It’s been a decade-long saga: the media’s relentless pursuit of President Donald Trump. Despite numerous attempts, they have yet to succeed in their endeavor. This brings to mind the adage about repeating the same action and expecting a different outcome. Nonetheless, their efforts persist.

This past Sunday, an exchange on CNN’s “State of the Union” highlighted this ongoing battle. Host Jake Tapper found himself at odds with Republican Representative Elise Stefanik from New York’s 21st district. During the interview, Tapper took issue with a comment Trump made on April 7 regarding the Iranian regime. Trump had stated that their “whole civilization will die,” which Tapper equated to a call for “genocide.”

Representative Stefanik was quick to counter Tapper’s assertion. She firmly responded, “If you want to prop up the Iranian terrorist regime, that’s on you.” Her retort underscored the contentious nature of the discourse surrounding Trump’s remarks and the media’s interpretation of them.

On Sunday, CNN’s Jake Tapper had his head handed to him by Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik (NY-21) during an interview on “State of the Union.” 

Tapper claimed that Trump’s comment on April 7 about dealing with the Iranian regime, that their “whole civilization will die,” was the same thing as “genocide.” 

🚨 HOLY SMOKES. Rep. Elise Stefanik surged onto Jake Tapper’s show and PUMMELED his lies about Trump to his face!

“TYPICAL CNN! If you want to compare the president to university presidents who failed to call for the condemnation of calls for GENOCIDE of Jews, that’s on YOU!” 🔥… pic.twitter.com/iD6wORjukf

— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 19, 2026

TAPPER: Call for genocide on a college campus and a call for genocide made by the president of the United States, like, they’re both bad, right? 

STEFANIK: President Trump didn’t call for genocide, Jake. You were putting those words in his mouth. He is engaging in diplomatic back and forth!

TAPPER: Your entire civilization will die?

STEFANIK: It’s the terrorist regime, Jake. He’s targeting the terrorist regime. You’re adding genocide. That’s NOT what he’s stated! He wasn’t calling for genocide. It was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. It was targeted towards the Iranian terrorist regime. 

TAPPER: Agree to disagree (smirking).

Typical CNN Tapper. Stefanik chided him. “If you want to prop up the Iranian terrorist regime, that’s on you,” she said. 

Trump was using harsh language to reach a terrorist regime, talking in words that would move them, to get them to the negotiating table. That succeeded, as Stefanik noted. The regime believed him; they believed they were in deep trouble; they even deployed “human shields” out to bridges and power plants. Without that threat, he might not have gotten them to the table. 

What Jake leaves out, too, is the context of his comments in that same tweet. Trump followed the “civilization” comment by talking about the regime’s “47 years of extortion, corruption, and death will finally end,” and “God bless the Great People of Iran!” So obviously, he was talking about taking out the regime, the evil “civilization” they had imposed on the people, and helping the people in so doing, just as Stefanik said.

Trump had also spent much of the day before talking passionately about the people of Iran and all they had gone through, so that also put paid to Tapper’s assertion. He’s spoken repeatedly about the bravery of the Iranian people who resist the regime.