Kimmel off the air due to his comments about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Kimmel was briefly suspended.