President Donald Trump criticized an ABC News reporter during an Oval Office event on Friday. He reacted to her question about why he is suing the Internal Revenue Service and the U.S. Treasury Department for $10 billion over the leak of his tax returns.
“Who are you with?” the president asked after she raised her question. When she replied that she was with ABC News, Trump said, “You’re a loud person, very loud. Let everybody else have a chance.” He dismissed the network as “fake news” and added, “I didn’t call on you.”
This exchange happened while Trump was signing executive actions at the White House and taking questions from reporters. The Guardian reported that earlier in the day, the president signed an executive order creating a “White House Great American Recovery Initiative,” which focuses on addiction treatment.
Trump filed the $10 billion lawsuit on Thursday in Miami federal court. He named the IRS and Treasury in the suit and alleged that the agencies failed to stop a former IRS contractor from disclosing his and his family’s tax information without permission. The lawsuit lists the president, Donald Jr., Eric, and the Trump Organization as plaintiffs.
The complaint focuses on Charles Edward Littlejohn, a former IRS contractor who admitted to illegally revealing tax return information to news outlets. A federal judge sentenced Littlejohn to five years in prison in 2024 after he pleaded guilty to unauthorized disclosure of tax return information, according to Reuters.
Reporter: Why are you suing your own administration and the IRS?
Trump: Who are you with?
Reporter: ABC News
Trump: You’re a loud person. Let somebody else have a chance. ABC Fake news. I didn’t call on you. pic.twitter.com/ce3G1dwkIO
— Acyn (@Acyn) January 30, 2026
Trump’s lawsuit claims that the leak caused damage to his reputation and finances. It seeks damages that would be paid by the federal government if the plaintiffs win. Reuters reported that the lawsuit also asks for punitive damages and claims the disclosers acted with gross negligence or intentional misconduct.
During the Oval Office event, the ABC reporter continued to press the president after he criticized her. “Can you answer the question?” she asked, repeating her request for clarification regarding the lawsuit. Trump responded by restating his criticism of ABC and moved on to other reporters.
This incident adds to a long history of conflict between Trump and major news outlets. The Washington Post reported this week that the president has taken an aggressive legal approach against media organizations and individual journalists for coverage he disputes, while still labeling outlets he dislikes as “fake news.”
Trump’s decision to sue the IRS and Treasury renewed focus on the original leak, which involved confidential taxpayer information. The Associated Press reported that prosecutors called the disclosures unprecedented in IRS history. Littlejohn provided information that later appeared in reporting by The New York Times and ProPublica.
The White House did not give a detailed explanation of Trump’s comments about ABC during the Friday exchange. Reuters noted that neither the IRS nor the Treasury responded immediately to requests for comment on the lawsuit following its filing.
