President Donald Trump clashed with MS Now journalist Akayla Gardner outside the White House on Saturday, telling her to be quiet after she asked if he wanted only supportive outlets in the press pool, just days after a federal judge blocked his ban of several news organizations.
White House Press Pool Tensions and the Akayla Gardner Exchange
The 80-year-old president engaged in a tense back-and-forth with MS Now’s Akayla Gardner on Saturday morning as he spoke with reporters outside the White House prior to departing for a college football game in Tennessee. Gardner asked whether the administration wanted only news organizations that support him included in the White House press pool, following a week of heightened conflict over media access.
No, no, Trump responded, according to reporting from The Independent. I want real news, not fake news like you. Listen, I want real news. I love an open free press. What I don’t like is the fake press.
Trump went on to claim that CNN and MS NOW had low ratings. When Gardner followed up by asking, Do you not want tough questions?
Trump cut her off.
Wait wait, quiet,
Trump said, raising his index finger. What I don't like is fake news. And they’re fake news.
Trump has long had a combative relationship with the press, accusing reporters of biased and unfair coverage, and has directed personal insults at journalists while suggesting that some should face punishment. His attacks have often been aimed at female reporters, including previous remarks directed at a Bloomberg journalist last November and CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. Trump was attending the Texas-Tennessee football game at Neyland Stadium on Saturday in Knoxville, Tennessee. During the same Saturday morning remarks, Trump also addressed comments made earlier in the week by former President Barack Obama regarding women in government, dismissing Obama’s statement as “ridiculous.”
Federal Court Ruling and Air Force One Access Restrictions
The latest verbal clash unfolds against a backdrop of active legal battles over White House press credentials. Trump previously revoked press access for CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, characterizing those outlets as dangerous. However, reporters from all three organizations secured a temporary reprieve after fighting the decision in federal court, with reporters from all three outlets being allowed back inside the White House on Thursday.
Despite the judicial intervention allowing reporters back onto White House grounds, the administration has continued to restrict access on presidential travel. Following the Thursday court block, Trump barred CNN from Air Force One Saturday and replaced the outlet with LindellTV.
Wider Reactions to Press Clashes and Social Media Response
Interactions between the president and female journalists have repeatedly drawn intense public focus. During Tuesday’s meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Trump mocked news organizations for keeping up their reporting on him despite the restriction that has driven other broadcasters to withhold coverage as a sign of unity. Trump directed remarks at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins when she asked when the war with Iran would end.
You should not be here covering me,
Trump told Collins before his speech. You said you weren't going to cover me. You shouldn't be covering me.
Social media users shared their perspectives in the comment sections of clips capturing Tuesday’s exchange, offering widespread backing to the 34-year-old news anchor who has repeatedly traded barbs with the president. The journalist has emerged as a prominent cultural talking point, with numerous women identifying with and commending her workplace demeanor during these encounters. Users left comments such as I love that she gets under his skin,
Loved her, the most courageous reporter, fearless,
and She's such a professional. I would've cussed his (expletive) out a long time ago.
This isn’t the first time Collins and Trump have clashed. In 2018, during his first administration, she was even banned from a White House event. In December 2025, in a post to Truth Social, the president called the correspondent stupid and nasty
while discussing construction on the White House ballroom. During an Oval Office conversation on Feb. 3, Trump took aim at Collins for failing to smile after she inquired about documents concerning the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, labeling her the worst reporter in existence and attributing CNN’s poor ratings to journalists like her. In June, the president accused her of having hatred in her eyes,
berating CNN as crooked as hell
and a very corrupt organization.
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