Trump Scolds ABC Reporter Mary Bruce Over MBS Questions, Threatens to Pull Broadcast License
President Donald Trump lashed out at ABC News on Tuesday after its chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce pressed him with questions in the Oval Office about the U.S.-Saudi relationship and the lingering fallout from the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Bruce’s questions came during Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), prompting the president to accuse the network of spreading “fake news” and threatening to have ABC’s broadcast license revoked.
“People are wise to your hoax,” Trump told Bruce in a tense exchange. “Your crappy company is one of the perpetrators. And I’ll tell you something, I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and is so wrong. And we have a great commissioner, a chairman, who should look at that.”
Trump ultimately addressed the substance of Bruce’s question about potential conflicts of interest stemming from the Trump family’s private business dealings in Saudi Arabia.
“I have nothing to do with the family business,” the president said. “I have left and I’ve devoted 100% of my energy [to running this country]. What my family does is fine. They do business all over. They’ve done very little in Saudi Arabia, actually, though I’m sure they can do a lot, and anything they’ve done has been very good.”
Bruce also asked about the U.S. intelligence community’s conclusion that Crown Prince bin Salman personally approved the 2018 killing of Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist.
“You’re mentioning somebody [Khashoggi] that was extremely controversial,” Trump replied. “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman. Things happen, but he [bin Salman] knew nothing about it. And would you leave it at that? You don’t have to embarrass our guest by asking a question.”
The ABC reporter pressed further, turning to the issue of the Jeffrey Epstein case and why Trump had called on Congress to release Epstein’s files rather than using his executive authority to do it himself.
“Fake news. ABC fake news, one of the worst, one of the worst in the business,” Trump shot back.
While saying he didn’t mind tough questions, Trump accused Bruce of grandstanding. “It’s not the question that I mind, it’s your attitude,” he said. “I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask these questions.”
Bruce, who holds the title of chief White House correspondent for ABC News, has often clashed with Trump during press availabilities, but the latest exchange marked one of the most heated between the two to date.