In West Palm Beach, Florida, on Monday, President Donald Trump engaged in a heated exchange with a Newsmax correspondent as his administration pressed forward with a plan to station Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel at domestic airports, even as lawmakers continued a deadlock over funding for the government.
Addressing reporters on the tarmac of the airport, Trump’s temper appeared to flare when Newsmax journalist Mike Carter pressed him about Iran’s assertions.
Carter questioned whether the administration was mischaracterizing diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the conflict. Trump dismissed the claim, insinuating that Iran needed “better public relations people.”
The tense exchange intensified when Carter attempted to pose a follow-up regarding the deployment of ICE agents at airports.
Trump interrupted, asking Carter who he worked for. Once Carter identified himself as a Newsmax journalist, Trump directed his ire at him.
“You’re not performing well,” Trump said.
Carter persisted with his question, but Trump refused to engage, instead turning to a CNN reporter.
“You’re not performing well, did you hear me?” Trump said, “Did you hear that? I’m prioritizing CNN over Newsmax.”
Later, Trump revisited the critique while talking about Joe Kent, the ex-head of the National Counterterrorism Center, who had recently stepped down and publicly criticized the administration’s approach to Iran.
Trump suggested Kent was courting attention and posited that Kent might have aligned with CNN “or maybe… your division of Newsmax,” once more alluding to Carter.
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The confrontation came as the administration pushes forward with a plan to deploy ICE agents to assist at airports nationwide.
Border policy adviser Tom Homan confirmed Sunday that agents would begin appearing at select airports starting Monday.
Officials are coordinating with the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to determine how ICE personnel can be used to ease congestion, particularly at airports experiencing long wait times.
“We’ll have a plan by the end of today,” Homan said during an interview on CNN.
He said agents could be reassigned to support certain operational roles while TSA officers focus on specialized screening tasks.
In addition to assisting with airport operations, ICE agents will continue conducting immigration enforcement activities.
Homan said those duties are already part of their routine responsibilities.
The move follows a warning from Trump over the weekend. He said ICE would be deployed if congressional Democrats did not approve funding for the entire Department of Homeland Security instead of just the TSA, as they have proposed amid the ongoing fight over ICE and Border Patrol abuses in this Trump term.
The funding dispute has contributed to TSA staffing shortages as workers miss paychecks, ICE is separately funded through the end of the year, leading to delays at several major airports.
The plan drew opposition from Democratic leaders.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued that deploying ICE agents in airports raises safety concerns.
He contended that the agency lacks training for such roles in crowded, sensitive environments.
“The last thing Americans need is untrained ICE agents deployed at airports nationwide, potentially brutalizing individuals or, in some cases, causing deaths,” Jeffries stated.
These developments underscore growing strains across several fronts for the administration.
They encompass disagreements over foreign policy, domestic immigration enforcement, and a steadily worsening relationship with the press, including outlets that have long backed the administration.
