Donald Trump threw a tantrum at a White House press conference this week, launching a full-on tirade against CNN after one of its reporters had the nerve to ask a question he didn’t like—about the one thing he’s been bragging about for days: the proposed ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.
During the so-called “Antifa Roundtable”—which had all the energy of a pre-nap warmup—Trump, appearing groggy and distracted, managed to alternate between praising his loyalists, trashing the media, and completely dodging any serious policy discussion.
Things took a turn when CNN White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes tried to press him on what role, if any, he was actually playing in the ongoing peace talks.
“Are you personally participating?” she asked. The question wasn’t aggressive—it was barely audible over the general noise in the room—but Trump seized the opportunity to lash out.
“This is CNN speaking, by the way,” he smirked. “So, you know, this is one of the worst reporters that you’ll ever see. I don’t even want to take her question. It’s a waste of time.”
This wasn’t a random reporter shouting from the back. Holmes was credentialed, present, and asking a perfectly legitimate question about a ceasefire the president claims to be involved in. But instead of answering, Trump resorted to cheap shots, proving once again that accountability—especially from outlets he doesn’t control—is simply not on the menu.
For nearly two hours, Trump wandered through a scattershot press event that felt more like a right-wing podcast taping than a presidential briefing. At one point, he declared MSNBC was “dying” and threw CNN in the same grave.
“MSNBC is dying and CNN is dying like a dog,” he said, before adding: “Poor CNN, it’s so pathetic. Did you see their anchors in the evening? Nobody ever heard of them. Where does the people come? I could take anybody off the street in Washington, D.C., they’d do a better job.”
Yes, that was the actual quote. No, it doesn’t make more sense in context.
But the real highlight—if you can call it that—was when Trump asked the room, filled mostly with friendly faces, “What network would you say is the worst?” Like a middle school bully seeking backup, he grinned as the crowd predictably mocked mainstream outlets.
When the FBI Director Sounds Like a YouTube Comment Section
It wasn’t just Trump indulging in the media pile-on. FBI Director Kash Patel, a loyalist best known for echoing Trump’s grievances, lavished praise on right-wing influencers in the room, telling them, “They’re putting their lives on the line, they’re standing up for the flag, the least we can do is stand up for them.”
“I read more of your stories than I do theirs,” Patel added, referring to MAGA-aligned outlets.
The room lapped it up. Conservative activist Nick Sortor called the mainstream journalists “garbage.” Another influencer, Nick Shirley, whined about not being invited on legacy networks.
But Back to the Middle East—Sort Of
Despite refusing to answer a direct question about the peace talks, Trump did make vague allusions to being involved.
“Nothing like that’s happened before,” he said, before noting he might fly to the region by the end of the week. “And our final negotiation, as you know, is with Hamas. And it seems to be going well, so we’ll let you know if that’s the case.”
How involved is he, really? No one knows. And based on how quickly he shut down questions about it, it seems he’s not eager to clarify.
The Final Shot
Trump wrapped up with another jab at the press: “I think you could stay a little longer, but, you know, the problem is, although you have some very honest journalists in here, you also have some mostly largely dishonest journalists, like MS-DNC and CNN—I think they’re very dishonest, unbelievably, like a waste of time even talking to them.”
Then, with all the self-importance of a man who just spent two hours avoiding substance, he said: “But I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East.”
And just like that, he left the room. No questions answered. No ceasefire details. Just a tired president, a cheering squad, and another reminder of how little respect he has for anyone who dares to ask him something real.
Watch the clips below:
Trump: Go ahead. This is CNN speaking by the way. So this is one of the worst reporters you will ever see. I don't want to take her question pic.twitter.com/vxnAHJ7dB6
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 8, 2025
TRUMP: "CNN is dying like a dog. It's so pathetic." 🤣
Not a beautiful dog 🤣 pic.twitter.com/hUwQwxuVuW
— Sara Rose 🇺🇸🌹 (@saras76) October 8, 2025
