NEW YORK — President Donald Trump denounced ABC News’ Mary Bruce as a “terrible reporter” Tuesday and threatened the network’s license to broadcast after she asked him three sharp questions at the White House.
The network’s chief White House correspondent was among reporters let into the Oval Office to question the president and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. She asked Trump whether it was appropriate for his family to be doing business in Saudi Arabia while he was president.
Before he could answer, she directed a question to the Saudi leader: “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.”
After asking Bruce who she worked for, Trump called ABC “fake news” and defended his family’s business operations in Saudi Arabia.
The president dismissed the U.S. intelligence findings that the prince likely had some culpability in the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi kingdom. He said “a lot of people didn’t like” Khashoggi, a Saudi citizen and a Virginia resident.
For his part, Prince Mohammed said Khashoggi’s death was painful and “a huge mistake.”
Trump later criticized Bruce for asking the prince a “horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question.” He lashed out at her after a third query, about why the White House is waiting for congressional action to release more details about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s correspondence. “Why not just do it now?” Bruce asked.
“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.”
After addressing the Epstein question, he returned to Bruce, saying that “people are wise to your hoax.”
“I think the license should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it’s so wrong,” he said. “And we have a great (FCC) commissioner, the chairman, who should look at that because I think when you come in and you’re 97% negative to Trump. And then Trump wins the election in a landslide. That means, obviously, your news is not credible. And you’re not credible as a reporter.”
ABC News had no comment Tuesday on Trump’s statements, which referred to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, who leads the federal agency responsible for licensing local broadcast stations.
Meanwhile, Bloomberg News issued a comment on Trump referring to one of its reporters, Catherine Lucey, as “piggy” during a question-and-answer session last Friday on Air Force One.
“Our White House journalists perform a vital public service, asking questions without fear or favor,” Bloomberg News said. “We remain focused on reporting issues of public interest fairly and accurately.”
