President Donald Trump’s recent outburst in an interview with Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” reflects a larger pattern.
Over the weekend, President Donald Trump appeared on NBC’s “Meet the Press” with Kristen Walker. However, the conversation went astray when Walker inquired about the president’s persistent claims about voter fraud. When asked, Trump claimed that there is “more evidence” of voter fraud than ever, before calling into question Welker’s credibility and claiming that the veteran journalist is “either crooked or stupid.”
“The election was rigged. It was a dirty election. All I have to do is look. They’re crooked just like you’re crooked, your press is crooked. And Meet the Press is crooked. You’re a one-sided crooked network,” Trump told Welker before walking off. “Sorry. Let’s call it quits because I’ve had enough. Thank you, darling. Have a good time.”
Beyond President Trump’s abrupt exit, the moment spotlights a familiar pattern. Through the years, Trump has been very vocal about his thoughts on the press, and Black journalists, particularly Black women journalists, have faced a number of personal attacks, insults, or dismissive responses while questioning Trump on policy, politics, and accountability.
Rachel Scott
While sitting on a panel for the National Association of Black Journalists, Trump heavily criticized Rachel Scott when asked about his prior attacks on Black journalists, referring to her as “nasty” and “hostile.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner. First question, you don’t even say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network. I think it’s disgraceful that I came here in good spirit,” Trump said at the time.
Fast forward to May 2026, Trump further berated Scott during a press conference outside the Lincoln Memorial. When ABC News reporter asked the president why he’s been focused on renovation projects at a time when gas prices were reaching record highs, Trump mocked Scott before calling it “a stupid question.”
“You can understand dirt maybe better than I can, but I don’t allow it,” Trump said, responding to Scott. “This is one of the worst reporters. She’s with ABC Fake News, and she’s a horror show. A question like that is a disgrace to our country.”
April Ryan
During Trump’s first term from 2017 to 2021, White House correspondent April Ryan was chastised and berated on multiple occasions by Trump and members of his administration. From former press secretary Sean Spicer to President Trump himself, Ryan was subjected to multiple verbal attacks as one of the few Black journalists in the White House press corps at the time time. In 2018, President Trump directly called out Ryan, calling her “a loser,” claiming that “she doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. She’s very nasty.”
In a personal essay entitled “I’m a black woman. Trump loves insulting people like me.” published by the Washington Post in 2018, Ryan called out the President’s troubling pattern, writing: “Though there’s hardly anyone — from his predecessors to senators in his own party — he won’t try to shout down with ad hominem insults, Trump relishes, and injects venom into, verbal attacks against women of color. He leaves little doubt about what he really thinks of us.”
Abby Phillip
During a 2018 White House press gaggle, when CNN’s Abby Phillip asked the president about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, the president responded: “What a stupid question that is. What a stupid question. But I watch you a lot, you ask a lot of stupid questions.”
“There’s no such thing as a stupid question when you’re doing this, because you have to be really creative about how you ask presidents questions. Everyone at CNN knows that,” Phillip told Elle magazine, reflecting on the viral incident. “And, you know what, I’m not concerned whether he thinks it’s smart or stupid… because he could’ve just answered the question or dodged the question. He chose not to do either of those things.”
Yamiche Alcindor
Like Scott and Ryan, NBC News reporter Yamiche Alcindor has been a target of Trump’s verbal attacks since his first term. In 2018, when she inquired about the president calling himself a “nationalist” and the emboldening of white supremacist groups, the president deemed it a “racist question.” Through the years he has called her questions “nasty,” “snarky,” and suggested that Alcindor “be nice” instead of “threatening.”
Most recently, Trump fired attacks at the NBC News reporter at the White House when she asked him about a social media post in which he appeared to threaten “war” in Chicago.
“When you say that, darling, that’s fake news,” he said at the time. “Listen. Be quiet. Listen. You don’t listen. You never listen. That’s why you’re second-rate.”
Jemele Hill
In 2017, journalist Jemele Hill caught President Trump’s attention after she called him a “white supremacist ” in a series of tweets criticizing the president. Shortly after, White House correspondent called the tweets “outrageous,” before Trump eventually weighed in himself.
“With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have ‘tanked,’ in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!” he wrote on Twitter at the time.
Joy-Ann Reid
In 2019, Trump took to Twitter to criticise former MSNBC reporter Joy-Ann Reid.
This consistent pattern ultimately led the National Association of Black journalists to call for respect towards Black journalists in a statement that read: “Black women journalists deserve the freedom to do their jobs without being targeted, demeaned, or publicly attacked for asking legitimate questions.
NABJ stands firmly with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott and all Black women journalists who continue to face hostility simply for holding power accountable and reporting the truth.
A free press is a pillar of democracy, not a privilege granted by those in power. When Black women journalists are insulted or singled out for doing their jobs, it is bigger than one moment or one person. It is an attack on the role of journalism itself.
We will continue to defend the dignity, safety, and press freedom of Black journalists everywhere.”
