Trump calls CNN reporter 'one of the worst' during Antifa roundtable meeting in the White House

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump sharply criticized CNN's Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes during an 'Antifa roundtable' held in the State Dining Room on Wednesday, October 8. 

He described her as "one of the worst reporters you'll ever see" during a public meeting at White House.

The question that irked Trump

Although the CNN reporter's question was hard to hear over the chatter in the room, she seemed to be asking about a potential ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas when the president interrupted. 

“This is CNN speaking, by the way,” he said to the crowd gathered.

“So, you know, this is one of the worst reporters that you'll ever see. I don't even want to take her question. It's a waste of time," he said before moving on to a different question from another reporter. 

The harsh remark is the latest in a series of jabs Trump has made against reporters from allegedly liberal media outlets after coming back to power. 

Reporters from CNN, ABC, and NBC have grown used to being targets during press conferences, as Trump continues his war against the media outlets that have allegedly wronged him.

Trump is 'very close to a deal in the Middle East'

During the press conference, Trump was speaking with influencers and reporters about Antifa, a leftist movement designated as a domestic terrorist organization by his government recently. 

But halfway through the meeting, he was handed an urgent note by the Secretary of State Marco Rubio about the ongoing peace talks between Hamas and Israel.

Trump then told the reporters, “I was just given a note by the Secretary of State saying that we're very close to a deal in the Middle East, and they're going to need me pretty quickly.”

The hastily written note, which was caught on camera, said, “Very close. We need you to approve a post on Truth Social soon, so you can announce the deal first.”

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed that Trump is considering heading to the Middle East on Friday. 

Trump's announcement about the Middle East deal

Trump posted on Truth Social, "I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan."

"This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed-upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace," he added. 

Trump vowed that "all parties will be treated fairly,"  the deal as "a GREAT Day for the Arab and Muslim World, Israel, all surrounding Nations, and the United States of America."

He ended the online statement with, "We thank the mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey, who worked with us to make this Historic and Unprecedented Event happen. BLESSED ARE THE PEACEMAKERS!"