President Donald Trump declined to take a question from CNN on Friday, pushing back against what he called "fake news" during his first press conference since the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against his authority to impose sweeping tariffs under emergency powers.
When CNN's White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins tried to ask him whether he regretted appointing Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, Trump cut her off, saying, "I don't talk to CNN, it's fake news."
Coney Barrett and Gorsuch joined the court's three liberal justices, as well as Chief Justice John Roberts, in ruling against the president's tariffs.
The high court ruled Trump could not use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose sweeping, emergency-style tariffs, a major blow to a centerpiece of his trade agenda.
Trump slammed the ruling, calling it "deeply disappointing," and signaled he would look to other statutory tools to keep leverage over foreign competitors, arguing the U.S. needs tougher trade enforcement.
The exchange with CNN underscored a pattern that has defined the president's relationship with media outlets that he accuses of biased coverage.
In November 2025, Trump confronted ABC News' Mary Bruce during an Oval Office exchange, rejecting her questions about the 2018 killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi and labeling ABC "fake news."
Just weeks earlier, in October 2025, Trump refused to take a question from ABC at a White House event, dismissing the network as "fake news" and citing what he called unfair treatment of Vice President JD Vance.
But the friction with CNN dates back to Trump's first White House term.
In November 2018, following a combative post-midterm election press conference, the White House suspended CNN correspondent Jim Acosta's press credentials after a tense back-and-forth with Trump that drew national attention.
And in January 2017, at Trump Tower, then-President-elect Trump refused to take a question from Acosta outright, declaring CNN "fake news" in a moment that set the tone for years of clashes with the network.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.