President Donald Trump has long been known for targeting reporters who push back on his questions, especially female journalists who refuse to stay quiet.
Once more, Trump directed his ire at a Black female reporter and even lunged toward her after she questioned his dubious pledge to hand every adult American $5,000 if Republicans maintain control of both the House and Senate in the looming midterm elections.
Trump unveiled this extraordinary promise at the first-of-its-kind GOP convention held in Dallas this week.
(Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)
As he was departing Dallas, ABC News senior political correspondent Rachel Scott pressed him about how he intended to pay for a plan that critics describe as essentially a $1.3 trillion midterm-election bribe.
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“Mr. President, with the checks in mind, the United States remains roughly $40 trillion in the red. If your economic playbook is working, why would you need a carrot to coax people to vote?” Scott asked directly.
Trump resolutely denied that the proposed payouts were intended to mobilize his base or spur GOP turnout in November. Instead, he shifted to a familiar defense, laying blame on former President Joe Biden for the economic pressures that voters continue to feel—even as Trump enters his 20th month in office.
“I didn’t do it to boost turnout. I did it as a reward for people forced to endure five years, four years of a terrible, horrible situation caused by Biden,” Trump declared with incredulity.
“I mean they had to endure four years, and that stretched on for at least another half-year,” he asserted, which in his math would place responsibility for the country on Biden dating back to last summer. But he wasn’t finished trying to pin the blame for what critics characterize as poor decisions on Biden.
“Just a horrible thing that Biden did to our country. And it isn’t solely an economic matter. Look at the border. Look at the crime, and although we’ve now got it under control, that period of time was almost a reward for people tolerating Biden’s policies,” a frustrated Trump added, attempting to interrupt Scott, but to no avail.
To be precise, Biden left behind an economy where inflation had cooled significantly from its peak, stabilizing around 3% by January 2025. Crime had been trending downward nationwide before Trump took office again. FBI data shows notable drops in violent crime in 2024.
As Scott pressed for a follow-up, Trump pivoted to another reporter. When she persisted, he began wagging a finger in her direction and snapped, “Not you.”
“You also offered checks,” Scott persisted, “refund checks.”
An irate Trump glared at her and repeated, “Not you.” Then he lunged toward her and snarled again, “Not you.”
“Your network and you, you’re the worst,” an outraged Trump hissed at her.
Social media lit up with disbelief and concern over Trump’s hostile demeanor toward women in the press corps.
“Many Trump clips are funny. Not this one. Tonight, he physically lunged at a female reporter who was asking a question. Look at his expression and the tone of his voice. This man is a predator and behavior like this only reinforces the fact that he is, and always has been, an abuser of women in so many ways,” one Threads user wrote.
Another commenter agreed, “He’s a dangerous bully. A predator. A monster.”
Others piled on. “What a hateful look he gave her. Full of rage. He would have loved to beat her up. And this man has control over the red button. All these interviews will go down in history. How much he hates women.”
This Threads user summed up Trump and his behavior in two words: “F****ng psychopath.”
The confrontations between Trump and female journalists go back to his 2015 campaign for the presidency. He has hurled insults, dodged questions, gaslit reporters, yelled, and basically threw tantrums whenever they pressed him on his statements and policy choices.
In mid-August, he erupted at CNN’s Kristen Holmes. She questioned his decision to scale back joint military exercises with South Korea after he praised North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump told Holmes to be quiet and labeled her a “fake reporter.” The White House later targeted Holmes in a social-media post that invoked her children, claiming they would grow up to be “sickened and embarrassed” by her conduct.
Later that month, Trump attacked PBS NewsHour correspondent Liz Landers. She pressed him on whether he planned to sanction Chinese banks as part of his administration’s efforts to pressure Iran into negotiations and end the ongoing conflict.
He also berated NewsNation White House correspondent Libbey Dean for a “stupid” question. She asked whether he would rule out using a nuclear weapon against Iran.
And back in February, Trump commented on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins’ demeanor, telling her that he had never seen her smile.
Last year, the president ordered Bloomberg News White House correspondent Catherine Lucey to be quiet, telling her, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy,” after she questioned him about the Epstein files.
As the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks approached, Trump launched a furious and highly personal attack on New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman after she reported on his plans for the commemoration. In a Truth Social post, Trump labeled the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist a “stalker.” He mocked her appearance and accused her of fabricating a story that he would skip the Ground Zero ceremony because he would not be allowed to speak.
