Fact Check: Did CNBC's Megan Casella tell Trump ‘you are the president, not God’?

WASHINGTON, DC: A quote went viral on social media in December 2025 that claimed CNBC journalist Megan Casella told President Donald Trump during a press briefing: “Sir, you are the president, not God.”

But is there any truth behind this claim? Let’s break it down.

Claim: Megan Casella tells Trump 'you are the president, not God'

This assertion, which circulated across social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and X in late 2025, showed a confrontation between the CNBC correspondent and President Donald Trump during a high-stakes White House press event.

The quote suggested Cassella was reprimanding the president over an over-authoritative claim, and it had quickly gained thousands of reactions because of its provocative content.

A social media post by @SuzanneHatton4 included a picture of Cassella with a caption. The text claimed the CNBC Correspondent "landed a one-two verbal punch on a stunned Trump during a press briefing." 

It specified the exchange followed two of his "rude outbursts": Cassella first retorted, "Sir, you are the president, not God." When Trump reportedly demanded she never say that again, she replied with the second powerful line: "Mr President, I ask questions, not permission.”

Another X user, @craig239029680, shared a post that focused only on the dialogue.

The post summarized the alleged confrontation as President Trump is quoted as demanding, "Never say that again," followed by Megan Casella’s defiant retort, "Sir, you are the president, not God."

The user then added a celebratory comment to the exchange, stating, "Glimmers of hope for the free press.

Fact check: There's no evidence of Casella talking like that to Trump

The quote is entirely fabricated. These claims appear to be a form of digitally altered content, likely created and spread months after a real exchange between the two took place. 

Even though such a dramatic confrontation during a press briefing would inevitably become major news, the quote, "Sir, you are the president, not God," yielded no results when searched. 

Search engines like Google or direct searches of the phrase produced no corresponding news stories, confirming its fabrication.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Cassella herself announced on September 19, 2025 in a post on ‘X’  that she was taking maternity leave with the following post, “That's a wrap from me for the year: Signing off today for maternity leave feeling very grateful to be able to devote the next few months to figuring out how to raise a baby. It'll be a very different type of craziness for me for the next little bit. See you in 2026!”

May 2025 'TACO Trade' spat is authentic source of viral image used

The real, noteworthy verbal spat between President Trump and CNBC's Megan Cassella happened much earlier, specifically during a White House press briefing in late May 2025.

This interaction served as the likely inspiration for the fabricated quote. Cassella had addressed the president directly about his trade policy tactics, introducing an acronym that was gaining traction.

She asked: “Mr President, Wall Street analysts have coined a new term called the Taco trade. They're saying 'Trump Always Chickens Out' (TACO) on your tariff threats. And that's why markets are higher this week. What’s your response to that?” 

The question visibly irked President Trump and instead of answering the substance of the question directly, he lashed out at Cassella, labeling the inquiry itself as "nasty" and "disrespectful."