President Donald Trump launched sharp verbal attacks on two CBS journalists within days of each other, striking a confrontational tone that has intensified scrutiny of his relationship with parts of the press.
The most recent exchange occurred Sunday aboard Air Force One, where CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang questioned Trump about the medical scan he underwent last month. Asked which part of his body was examined during the MRI, Trump responded with open hostility.
“I have no idea. It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it,” the president said, pointing at Jiang. “I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”
As he concluded the brief exchange, Trump turned toward another journalist and added: “You too.”
President Donald Trump launched sharp verbal attacks on two CBS journalists within days of each other, striking a confrontational tone that has intensified scrutiny of his relationship with parts of the press.
The most recent exchange occurred Sunday aboard Air Force One, where CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang questioned Trump about the medical scan he underwent last month. Asked which part of his body was examined during the MRI, Trump responded with open hostility.
“I have no idea. It was just an MRI. What part of the body? It wasn’t the brain because I took a cognitive test and aced it,” the president said, pointing at Jiang. “I got a perfect mark, which you would be incapable of doing.”
As he concluded the brief exchange, Trump turned toward another journalist and added: “You too.”
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the remarks.
Despite the confrontation, Trump told reporters that the results of the October MRI would be made public.
“If they want to release it, it’s OK with me to release it,” he said. “It’s perfect.”
The White House confirmed in an October 10 memo from presidential physician Sean Barbabella that Trump had undergone imaging as part of a routine medical review at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The examination was described as a scheduled evaluation within the president’s long-term health maintenance program.
“Comprehensive laboratory studies performed in conjunction with the visit were exceptional, including stable metabolic, hematologic, and cardiac parameters,” the physician wrote.
The incident follows another episode days earlier at Mar-a-Lago, where Trump lashed out at CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes when she pressed him on how the U.S. screened Afghan evacuees admitted during the 2021 withdrawal.
The question came as authorities confirmed that one of the two National Guard members shot in Washington, D.C., had died. US Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her injuries, while Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
Cordes cited government oversight findings as she challenged Trump’s criticism of the previous administration.
“Your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration?” she asked.
Trump responded by placing the blame squarely on his predecessor and again attacked the reporter personally.
“Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?” he said. “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here. And you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”
The confrontations come amid a series of similar exchanges involving female journalists in recent weeks, prompting criticism from Trump’s opponents, who accuse the president of bullying and misogyny. The White House, however, has defended his approach as forthright and unfiltered.
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