The White House targeted CNN reporter Kristen Holmes with personal attacks on social media, criticizing a question she asked Donald Trump about a comment made by Senator Jon Ossoff. The posts mentioned her children and called her question "disgusting and inhumane."
The White House's personal attacks on a journalist and her family raise concerns about the treatment of the press and the principles of a free press, particularly given the President's historical pattern of targeting women journalists.
The White House on Monday engaged in a personal attack against CNN reporter Kristen Holmes, using social media to criticize a question she posed to Donald Trump. The posts specifically targeted Holmes, mentioning her children and labeling her question "disgusting and inhumane."
Holmes, a senior White House correspondent for CNN, had asked Trump to respond to a comment made by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff. Ossoff had stated that Trump "doesn’t want to do the job" and instead prefers to "build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the emir of Qatar." The remark was an apparent reference to Natalie Harp, Trump's executive assistant, and her perceived closeness to him.
During the Oval Office exchange, Trump dismissed Ossoff as a "Pee-wee Herman lookalike" and told Holmes to "be quiet," calling her "disrespectful" and "fake news." The White House's "rapid response" social media account subsequently posted a clip of the interaction, tagging Holmes and calling her a "disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment." A later post from the same account criticized her question as "callous and vindictive," suggesting her children would be "sickened and embarrassed."
CNN issued a statement defending Holmes, describing her as "one of the most respected and accomplished journalists covering the White House" and asserting that she asked a "tough, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people." The network added that personal attacks on journalists are "beneath the office and inconsistent with the principles of a free press."
Earlier, the White House director of communications had also posted insults targeting Senator Ossoff in response to his speech. Trump has a documented history of aggressively criticizing female reporters who ask challenging questions.