What To Know
- President Trump called CNN reporter Kristen Holmes a “fake reporter” and told her to “be quiet” during an Oval Office event.
- The White House’s official Rapid Response account further criticized Holmes on social media.
- CNN defended Holmes in a public statement, saying they ‘firmly stand behind’ her.
CNN hit back on Monday (August 17) after President Donald Trump referred to White House correspondent Kristen Holmes as a “fake reporter” from a “fake news” network and told her to “be quiet.”
The exchange happened during an Oval Office meeting to honor teenage lifeguard Ryder Williams, who went viral last month for rescuing 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai. During the event, Trump fielded questions from reporters, including Holmes, who first asked the president for his reaction to the recent comments made by Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga).
Holmes quoted Ossoff, who claimed Trump would rather “build a ballroom and travel with [White House aide] Natalie [Harp]” than do his job as president. Trump responded by referring to Ossoff as a Pee-Wee Herman lookalike.
Later, another reporter asked about Trump’s relationship with North Korea amid his decision to scale back military exercises with South Korea. The president said, “Kim Jong-un has always treated me with great respect. I understand him, he understands me.”
Another angle of Trump lashing out at CNN’s Kristen Holmes pic.twitter.com/N7xv5E8h8q
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 18, 2026
Holmes attempted a follow-up, asking whether Kim had requested that Trump scale back the exercises. “Quiet,” the president retorted, constantly interrupting Holmes’ question. “You’re very disrespectful in front of this young man, okay? Don’t you find her disrespectful?”
“Quiet. Who are you with?” he continued.
When Holmes told him she was with CNN, Trump responded, “Fake news. You’re a loud, boisterous person. You’re fake news. Be quiet. You’re a fake reporter. And you report fake news.”
.@KristenhCNN is a disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession.@POTUS hosts a hero lifeguard in the Oval Office and she uses it as an opportunity to take a cheap shot about one of President Trump’s staffers.
These scumbags are the lowest of the low. pic.twitter.com/oUrwbAtBfJ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) August 17, 2026
The White House then escalated the situation on its official Rapid Response X account. Sharing a clip of the tense Oval Office moment, the account wrote that Holmes is “a disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession,” saying that she used the event to take a “cheap shot.”
In another post, the Rapid Response account tagged Holmes and wrote, “Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question. They will be sickened and embarrassed to have a parent be so callous and vindictive. It’s quite troubling.”
We stand firmly behind @KristenhCNN and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms. https://t.co/qxDJW7XAmW pic.twitter.com/ui86bU6iGT
— CNN Communications (@CNNPR) August 17, 2026
CNN later issued a statement, writing, “Kristen Holmes is one of the most respected and accomplished journalists covering the White House. This afternoon, she did her job and asked the President of the United States a tough, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people.”
The statement continued, “Public officials are free to challenge reporting they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists for asking questions are beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press. We stand firmly behind Kristen and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms.”