CNN Hits Back at Trump After He Attacks Kristen Holmes as ‘Fake Reporter’

Martin HolmesTue, August 18, 2026 at 12:31 PM UTC

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Donald Trump and Kristen Holmes - Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

CNN hit back on Monday (August 17) after President Donald Trump referred to White House correspondent Kristen Holmes as a “fake reporter” from a “fake news” network and told her to “be quiet.”

The exchange happened during an Oval Office meeting to honor teenage lifeguard Ryder Williams, who went viral last month for rescuing 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai. During the event, Trump fielded questions from reporters, including Holmes, who first asked the president for his reaction to the recent comments made by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga).

Holmes quoted Ossoff, who claimed Trump would rather “build a ballroom and travel with [White House aide] Natalie [Harp]” than do his job as president. Trump responded by referring to Ossoff as a Pee-Wee Herman lookalike.

Later, another reporter asked about Trump’s relationship with North Korea amid his decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea. The president said, “Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect. I understand him, he understands me.”

Holmes attempted a follow-up, asking whether Kim had requested that Trump scale back the exercises. “Quiet,” the president retorted, constantly interrupting Holmes’ question. “You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man, okay? Don’t you find her disrespectful?”

“Quiet. Who are you with?” he continued.

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When Holmes told him she was with CNN, Trump responded, “Fake news. You’re a loud, boisterous person. You’re fake news. Be quiet. You’re a fake reporter. And you report fake news.”

The White House then escalated the situation on its official Rapid Response X account. Sharing a clip of the tense Oval Office moment, the account wrote that Holmes is “a disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession,” saying that she used the event to take a “cheap shot.”

In another post, the Rapid Response account tagged Holmes and wrote, “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.”

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CNN later issued a statement, writing, “Kristen Holmes is one of the most respected and accomplished journalists covering the White House. This afternoon, she did her job and asked the President of the United States a tough, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people.”

The statement continued, “Public officials are free to challenge reporting they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists for asking questions are beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press. We stand firmly behind Kristen and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms.”

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Source: “AOL Breaking”