President Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter after she posed what appeared to be a straightforward question during a press gaggle aboard Air Force One.
The interaction happened Sunday as Trump was traveling back to Washington, D.C. from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
An ABC News reporter asked about a fundraising email sent by his political action committee that used official White House photos of him attending a dignified transfer ceremony for servicemembers killed in his war on Iran.
The email directs supporters to a fundraising page run by Never Surrender Inc., urging them to donate as much as $1,000—or more—to help advance Trump’s “MAGA agenda.”
When asked if he thought it was appropriate to use the somber images in a fundraising message, Trump replied, “Yeah, I do,” before distancing himself from the email. “I didn’t see it. I mean, somebody puts it up. We have a lot of people working for us.”
“There’s nobody that’s better to the military than me,” he added.
He then lashed out at ABC News, cutting off the unidentified reporter’s questions before launching into a broad attack on the network.
“Who’re you with? Who’re you with?” Trump demanded after the reporter continued pressing him. When she replied that she worked for ABC News, the president erupted. “One of the worst, most fake, most corrupt,” he fumed. “I think it’s maybe the most corrupt news organizations on the planet. I think they’re terrible. I don’t want any more from ABC.”
The same day, Trump tore into the ABC News reporter after she asked why he’s sending 5,000 servicemembers to the Middle East.
“Can you say why we’re sending 5,000 Marines and sailors?” the reporter asked.
“Shhhhh. You’re a very obnoxious person,” he responded.
This is not the first time Trump has singled out a female ABC News journalist. In a December exchange with ABC reporter Rachel Scott, he erupted after she pressed him about U.S. strikes on suspected drug boats, dismissing her as “the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place.”
He continued: “Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious, a terrible—actually a terrible—reporter. And it’s always the same thing with you,” Trump said.
A month earlier, he scolded ABC’s Mary Bruce for asking what he described as “a horrible, insubordinate, and just a terrible question” about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The episodes fit a broader pattern of Trump launching personal attacks on journalists and television hosts who challenge him—particularly women.
In January, he snapped at a female reporter from CNN, calling her query about his threats toward Iran a “stupid question.”
Trump also used his platform on Truth Social to lash out at CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, branding her “always Stupid and Nasty” while misspelling her name.
He has also rebuked other prominent female reporters. Trump labeled NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor “aggressive” and told her to take it “nice and easy” when she asked whether the United States intended to seize more Venezuelan oil assets.
Other journalists have faced similar treatment. He called New York Times reporter Katie Rogers “ugly” after she co-wrote a report on his lighter second-term schedule, and shouted “Quiet, piggy!” at Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey when she asked about the release of Epstein files.
Perhaps the most infamous clash came during a 2015 Republican primary debate, when Trump fired back at then-Fox News host Megyn Kelly after she challenged him, complaining that she had “blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever.”
At least 13 U.S. servicemembers have been killed since the conflict with Iran began, with roughly 140 others wounded. The toll rose sharply on Thursday when six American troops died after an Air Force refueling aircraft crashed during operations tied to the war.
Trump has acknowledged that more casualties may occur as the fighting continues.
“Sadly, there will likely be more before it ends. That’s the way it is. Likely be more. But we’ll do everything possible where that won’t be the case,” Trump said in a March 1 video address.
