President Donald Trump held an Oval Office press conference, ending speculation about his health and whereabouts. This came as several critics noted that the 79-year-old had not made a public appearance in about a week. While the White House did not address these reports, an observer noticed that Trump sounded ‘tired’ as he spoke to reporters on Wednesday.
Trump sounds ‘tired’
A journalist and commentator, Aaron Rupar, posted videos on Trump on social media, noting that the president was clearly ‘tired’.
“Folks, there is something gravely wrong with the president’s health and the White House is covering it up. This man is obviously not well,” Rupar wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
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“Trump, sounding very tired, attacks a woman reporter for not smiling more,” another one added.
Trump attacks CNN’s Kaitlan Collins
Rupar, in his second post, was referring to Trump going all out at CNN’s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins during the Oval Office presser. While speaking to reporters, he turned his attention to Collins, who was present in the room asking questions. Calling CNN ‘a very corrupt organization’, Trump then made several personal remarks.
“A young beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile off her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes, like she has hatred, because we had borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes, because we do things that everybody wanted, and then we win our election in a massive landslide,” he said.
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Question on DOJ fund sparks another clash
Later in the briefing, Collins questioned Trump about the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion weaponization fund, asking whether the initiative had been scrapped or was simply on hold. Trump responded by praising the program before pivoting back to criticism of Collins and major news organizations.
“People like you have abused our people so badly. The fake news, like CNN, like The New York Times, and like others, have abused our people, have abused our people so badly. And you should be ashamed of yourself. You used to be a conservative. She was a conservative from Alabama, can you believe it? But CNN in particular does such false reporting, but now they have new ownership, so maybe it’ll straighten out, but I doubt it.”
Trump references CNN ownership changes
During his remarks, Trump alluded to changes involving CNN’s corporate parent, suggesting new ownership could alter the network’s direction. His comments appeared to reference ongoing business developments involving Warner Bros. Discovery and broader media industry consolidation, although no ownership change at CNN has been finalized.
CNN responds after briefing
Following the Oval Office exchange, CNN anchor Kasie Hunt addressed Trump’s remarks during the network’s coverage.
“Kaitlan did note that she is still from Alabama, though the president seemed to suggest that she no longer was. We appreciate their professionalism.”