The White House has faced criticism after President Donald Trump and his administration launched personal attacks against CNN correspondent Kristen Holmes during an Oval Office event.
Holmes asked Trump to respond to remarks by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff about his executive assistant, Natalie Harp. Ossoff had criticised Trump during a campaign speech and referred to the president’s relationship with the aide.
Trump did not directly address the substance of Ossoff’s remarks. Instead, he criticised the Democratic senator and continued discussing his plans for a White House ballroom.
White House Targets CNN Reporter
The White House’s Rapid Response account later posted a video of the exchange on X and directly criticised Holmes.
The account accused the reporter of asking a “disgusting and inhumane question” and referred to her children in its attack. The post also criticised Holmes for raising the issue during an event honouring a teenage lifeguard.
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The incident quickly drew criticism from media organisations and journalists who viewed the personal comments as an escalation in the administration’s clashes with the press.
Trump Tells Reporter to Be Quiet
The confrontation continued when Holmes later asked Trump about North Korea and US-South Korea military exercises.
Trump called Holmes “very disrespectful” and repeatedly told her to be quiet. He also described her as “fake news” and a “fake reporter”.
The exchange occurred during an Oval Office event honouring teenage lifeguard Ryder Williams, who rescued a child from dangerous surf in California. Trump had opened the event to questions on several unrelated issues.
CNN Defends Kristen Holmes
CNN strongly defended Holmes following the confrontation.
The network said Holmes had asked a relevant question and rejected the personal attacks against her. CNN also said criticism of journalists should not cross into personal attacks for doing their jobs.
Several CNN journalists also expressed support for Holmes. They described her as an experienced White House reporter and criticised the decision to bring her children into the dispute.
Questions Over Natalie Harp
The dispute centres partly on growing public attention around Natalie Harp, a 35-year-old executive assistant who frequently accompanies Trump and provides him with printed information. She has earned the nickname “human printer” because of her role.
Ossoff recently criticised Trump over his relationship with Harp while also attacking the president’s plans for a new White House ballroom. Trump dismissed Ossoff’s criticism and defended the ballroom project.
The White House has also attacked Ossoff over his comments. Communications Director Steven Cheung called the Democratic senator a “loser” rather than addressing the substance of his criticism.
The confrontation with Holmes has added to ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and news organisations. It has also renewed debate over how public officials respond to journalists who ask challenging questions.
