President Donald Trump has lashed out at members of the media again, calling them “dummies” and “stupid” — just one day after his Oval Office tirade against The Independent’s Andrew Feinberg.
Trump took questions from reporters outside the White House Wednesday afternoon and ripped into CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins, one of his common targets, when she tried to ask about his decision to waive sanctions on Russia that were part of a bill he signed last month.
The president has faced backlash, including from several Republican lawmakers, for waiving the new sanctions, days before they were set to take effect.
“I have the right to do them at any day,” Trump said Wednesday about implementing the sanctions.
The president started to speak on what would happen if Russia behaved “badly,” before being interrupted by Collins.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he told Collins as he waved her off. “You're a low-IQ person, you're a dummy, and you work for CNN.”
Trump then boasted about the release of 74-year-old American Stephen Hubbard, who was captured in Ukraine during Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The retired teacher was imprisoned in Russia for years before Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to free him at Trump’s request.
“If I’m negotiating to get a man back...when you’re negotiating that — and I know that I’m doing it because a lot of people didn’t know, and they say, ‘Oh, let’s put sanctions on Russia’ — that negotiation would obviously come immediately to an end.”
Trump also went after an ABC News reporter who pressed him on the Russian sanctions.
“How is waiving those sanctions on Russia to secure the release of Hubbard not giving something to Russia in exchange?” the reporter asked.
“Are you a stupid person? Who do you work for?” Trump asked.
When the reporter said, “ABC News,” Trump bashed the outlet.
"You're a stupid person — and by the way, your network is the worst of all,” he said.
This is a developing story...