- Trump angrily demanded ABC's license be revoked after a reporter pressed him about withholding Jeffrey Epstein files, calling the network "fake" and a "hoax."
- Congress passed the bipartisan Epstein Files Transparency Act; Trump faces pressure to sign while denying ties to Epstein amid mounting controversy.
President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering tirade, tantrum, against ABC News on Tuesday, calling for the revocation of the network’s broadcast license after a White House correspondent pressed him on his reluctance to release long-withheld files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The outburst, delivered in the Oval Office during a high-stakes meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, underscored Trump’s deepening feud with the press and came just hours before Congress delivered a near-unanimous victory for transparency advocates by approving a bill to force the Justice Department to disclose the documents.
The confrontation unfolded as reporters gathered for questions following Trump’s bilateral talks with bin Salman, a key ally in Middle East diplomacy.
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ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce, known for her pointed questioning during Trump’s first term, zeroed in on a politically charged issue that has dogged the administration for months: the Epstein files.
“Why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files?” Bruce asked the president directly.
“Why not just do it now?”
Trump’s response was immediate and incendiary.
“I think you are a terrible reporter,” he shot back, his voice rising as he fixed his gaze on Bruce.
He quickly escalated, criticizing her “attitude” and issuing a stark command: “You ought to go back and learn how to be a reporter. No more questions from you.”
The president then pivoted to broader attacks on ABC, labeling its coverage “so fake and so wrong” and accusing the network of perpetuating a “hoax.”
“Your crappy company is one of the perpetrators,” he added, before dropping his most provocative demand: “And I’ll tell you something. I think the license should be taken away from ABC.”
Trump name-checked Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr, whom he described as a “great commissioner,” urging him to investigate the network: “We have a great commissioner … who should look at that.”
The exchange, captured on video and quickly circulating online, left bin Salman — who was seated nearby discussing U.S.-Saudi relations amid ongoing tensions over Yemen and energy prices — as an unintended audience to the drama.
Neither the crown prince nor his entourage commented publicly on the incident.
A Congressional Bipartisan Breakthrough on Epstein Transparency
Trump’s comments landed amid a whirlwind of legislative action on Capitol Hill.
Mere hours earlier, the House of Representatives had passed the Epstein Files Transparency Act by a resounding 427-1 margin, with only Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.), a staunch Trump loyalist, voting against it.
The bipartisan measure, spearheaded by an unlikely coalition including Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), compels the Justice Department to release all unclassified records on Epstein and his associate Ghislaine Maxwell within 30 days of enactment, with protections for victims’ identities.
The Senate followed suit swiftly, approving the bill via unanimous consent at the urging of Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who had vowed to expedite its passage: “The American people have waited long enough, and they want to see what’s in it.”
The legislation now awaits Trump’s signature, which a White House official confirmed he is prepared to provide as early as Wednesday when the Senate reconvenes.
The push for the files gained steam after the DOJ, under Attorney General Pam Bondi, reneged on earlier promises of full disclosure in July, prompting accusations of a cover-up from both Democrats and a faction of Trump-aligned Republicans.
Trump himself campaigned on releasing the documents but resisted executive action, insisting he could act unilaterally if needed.
On Sunday night, as the bill’s momentum built, he abruptly reversed course in a social media post, urging GOP lawmakers to back it — a move that fractured his party and drew fire from allies like Greene, who lamented it had “torn MAGA apart.”
Outside the Capitol, Epstein survivors gathered to cheer the House vote, holding photos of themselves as young victims.
“The survivors have always been in favor of this legislation,” said Rep. Massie, emphasizing the bill’s safeguards for redactions.
Annie Farmer, an Epstein abuse survivor, hailed the outcome as a step toward accountability, telling reporters, “This is about justice for those who were silenced.”
The Shadow of Epstein: Trump’s Complicated Past
At the heart of the controversy is Trump’s decades-old association with Epstein, the financier who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges.
The two men socialized in the 1990s and 2000s at events in New York and Palm Beach, with Trump once describing Epstein as a “terrific guy” who liked “beautiful women … on the younger side.”
Their relationship soured around 2004, when Trump reportedly banned Epstein from his Mar-a-Lago resort.
During Tuesday’s exchange, Trump reiterated his distance: “As far as the Epstein files … I have nothing to do with him,” he said.
“I threw him out of my club many years ago because I thought he was a sick pervert.”
He dismissed the scrutiny as a “Democratic hoax,” even as MAGA figures like Massie accused the DOJ of “protecting pedophiles and sex traffickers.”
Last week, the House Oversight Committee amplified the debate by releasing 2019 emails in which Epstein alleged Trump “knew about the girls.”
Trump has vehemently denied any wrongdoing, but the files’ impending release — potentially revealing more about Epstein’s network of powerful associates — has fueled speculation and eroded his approval ratings, which hit a term low in a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll amid backlash over inflation and this scandal.
Echoes of Prior FCC Clashes: A Pattern of Media Pressure?
Trump’s invocation of the FCC license isn’t new.
In September, Chair Carr — a Trump appointee — threatened ABC over late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue joking about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Carr warned on a podcast.
“These companies can find ways to change conduct, to take action, frankly, on Kimmel, or you know, there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead.”
ABC responded by suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a week, a decision that sparked backlash against parent company Disney and cries of censorship from free-speech advocates.
The show returned amid public outcry, but the episode highlighted Trump’s strategy of leveraging regulatory bodies against critical outlets — a tactic critics say erodes press freedoms.
FCC spokespeople declined immediate comment on Tuesday’s threat, but media watchdogs expressed alarm.
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press called it “a dangerous escalation,” warning that politicizing broadcast licenses could chill investigative journalism.
Swift Backlash and Social Media Storm
Reactions poured in almost instantly, with Trump’s critics decrying the episode as authoritarian overreach.
On X, users labeled it a “tantrum” and invoked comparisons to dictatorial tactics.
“Sounding more and more like a wannabe dictator,” one post read, linking to video of the exchange.
Another quipped, “Just remember if a Democrat did this the Republicans would demand an impeachment.”
Supporters, however, framed it as Trump holding “fake news” accountable.
“How dare the reporter ask a legit question!” one conservative account posted sarcastically, while others amplified clips of the reporter’s question as evidence of bias.
ABC News stood by Bruce, issuing a brief statement: “Our journalists ask tough questions in pursuit of the truth. We will not be intimidated.”
Bruce herself has not commented publicly.
Also Read: A DOJ Whistleblower Now Makes Revelation That Undermines the Judicial System’s Integrity
