President Donald Trump has continued his barrage of insults towards journalists with an outburst on Thursday.
Trump publicly lashed out at a journalist during a press conference after the reporter asked a question regarding an Afghan suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
The incident occurred as journalists were pressing Trump on the vetting of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, who allegedly shot Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, on Wednesday.
Highlights
- Trump insulted a journalist as 'stupid' during a press conference on an Afghan shooter who killed a National Guard member.
- The Afghan suspect, Lakanwal, had worked with the CIA and was vetted, contradicting Trump's claim of no vetting.
- This outburst reflects Trump's ongoing aggressive pattern of insulting journalists questioning his actions.
- Trump has escalated his attacks on media with lawsuits, derogatory labels, and efforts to revoke broadcast licenses.
Trump lashed out at yet another journalist during a press conference on Thursday
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CBS News Chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes noted that federal officials had said Lakanwal “worked very closely with the CIA in Afghanistan for years, that he was vetted and the vetting came up clean.”
“He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts,” Trump immediately fired back.
“It happens too often with these people. You see them. But look, this is how they come in, they're standing on top of each other. That's an airplane. There was no vetting or anything. They came in unvetted and we have a lot of others in this country and we’re going to get them out.”
Cordes pushed back, citing federal reports contradicting Trump’s argument.
“Actually, your DOJ IG [Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General] just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the US, so why do you blame the Biden administration for what this man did?” Cordes followed up.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal had worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan war as part of a partner force in Kandahar. Ratcliffe described Lakanwal’s entry to the U.S. as a failure of federal oversight.
“Because they let them in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” Trump responded to Cordes, who has a degree from Princeton University.
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“Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn't be here and you're just asking questions because you're a stupid person.”
He continued, launching into a rant about U.S. immigration policies: “And there's a law passed that it's almost impossible to get them out. You can't get them out once they come in, and they came in and they were unvetted, they were unchecked, there were many of them, and they came in on big planes and it was disgraceful.”
“The whole Afghanistan situation was a mess. It should've never taken place… we would've left from Bagram, and we would've kept Bagram by the way,” Trump said.
Despite Trump’s personal attack, Cordes remained composed, listening to the president’s remarks without visibly reacting beyond a raised eyebrow.
Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government as a member of a partner force that has been described as a part of CIA-backed Zero Units.
The Zero Units carried out counter-terrorism operations such as night raids and targeted operations during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported.
Lakanwal had entered the U.S. in 2021 during the mass evacuation that followed the collapse of the U.S.-backed Afghan government, and was granted asylum this year under the Trump administration, according to CBS.
'Are you a stupid person?' Trump fired at a reporter asking about the Afghan suspect accused of shooting two National Guard members
Image credits: Air Mobility Command Public Affairs/Wikimedia
The shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Trump’s Thursday outburst is part of a pattern of confrontations with reporters. Earlier this month, he told Bloomberg journalist Catherine Lucey, “Quiet, piggy,” while responding to a question about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
“Sir, if there’s nothing incriminating in the files…” Lucey had begun to ask when Trump pointed at her and cut her off, snapping, “Quiet. Quiet, piggy.”
Only a few days later, Trump lashed out at her again. While speaking to the press outside Air Force One, Trump was responding to a question regarding Tucker Carlson’s interview with Nick Fuentes.
When Lucey interrupted Trump, he said, “Will you let me finish my statement? You are the worst. You're with Bloomberg, right? You are the worst. I don't know why they even have you.”
On Wednesday, Trump insulted a New York Times reporter, Katie Rogers, calling her “ugly, both inside and out,” after Rogers co-wrote a story examining signs that Trump may be slowing down during his second term.
The article noted that Trump has been traveling less and noted moments that raised questions about fatigue.
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He also berated ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce during a joint appearance with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman earlier this month.
When Bruce questioned Trump over the Epstein files and confronted MBS about the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Trump snapped at her, saying, “It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter.”
“But I think the way you ask a question with the anger and the meanness is terrible. You ought to go back and learn how to be a reporter. No more questions from you,” he told her.
Trump has also snubbed the media organizations the journalists work for, calling ABC News “Fake ABC News” and a “crappy company.” “People are wise to your hoax,” he said before calling for its broadcast license to be revoked.
He dismissed The New York Times as a “cheap ‘RAG’” and repeated his claim that the newspaper is an “ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE."
The White House has defended Trump’s remarks as him being “transparent” and “frank and open and honest.”
Over the month, Trump has snapped at several journalists over their questioning
The recent outbursts come as a heightened version of Trump’s dislike for the media. Journalism, which for some is the cornerstone of democracy, has long been termed as an “enemy of the people” by Trump.
During his second term, he has escalated his war on media through lawsuits, funding cuts, and executive orders aimed squarely at outlets he deems hostile. He has filed lawsuits against CBS and The New York Times, and banned the Associated Press from the White House press pool for not following his order to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.
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Most recently, he filed a $20 billion lawsuit against The Washington Post and its owner, Rupert Murdoch, for printing a story about an alleged birthday card that Trump sent to Epstein.
In December 2024, ABC News settled a $15 million defamation lawsuit filed by Trump over anchor George Stephanopoulos's implying that Trump had been found liable for rape.