Trump silences feminine reporter and slams Obama’s girls in authorities declare
US President Donald Trump has told a female reporter to be “quiet” during a heated press interaction, before separately dismissing Barack Obama’s suggestion that women are better suited to run governments
US President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.(Image: Bloomberg, Bloomberg via Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump has told a female reporter to be “quiet” during another tense confrontation with the press, before separately rejecting the notion that women are better suited to leading governments than men as “ridiculous”.
The 47th US President silenced MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner on Saturday (September 27) after she questioned whether he desired only media outlets that “support” him to be included in the White House press pool.
Her inquiry followed Trump’s decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the Oval Office last week. A federal judge overturned that ruling on Thursday, although Trump still barred CNN from joining the press contingent aboard Air Force One on Saturday.
“No, no,” Trump responded. “I want real news, not fake news like you. Listen, I want real news. I love an open, free press. What I don’t like is the fake press.”
US President Donald Trump(Image: Getty Images)
Trump then alleged that CNN and MS NOW had poor ratings. Gardner challenged him further, asking: “Do you not want tough questions?”.
“Wait, wait,” Trump said, raising his index finger. “Quiet.
“What I don’t like is fake news. And they’re fake news.”
The President’s confrontations involving women persisted later in the day when he was questioned about comments made by his predecessor, Barack Obama. During the week, Obama had spoken about women in government, stating: “If you put women in charge of every government for like two years and then just kind of saw alright how are things going, I have a strong belief that things would – they wouldn’t be perfect – but they’d be better.”
Obama said he dreams of putting women in charge of every government for two years(Image: Getty Images)
Trump seemed to dismiss the former president’s argument, labelling it as “ridiculous”.
“It’s ridiculous,” Trump declared. “I love women. I think they’re great. But what a ridiculous statement that is.”
Trump has sustained a highly contentious relationship with the media. The US President frequently accuses journalists of biased or unfair reporting, and has personally targeted others.
Female journalists are often the subjects of his criticisms.
In June, Trump lashed out at CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, alleging she had “hatred in her eyes” and stating: “I never see a smile.”
He had previously dubbed Collins “stupid and nasty” after she questioned him about the proposed White House ballroom.
The White House defended Trump’s comment at the time, asserting the President is “very frank and honest with everyone.”
