President Donald Trump sharply pushed back against a CNN reporter after being questioned about potential U.S. military action against Iran, moments after confirming that his administration is weighing military options amid ongoing unrest in the country.
The exchange took place shortly after Trump told reporters that military options were under consideration.
When asked to detail what specific options he had been briefed on, Trump immediately rejected the premise of the question.
“Are you asking me to say what will I do, where will we attack, when, and at what angle we will attack from? Who are you with?” Trump responded.
The reporter initially replied that she was with the “US White House TV pool,” declining to name her network.
Trump pressed her again, asking, “What network are you with?” She then stated that she was with CNN.
“Why don’t you just say I’m with CNN?” Trump replied.
“She says, I’m with the White House pool, and I say, what? You’re with CNN, you’re with fake news because CNN is fake news!”
Later during the same exchange, the reporter questioned whether Iran takes Trump seriously. Trump immediately dismissed the question and challenged the reporter directly.
“Don’t you think so, CNN? Don’t you think so? Wouldn’t you say that they probably do at this point after going through it for years with me, being hit, Soleimani, Al Baghdadi, the Iran nuclear threat wiped out? Don’t you think, and then you just had Venezuela, don’t you think?” Trump said.
He continued addressing the reporter and her network while repeating the question back to her.
“She says, CNN, ‘Do you think they take your threat seriously?’ Wouldn’t you say they do after all of the things we’ve done? What a stupid question!” Trump said.
The exchange occurred as Trump confirmed that the U.S. military is actively evaluating potential responses to the situation in Iran, where political unrest and violence have intensified.
Trump said the administration is reviewing possible courses of action but has not yet made a final decision.
“The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options,” Trump said when asked about a potential U.S. response.
“We’ll make a determination.”
Trump has repeatedly signaled that he is considering intervention related to the political uprising in Iran and what he has described as the Iranian regime’s killing of its own citizens.
The exchange with the CNN reporter quickly drew attention as Trump challenged both the substance of the questions and the reporter’s refusal to immediately identify her network.