CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes has found herself at the center of a political storm after a tense exchange with President Donald Trump during an Oval Office event. During the heated exchange, Holmes questioned Trump about comments made by Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff regarding presidential aide Natalie Harp .
Trump dismissed Ossoff as a “Pee-wee Herman lookalike. The president then turned his criticism towards Holmes. Holmes is CNN’s Senior White House Correspondent based in Washington, D.C. She has covered Donald Trump extensively, including his presidential campaigns, White House activities, and Republican politics.
She was promoted to Senior White House Correspondent in January 2025 after years covering the administration and national politics.
“Quiet, quiet, You’re very disrespectful,” the president said. He later called her “fake news” and a “fake reporter.
Monday’s confrontation is the latest in a series of public clashes between Trump and journalists. Holmes asked him for his reaction to Sen While Trump took questions from the Oval Office. Trump replied by calling him “Pee-wee Herman. “@POTUS hosts a hero lifeguard in the Oval Office and she uses it as an opportunity to take a cheap shot about one of President Trump’s staffers. These scumbags are the lowest of the low. “You’re a loud, boisterous person. You’re fake news. Be quiet!… You’re a fake reporter and you report fake news!”
Her reporting has included the White House, Capitol Hill, federal agencies, the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare policy, and Republican presidential campaigns.
“We stand firmly behind Kristen and reject these attacks in the strongest possible terms,” the statement read. Jon Ossoff’s comment that the president would rather “build a ballroom and travel with [White House aide] Natalie [Harp]” than do his job as president. Earlier reporting noted: “@KristenhCNN is a disgraceful, humiliating embarrassment to her alleged profession,” it wrote on X . You’re fake news,” Trump said to Holmes.
The president has previously criticized reporters from outlets including The New York Times and Bloomberg News during press interactions. Earlier reporting noted: Trump, White House blast reporter Kristen Holmes over Jon Ossoff question; CNN condemns ‘personal attacks’ CNN put out a statement slamming the White House after President Donald Trump’s rapid response team blasted White House correspondent Kristen Holmes on X. Earlier reporting noted: “Fake News.
