Donald Trump recently chose to avoid a reporter’s straightforward question regarding his $10 billion IRS lawsuit. On January 30, 2026, White House ABC correspondent Karen Travers asked the President about his reasons for suing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
“Why are you suing the IRS?” asked Travers. In response, Trump asked, “Who are you with?” When the reporter answered “ABC News,” the president immediately called her a “loud person” and chose to reject her question.
“You’re a loud person, very loud. Let somebody else have a chance,” said the 79-year-old. The reporter pressed again, asking, “Can you answer the question? Why are you suing the IRS?”
The POTUS then fired back, saying, “Did you say ABC? ABC fake news. Go ahead, I didn’t call on you, please go ahead,” before adding, “ABC, by the way, is truly one of the worst.”
Q: Why are you suing the IRS?
TRUMP: Who are you with?
Q: ABC News
TRUMP: You are a loud person. Let somebody else have a chance
Q: Can you answer the question?
TRUMP: ABC fake news. I didn’t call on you pic.twitter.com/QtJYMYVT65
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 30, 2026
Recalling the incident, CNN anchor Dana Bash said, “I just want to say that what Karen Travers of ABC News was trying to ask the president was about the fact that he is suing the IRS and the Treasury Department, so the American taxpayer, for $10billion, because part of his tax return came out in the public. So that’s what he didn’t want to answer.”
On Thursday, the President along with his sons Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and the Trump Organisation, filed a lawsuit against the IRS and the Treasury Department for $10 billion at a federal courthouse in Miami.
According to a spokesperson for the Republican leader of the nation, he reportedly sued the IRS for “wrongly allowed a rogue, politically-motivated employee to leak private and confidential information about President Trump, his family, and the Trump Organisation,” to media outlets.
“Defendants have caused Plaintiffs reputational and financial harm, public embarrassment, unfairly tarnished their business reputations, portrayed them in a false light, and negatively affected President Trump, and the other Plaintiffs’ public standing,” the complaint said, according to NBC News.
Meanwhile, the MAGA leader’s response to the ABC reporter drew backlash from viewers, with one social media user claiming that other reporters present in the room were “allowing Trump to set the narrative, with zero pushback.”
“Did other reporters ask the same question after? If not then they should be fired, they clearly aren’t doing their jobs, they’re allowing Trump to set the narrative, with zero pushback,” one user wrote.
Did other reporters ask the same question after? If not then they should be fired, they clearly aren’t doing their jobs, they’re allowing Trump to set the narrative, with zero pushback
— Go_Utes (@utes_big12) January 30, 2026
”Journalists are supposed to hold those in power to account. I obviously can’t imagine being in the room, but it surprises me every single time this dictator berates a reporter and everyone else just watches on in silence,” another user stated.
A third user added, “When will the Press take action and all ask the same question until he or one of his acolytes answer it or storm out in a paddy. It is only by taking the initiative that the Press will win.”
