Lawrence O’Donnell says if Trump hasn’t called you ‘terrible' reporter, you’re not doing your job

WASHINGTON, DC: Lawrence O'Donnell is telling reporters to brace themselves, because in Donald Trump’s Washington, getting insulted by the president is apparently part of the resume.

The longtime MSNBC anchor joked on Tuesday night that any journalist who hasn’t been publicly shredded by Trump might want to rethink their career path.

Lawrence O’Donnell mocks Trump’s attacks on journalists in new segment

On 'The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell,' the host mocked Donald Trump’s long-running habit of belittling journalists, especially women, after a new clip surfaced of the president going after ABC’s Rachel Scott.

“If you are a member of the White House press corps and Donald Trump has not told you that you are a terrible reporter, then you are not doing your job,” O’Donnell said with a grin.

He repeated the point for emphasis: “If you are a member of the White House press corps and Donald Trump has not told you you are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place, then you are not doing your job. You are failing.”

His comments came just hours after Trump unleashed on Scott during a tense exchange inside the White House.  

Trump clashes with ABC’s Rachel Scott over release of military strike video

Trump was meeting with farmers when Scott pressed him on whether he would release classified footage of a September military strike on a suspected drug boat—an operation critics say may have violated international law. “Are you committing to releasing the whole video?” Scott asked.

A visibly irritated Trump shot back, “Didn’t I just tell you that?” Scott clarified, “You said it was up to Secretary Hegseth.”

Trump then lost his patience entirely. “You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place,” he snapped. “Actually, a terrible reporter.” He added, “It’s always the same thing with you. I told you, whatever Pete Hegseth wants to do is okay with me.”

The moment instantly went viral, and O’Donnell wasted no time folding it into a broader critique of Trump’s pattern of behavior with the press.

Trump’s attacks on female reporters highlight escalating media hostility

O’Donnell noted that Trump’s reactions have become increasingly hostile toward women in the press.

In recent months, the president has told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey to “quiet, piggy,” called Kaitlan Collins “stupid and nasty,” dismissed CBS’s Nancy Cordes as a “stupid person,” and even took a swipe at New York Times reporter Katie Rogers by calling her “ugly."

To O’Donnell, this pattern is not random, it’s predictable. He framed Trump’s insults as an inadvertent sign of which journalists are doing their jobs well: the ones he feels threatened by. In other words, if the president isn’t mad at you, maybe you’re not asking the right questions.