Trump Called ABC News Correspondent Mary Bruce a "Terrible Reporter" After Oval Office Questions

When Mary Bruce asked Donald Trump questions about his support for Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Nov. 14, 2025, she received immediate backlash from the president. Elsewhere, on social media, she was commended for speaking up and saying what some believe other reporters failed to do in that moment in the Oval Office.

But what question did she ask Trump that elicited such a strong response? After she directed questions at both Trump and bin Salman, the Associated Press reported that Trump called her a "terrible reporter," threatened to take away ABC's news license, and accused the network of being "fake news."

In a clip that has made its way around the internet, Bruce clearly addresses both bin Salman and Trump in the Oval Office with questions about Trump's possible conflict of interest with being president while his family does business with Saudi Arabia and bin Salman's possible involvement in the 2018 killing of a Virginia state resident and Saudi citizen, Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

"Your Royal Highness, the U.S. intelligence concluded that you orchestrated the brutal murder of a journalist. 9/11 families are furious that you are here in the Oval Office. Why should Americans trust you? And the same to you, Mr. President," Bruce said to both men. It was at that point that Trump asked which outlet she was from and then called ABC News "fake news."

She later asked about why Trump would not release files on Jeffrey Epstein and instead would wait for Congress to approve the release. To that, Trump said, "It's not the question that I mind," Trump said. "It's your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. It's the way you ask these questions." He also referred to Bruce's "hoax," seemingly in reference to Epstein.

After Bruce asked Trump her questions, users left comments on her Instagram to commend her for being so willing to ask the hard questions that aren't often asked when the press speaks to Trump.

One user on Instagram wrote, "If you ask a question that sends a president into a tantrum that ends with him threatening the broadcast license of your employer, then that means you are asking the right questions."

On the same day that Trump lashed out at Bruce for her questions to him and bin Salman, he made another comment to a different reporter. A reporter from Bloomberg News asked a question about Epstein. Without answering the question, Trump said, "Quiet, piggy."

Despite journalists who are permitted inside the White House and Oval Office being able to ask whatever questions they want, it's apparent that Trump chooses which ones he prefers to answer. He did respond to Bruce's question about his family's dealings with Saudi Arabia and claimed he doesn't control his family's business while he is the sitting president. However, his comments afterward, and those to the Bloomberg News reporter, are the main takeaway for many.