President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched sharp personal attacks against CBS News “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan during a Friday interview with The Daily Caller, with Leavitt declaring, “She’s stupid. You can put that on the record.”
The verbal assault occurred during an Oval Office interview with Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese on September 2, 2025. Trump initially focused his criticism on CBS Evening News, discussing the network’s recent settlement over his election interference lawsuit regarding a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris.
The conversation then shifted to former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell, whom Trump disparaged by suggesting that half the women on the street could perform her job equally well. He noted her $12 million annual salary and predicted her departure from the network, though O’Donnell had already transitioned from the evening news anchor position earlier in 2025 to serve as a senior correspondent for CBS’ “Sunday Morning” and “60 Minutes” programs.
Trump then directed his attention to Brennan, telling The Daily Caller that the “Face the Nation” host was “so bad.” When he asked Leavitt for her opinion, the press secretary responded with her blunt assessment, which Trump supplemented by calling Brennan “nasty.”
The criticism appears rooted in Brennan’s confrontational interviews with Trump administration officials, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump praised Rubio’s handling of what he characterized as hostile questioning, expressing surprise that the Secretary of State continues to appear on the program given what Trump described as the “level of hatred” in Brennan’s questioning approach.
The attacks referenced a contentious exchange between Rubio and Brennan regarding Trump’s anticipated meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European leaders following Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. During that interview, Brennan suggested European leaders were traveling to Washington as backup to prevent Zelenskyy from being “bullied” into signing an unfavorable agreement.
Rubio forcefully rejected Brennan’s characterization, calling it a “stupid media narrative” and emphasizing that the administration had conducted one meeting with Putin compared to a dozen meetings with Zelenskyy. He argued that European leaders were not coming to prevent bullying but because the administration had been working collaboratively with European partners.
Brennan has previously faced conservative criticism for perceived bias in her journalistic approach. In October 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson complained after “Face the Nation” edited out his comments about President Biden’s Hurricane Helene response from a pre-taped interview. During the 2024 vice presidential debate, she drew criticism for fact-checking Vice President JD Vance despite CBS’ earlier promise to avoid fact-checking, while declining to fact-check Governor Tim Walz.
Additional controversy arose in February 2025 when Brennan criticized Vance’s comments about European free speech rights by claiming Nazis “weaponized” free speech to carry out the Holocaust, drawing widespread criticism for the historical comparison.
The timing of these attacks carries particular significance as CBS News operates under new ownership. Skydance Media, led by David Ellison, son of Trump supporter Larry Ellison, has acquired CBS’ parent company Paramount Global. The new ownership has pledged to address longstanding complaints about liberal bias and committed to hiring an ombudsman to evaluate bias complaints for at least two years.
Trump expressed optimism about the network’s future under the new ownership, calling Larry Ellison “a great person that I know very well” and predicting he would “do the right thing” with CBS. Multiple reports suggest Skydance is considering hiring Bari Weiss, co-founder of The Free Press, for a senior role that would influence CBS News coverage.
This incident represents part of a broader pattern of media criticism from Leavitt, who has previously called reporters offensive names and revealed tactics she employs with Communications Director Steven Cheung to discredit journalists. The pair reportedly research experts cited by reporters, flag their political affiliations, and respond with Wikipedia entries to undermine their credibility.