Trump rages at CNN reporter for asking about MAGA backlash to US involvement in Iran-Israel conflict
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump wasn’t in the mood to entertain any uncomfortable questions as he excitedly oversaw the unveiling of his much-anticipated flagpoles at the White House.
But when a CNN reporter asked him about the growing MAGA backlash to the US’s potential involvement in escalating tension between Israel and Iran, the president blasted the ‘fake news’ network and accused them of never asking him any ‘positive question’.
TRUMP: "Who are you with? CNN? Fake news. Fortunately nobody watches you. Is anybody watching CNN these days? I haven't seen it in a long time. Do you ever ask a positive question at CNN?" pic.twitter.com/LKxeCGRzFu
— Unlimited L's (@unlimited_ls) June 18, 2025
Trump lashes out at CNN reporter at White House flagpole photo op
On Wednesday, June 18, the 79-year-old president, accompanied by family members, advisers, and officials, oversaw the installation of two large flagpoles on the North and South lawns of the White House.
The two poles will cost Trump about $50,000 each to complete, he told reporters, before comparing the quality of the pole to the flagpoles at his Florida clubs Doral and Mar-a-Lago.
After the unveiling, Trump was taking questions from reporters when CNN White House correspondent Alayna Treene asked him about the ongoing civil war within MAGA ranks over his increasingly aggressive support for Israel in its conflict with Iran, according to Mediaite.
“Mr President, some of your supporters are splitting on the US response to…,” Treene tried to begin before Trump cut in and deployed his usual tactic of demanding to know, “Who are you with?”
When Treene mentioned CNN, Trump scoffed, labeling the network "fake news" and claiming, "Fortunately, nobody watches."
Treene tried to repeat the question, but Trump again interrupted and asked: “Is anybody watching CNN nowadays? I haven’t seen it in a long time.”
“So some of your supporters are wary of the US getting involved in another foreign war, and some believe that we should support it,” the reporter finally pressed.
Trump said he "hadn't seen that" and then launched into a rant, saying: “Do you ever ask a positive question at CNN? My supporters are more in love with me today, and I’m in love with them, more than they were even at election time.”
Trump’s threatening rhetoric towards Iran
The commander-in-chief's remarks on Wednesday follow a surge in his threatening rhetoric against Iran and its supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
He has called for the country's "UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER" and implied that he may "kill" Khamenei at any time because the US "knows exactly where" he is hiding.
Additionally, he recently rejected the testimony of his own Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, whom he is allegedly "losing faith" in, that Iran is not presently developing a nuclear weapon.
“I don’t care what she said — I think they were very close to having one,” he sneered at CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins aboard Air Force One.
“We’re not looking for a ceasefire, I didn’t say it was going to be a ceasefire,” he further fumed at Collins, whom he has regularly insulted and attacked, before dismissing her as “fake news.”
