President Donald Trump rebuked two female reporters in quick succession outside the White House, calling them "fake news" after being questioned about vote-by-mail and his standing with Latino voters. Nancy Cordes pressed him on a Truth Social video encouraging mail voting as he repeated unproven claims of widespread mail-ballot fraud. Roughly 10 minutes later, Kristen Holmes cited an NBC/Telemundo poll showing a 24-point Democratic advantage among Latino voters; Mr. Trump dismissed the poll and pointed to rally crowds as evidence of his strength.
Trump, 80, Labels Two Female Reporters 'Fake News' in Back-to-Back Confrontations
“CNN poll numbers are fake, and your whole outfit is fake, and so are you,” Trump told CNN’s Kristen Holmes after she asked him about an NBC poll. / Eric Lee/REUTERS
President Donald Trump, 80, erupted at two female reporters in separate exchanges outside the White House on Monday before departing for a rally in Nebraska.
Nancy Cordes, CBS News' chief White House correspondent, asked why Mr. Trump had posted a Truth Social video encouraging supporters to vote by mail despite his long-standing efforts to cast doubt on that method. Mr. Trump said, "I'd rather have them vote in person, but... they can vote by mail if they want," and repeated his unproven claim that there is "a lot of cheating in vote-by-mail."
Cordes pressed for evidence; Mr. Trump pointed to California and declared, "You are fake news!" while jabbing a finger at her. Cordes responded that there is no evidence of widespread fraud in California's mail ballots.
About 10 minutes later he spoke with Kristen Holmes, CNN's senior White House correspondent, who noted his approval among Latino voters had fallen. Holmes began, "Your approval with Latino voters has dropped down to 27 percent—" before Mr. Trump interrupted, saying, "Oh, I'm doing great... You got my polls—you're fake news."
Mr. Trump insisted his numbers were "great," citing rally crowd sizes as proof: "All you have to do is look at the crowds we're drawing." He added, "No, CNN poll numbers are fake, and your whole outfit is fake, and so are you."
In fact, the poll Holmes referenced was a new NBC/Telemundo survey, which found Latino voters favored Democrats over Republicans by 24 points and that 59% would prefer Democrats to control Congress in the midterms versus 35% for Republicans.
The White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Last month Mr. Trump revoked press credentials for CNN, MSNBC, and Politico; a federal judge he previously appointed ordered those credentials restored on a temporary basis. The administration has also restricted those outlets' access to travel on Air Force One and to certain Oval Office events.
Why This Matters
These exchanges highlight continuing tensions between the White House and parts of the press corps, disputed claims about the integrity of vote-by-mail, and political challenges among Latino voters heading into the midterm elections.
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