Monday, September 28, 2026

Trump's Wrath: MS NOW Reporter Told To 'Be Quiet'


President Donald Trump told an MS NOW reporter to “be quiet” on Saturday and again branded CNN and MS NOW “fake news,” a day after the White House barred CNN from Air Force One pool coverage of his trip to Tennessee. 

As he left the White House, MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner asked: “Do you only want outlets that support you to be a part of the press pool?” Trump replied, “No, no, no. I want real news, not fake news – like you.” 


The exchange was not broadcast live because CNN had been removed as the designated television pool crew; the White House posted video on social media. Gardner followed up: “Do you not want tough questions?” Trump said, “Be quiet,” then repeated insults calling MS NOW “MS DNC.” 

Akayla Gardner
CNN had been scheduled to fly with Trump to Knoxville for a University of Tennessee–University of Texas football game. Friday-night White House guidance dropped the network from the rotation and listed Real America’s Voice, a pro-Trump outlet that is not a member of the traditional five-network television pool and has limited capacity to provide live video to other broadcasters. A pool report said there was “no TV pool” for the trip. 

Trump has long labeled critical coverage “fake news” and nonpartisan outlets “the enemy of the people.” In his second term he has more often told female reporters asking tough questions to be quiet. CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter said the network’s exclusion from Air Force One showed the president “picking a fight with the people who are telling unpleasant truths about his administration,” adding that “today, yes, it happens to be CNN, but tomorrow it could be any other news outlet.”
Posted