Trump Loses His Temper at Questions: Calls CNN and ABC's Two Women Journalists 'Dummy' and 'Stupid'
US President Donald Trump has become embroiled in a heated argument with journalists in front of the White House over easing economic sanctions on Russia after the release of an American citizen imprisoned in Russia for four years. Instead of answering the questions, he is reported to have personally attacked two women journalists.
At that time, he personally attacked and insulted two women journalists from CNN and ABC News, calling them 'stupid' and 'low-intelligence'. US media outlet Fox News reported this news. The president's behaviour has raised questions in the debate over media freedom and decorum.
At the centre of the incident is 74-year-old US citizen Stephen Hubbard. He was imprisoned in Russia on charges of fighting as a mercenary for Ukraine. After four years in prison, he was released, and right after that release, Trump faced journalists outside the White House on Wednesday.
At the scene, when CNN representative Kaitlan Collins raised a question about the decision to lift sanctions on Putin, Trump became furious. In reply, Trump claimed that if sanctions had remained in force, it would not have been possible to free this American and he would have had to serve 25 more years in prison. In other words, he presented the sanctions-easing decision as justified in exchange for the release.
When Collins asked about this again, Trump directly attacked her, saying, 'You don't know what you are talking about. You are a dummy, you are a low-intelligence person and you work for CNN.' The president's comment made the question-and-answer atmosphere even more heated.
Trump further added that when you are close to a deal and very sensitive bargaining is going on, you cannot impose sanctions. His remark suggests he wants to stand the release-related talks as the main logic behind the sanctions-easing decision.
Later, a woman journalist from ABC News raised the same issue and asked — is easing sanctions on Russia to ensure Hubbard's release not a concession to Moscow? The question was a principled one: how reasonable it is to give an economic concession to a state for the release of one citizen.
Hearing the question, Trump burst out in anger. Looking sternly at that journalist and pointing a finger, Trump asked, 'Are you a stupid person? Who do you work for?' Even before the answer, this counter-question by the president created an uncomfortable situation at the whole scene.
After the journalist stated her organisation's name as ABC News, Trump said, you are a stupid person. He further said, anyway, your network is the worst. In this way, he also targeted the questioner's organisation for attack.
Throughout the incident, a consistent picture was seen — whenever a question arose about easing sanctions, the president, alongside a principled answer, personally attacked the questioner. Although he presented Hubbard's release as a success, questions about the concession given to Moscow as the price of that success angered him.
After Hubbard's release, discussion is under way about the political significance of this understanding between Washington and Russia. On one side, a US citizen has been freed after four years in prison; on the other, journalists are raising questions about the sanctions-easing decision — the tension between the two was expressed in this argument in front of the White House.
If an official reaction comes from the White House or the concerned media outlets after this incident, the next picture of the situation will become clear. For now, Trump's behaviour towards journalists, rather than the news of Hubbard's release, has come to the centre of discussion.
