A dispute over the White House's new 24-hour streaming channel escalated into a personal attack when White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to CNN anchor Erin Burnett with an ableist slur, according to The Daily Beast.
On Tuesday's edition of CNN's OutFront, Burnett likened the channel's repeated replays of the former president's appearances to North Korea's KCTV, calling it a "weird form of state TV" and questioning why viewers would repeatedly watch events such as an inauguration.
"It's a weird form of state TV," Erin Burnett said, arguing networks — not the administration — decide what to air and that automatically broadcasting presidential remarks risks creating state-like programming.
When The Daily Beast requested comment, Cheung replied, calling Burnett "a racist and a r—-d," a use of the so-called "r-word" the outlet says he has directed at others in the past. CNN defended Burnett, with a spokesperson praising her as an "exceptional journalist" who will continue to ask hard questions and hold officials to account.
The exchange followed the White House launch on Monday of its 24-hour streaming service. Early programming included Trump's second inauguration, his Mt. Rushmore address and remarks from a Windsor Castle banquet. Burnett noted the early audience figures, saying a few thousand tuned in Monday night and that viewership fell below 1,000 early Tuesday.
Former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News that networks should have carried the remarks live and let viewers decide whether to watch — a position Burnett pushed back on, arguing editorial decisions are the prerogative of news organizations, not the administration.
According to The Daily Beast, Cheung has reportedly used the same ableist slur previously against members of Congress, a Senate staffer and at least one media executive. The incident highlights ongoing tensions over media independence, presidential messaging and the political use of language that targets people with disabilities.
