Donald Trump’s rapport with female reporters isn’t exactly in the green zone. And his latest outburst at yet another woman proves it. Well the U.S. President has already been reprimanded for his “quiet piggy” remark to one of the female-reporters in the past. This time, the question that drew his ire was a less approachable topic. As per the 79-year-old, it was something he thought was already dead for discussion.
On Wednesday, Trump sat down for a White House roundtable discussion. The female journalist asked the President about the controversial second strike on Venezuelan boats on September 2. Well this was carried out under strict ‘no survivors’ orders from Pete Hegseth.
The CNN reporter asked, “Has [Pete] Hegseth told you why he hasn’t released the video of the second strike?” For the unversed, the a second strike on boats accused of trafficking drugs to the U.S. has already been deemed as an act of war. It killed the remaining two survivors on the vessel.
Responding to the journalist, Donald Trump fired back hard, citing how someone could ask a question on a topic that has long since been considered dead. Moreover, he lashed out at CNN as a news outlet that worked only for the Democrats.
He began by saying, “He hasn’t told me. I thought that issue was dead. I’m surprised you’re bringing it up. Are you with CNN?” When the reporter confirmed her employment in response to the President’s rhetorical question, the 79-year-old clapped back, saying, “You work for the Democrats.”
Q: Has Hegseth told you why he hasn’t released the video of the second strike?
TRUMP: He hasn’t told me. I thought that issue was dead. I’m surprised you’re bringing it up. Are you with CNN?
Q: I am with CNN
TRUMP: You work for the Democrats pic.twitter.com/VV3qe3F2EF
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) December 10, 2025
Speaking about Trump’s particular salt-rubbing wound with CNN, one may note a report from The Associated Press. It stated that Paramount has made a whopping offer to take over Warner Bros Discovery, the mother company behind CNN, HBO, and a movie studio. It is said that Paramount’s rushed-up bid was to compete with Netflix’s, adding that the former plans to use its power to reshape the nation’s entertainment landscape.
Incidentally, Paramount is known to be a close ally of Donald Trump, which is why he deemed the possible business collaboration between Netflix and Warner Bros Discovery a problem. Iterating his views on the business deal, he further added, “I think any deal should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it, or sold separately. But I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue.”
While Trump’s obvious hatred for CNN explains part of his outburst, the fact that his repeated attacks towards female reporters have consistently drawn ire from everyone. According to many critics, it is a deliberate strategy to intimidate and avoid scrutiny. Since the insults are gendered, they link power dynamics now more than ever.
Donald Trump can’t remember what he said just five days earlier. Then verbally assaults a female reporter who asked him about his prior comments.https://t.co/7DyVn6q8Xe
— IsThisReallyHappening (@IsThisRealjtwx) December 10, 2025
Recalling the time when Trump burst out with a scathing remark on a female journalist from Bloomberg aboard Air Force One, the White House had a very different take on the matter. In fact, Karoline Leavitt evidently shifted the focus from gendered insults to an outlet that specializes in spreading hoaxes and controversies. She had said, “The fake news that we see pumped out of this building on a day-to-day basis — it’s honestly overwhelming to keep up with it all.”
But as per press circle analyses, these repeated incidents are basically attempts by the Republican government to curb independent media voices. So far, the Pentagon has issued restrictive rules governing reporters and their movements, with press briefings inviting only conservative-leaning media outlets rather than traditional ones.
