Former President Donald Trump has long showcased his hostility toward the press — and his admiration for strongman-style leadership. On Tuesday, those two tendencies converged.
During an Oval Office photo session with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman — heir to a monarchy where independent journalism is virtually nonexistent — Trump repeatedly objected to reporters’ questions. The tension escalated when ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce referenced the 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was murdered by Saudi operatives.
Trump responded by attacking ABC and suggesting the Federal Communications Commission should consider punishing the network.
“I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake,” he said — incorrectly describing how FCC licensing works but clearly signaling that he favored government retaliation.
Trump also called Bruce “insubordinate,” a rare word in his public vocabulary, especially striking given the context: the comment came while he sat next to the future Saudi king, whose government tightly restricts press freedom.
According to Reporters Without Borders, Saudi Arabia has no independent journalism, and reporters face harsh surveillance and state control. Trump holds no such power in the United States, but his rhetoric often implies he wishes he did.
Sarah Leah Whitson, head of Democracy for the Arab World Now — the organization Khashoggi founded — said Trump’s reaction reflected his belief that the press should serve him, not challenge him. “He expects the press to be obedient,” she said.
The Question That Sparked the Clash
Bruce’s multi-part question addressed potential conflicts of interest involving the Trump family’s business ties to Saudi Arabia. She also asked the crown prince why Americans should trust him given U.S. intelligence findings that he approved Khashoggi’s killing.
Before she finished, Trump repeatedly asked, “Who are you with?”
When she identified herself as being with ABC, he immediately branded the network “fake news.”
Bruce calmly continued: “But the question is important, sir.”
Trump then insisted he had “nothing to do with the family business” and dismissed Khashoggi as “extremely controversial.” The crown prince said the murder was “painful” for Saudi Arabia and defended the Saudi investigation.
Karen Attiah, Khashoggi’s former editor at The Washington Post, called Trump’s remarks “absolutely vile.”
Minutes later, when Bruce asked an unrelated question about the Epstein files, Trump accused her of having an unpleasant “attitude,” and said she posed “insubordinate” questions to a “highly respected” leader.
He again attacked ABC as a “crappy company” and insinuated that the government could retaliate against the network.
The FCC and Presidential Power
Trump has often floated the idea of revoking broadcast licenses. But national networks like ABC do not have FCC licenses — only their local affiliates do. Any effort to revoke them would be unprecedented and likely unconstitutional.
Sen. Ed Markey criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “authoritarian” and “un-American.”
The National Press Club warned that minimizing Khashoggi’s murder and threatening journalists can embolden regimes that target the press and undermine the principle of press freedom.
ABC did not comment, but journalists across news organizations praised Bruce for pressing ahead despite Trump’s verbal attacks.
