Fact Check: Did a journalist respond with ‘you’re a terrible president’ after Trump criticized them?

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump has frequently clashed with reporters, particularly women journalists, during press briefings and interviews.

Critics and press freedom advocates have argued that some of these confrontations extend beyond disagreements over coverage and include personal remarks about reporters' intelligence, appearance, or demeanor.

Against this backdrop, a viral post on X claimed that a reporter fired back at Trump by calling him a “terrible president” after he criticized the journalist. But did such an exchange actually take place? Here's what the facts show.

Claim: A reporter fired back at Trump by calling him a 'terrible president'

An X user, @chikyhandlr, claimed that a reporter had fired back at President Trump after he criticized the journalist.

The now-viral post stated, “The first reporter who fires back at Trump’s ‘You’re a terrible reporter’ with ‘You’re a terrible president’ deserves a Pulitzer on the spot.”

Accompanied by a split image of Trump and a female reporter, the post appeared to tap into ongoing frustrations over the president’s repeated clashes with journalists, including several high-profile exchanges with reporters in 2026.

The post quickly gained traction online, receiving more than 34,000 likes and hundreds of supportive comments.

At the time of writing, it had amassed more than 299,000 views on X. Many users expressed support for the sentiment, with one commenter writing, “None of these reporters realize that if they did fight back, it would only be once, BUT IT WOULD BE HEARD AROUND THE WORLD. They would be instantly trending!” Another user asked, “It’s about time! Who is this person?"

Fact Check: False, no evidence to back the viral claim

The claim is false. There is no evidence that any reporter has responded to President Trump during a press interaction by calling him a “terrible president.”

Extensive searches of news reports, video footage, press briefings, and discussions on X do not reveal any instance in which a journalist directly replied to Trump with that phrase, or a similar insult, during an official media exchange.

Instead, the phrase appears primarily in hypothetical scenarios, memes, social media posts, and comedy sketches.

The viral post in question reflects a sentiment expressed by some of Trump's critics rather than a real event. While users online have often suggested that a reporter should respond in this manner, there is no record of such an exchange actually taking place. 

Journalists typically maintain professional standards during press briefings and interviews, choosing to continue questioning public officials or ignore personal remarks rather than engage in direct insults. As a result, the claim that a reporter called Trump a “terrible president” in response to his criticism is unfounded.

The rumor likely stems from Trump's well-documented history of clashing with journalists. During press events in 2025 and 2026, Trump repeatedly used terms such as “terrible reporter,” “obnoxious,” and “horror show” when addressing members of the media.

These exchanges have involved reporters from major news organizations, including ABC News journalists such as Rachel Scott and Mary Bruce.

Similar confrontations have also occurred in previous years, including exchanges with Peter Alexander in 2020. These incidents are well documented in news coverage and video recordings, with Trump often characterizing his remarks as responses to what he considers unfair or hostile questions.