On Wednesday, President Donald Trump launched a sharp critique against CNN, labeling the network as “corrupt” and expressing his desire for it to be part of a significant media sale. During the exchange, he encountered a confrontation with a CNN reporter, accusing her of being affiliated with the “Democrat Party” and continuing his pattern of disputes with female journalists at the White House. Trump was in the Roosevelt Room, surrounded by tech leaders, to discuss his Trump-branded initiatives, including the Trump Gold Card immigration visas and Trump savings accounts.

The conversation veered towards media acquisitions when Trump was questioned about his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s role in Paramount’s aggressive attempt to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of CNN. He was also probed about potential changes he envisioned for CNN, which he has often criticized as “fake news.” Initially, Trump distanced himself from the matter, saying, “Well, I’m not involved in that,” but added, “I will be probably involved—maybe involved in the decision. It depends. You have some good companies bidding on it.” He then criticized the network’s leadership, stating, “I think the people that have run CNN for the last long period of time are a disgrace.”

Trump’s comments grew more intense as he argued for a change in CNN’s ownership. “I think CNN should be sold because I think the people that are running CNN right now are either corrupt or incompetent,” he declared. One of the potential buyers, Paramount-Skydance, could see CNN under the leadership of David Ellison, a Trump supporter who has reportedly suggested shifting the network’s content towards a more conservative angle, mirroring Paramount’s impact on CBS News. However, Trump expressed concern that certain deals might enable CNN to “spend even more money spreading poison.” He lamented, “Because it’s lies, it’s a disgrace.”

Later during the event, Trump made clear he thought CNN was a partisan entity. ‘Has Secretary Hegseth told you why he hasn’t released the video of the second strike?’ asked CNN’s Kristen Holmes. The White House and the Pentagon have been under fire after the military made a second strike at an alleged Venezuelan drug boat to kill off survivors, a move experts characterized as illegal. ‘No, he hasn’t told me,’ Trump said of Hegseth. ‘I thought that issue was dead.’ 

The Venezuelan boat strike was a top news story last week, but other stories have since eclipsed it. ‘I’m surprised you’re bringing it up,’ Trump continued. ‘You must be CNN. Are you CNN? Are you CNN?’ Holmes (pictured) said she was with the network and pointed out that lawmakers are still discussing the boat strike on Capitol Hill. ‘Which lawmakers are you talking about? You mean the people that you work for? The Democrats,’ Trump insisted. ‘You know you work for the Democrats. You’re basically an arm of the Democrat Party.’ 

With that, he dismissed the reporters from the room. Trump has had several prickly encounters with female reporters in recent weeks, saying ‘quiet, quiet piggy,’ to a Bloomberg reporter on Air Force One who asked him about Jeffrey Epstein, and calling Politico’s Dasha Burns ‘dramatic’ when she asked about Americans’ economic woes.