Donald Trump clashed with CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes during an Oval Office event honoring a 16-year-old lifeguard and a 10-year-old boy, repeatedly telling the journalist to be quiet and accusing her of being “fake news.”
Holmes had questioned Trump about reports of food and supply shortages aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, a US aircraft carrier that has been deployed in the Middle East for more than 265 days. Trump dismissed the reports as false and criticized CNN’s coverage of conditions aboard the ship.
During the tense exchange, Trump called Holmes “very disrespectful” and “loud” before turning to the 10-year-old boy and asking whether he also found her questions disrespectful.
Trump said an admiral had told him that naval personnel had endured longer deployments and insisted the Lincoln was being well maintained. The confrontation comes amid a broader pattern of Trump publicly criticizing female journalists who challenge him with contentious questions.
