"Shut up, shut up!": Trump scolds a CNN journalist who was asking him about North Korea
The North American president interrupted a journalist and accused her of spreading "fake news"
BarcelonaThe President of the United States, Donald Trump, has once again had a confrontation with the press, this time with Kristen Holmes, a CNN correspondent. During an event in the Oval Office, while the journalist was asking him about his contacts with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, and about the decision to reduce the scale of joint military maneuvers with South Korea; Trump interrupted her and ordered her to be quiet. "Shut up, shut up, shut up!", he told her insistently on several occasions. He then also called her "noisy" and "scandalous" and accused her of "spreading fake news".
Holmes wanted to know why Kim Jong-un had not publicly commented on Trump's announcement to reduce the scale of military exercises between Washington and Seoul. The president assured that the North Korean leader had indeed responded to the messages he had sent him and that the exchanges between the two are "very positive", but he did not want to explain their content.
The Trump administration attacks the journalist
The confrontation did not end with the exchange in the Oval Office, but continued on social media. The rapid response account of the Trump administration on X later disseminated the fragment of the discussion and personally attacked Holmes. In a second post, the account even referred to the journalist's children: "One day, your children will encounter your disgusting and inhumane question. They will feel nausea and shame for having such an insensitive and vindictive mother."
Subsequently, CNN came out in defense of its correspondent after the attacks by the Trump administration. "This afternoon she did her job and asked the President of the United States a difficult, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people," CNN Communications stated. The network also assured that it stands "firmly with" Holmes and rejects "in the strongest possible terms" the attacks against the journalist.
Trump scales back drills with South Korea
Trump had announced on Sunday that he would reduce joint military exercises with South Korea because, according to him, they are too costly and send an "inappropriate and hostile" message to Pyongyang. He also justified the decision because Seoul refused to help the United States during the war with Iran, despite claiming his "good relationship" with Kim Jong-un.
The decision comes after the United States also withdrew the THAAD anti-aircraft defense system from South Korea to strengthen its forces in the Middle East. Seoul is concerned that these steps will end up weakening Washington's commitment to the country's defense against its northern neighbors, who in recent years have accelerated their nuclear and missile program and have strengthened military ties with Russia.