‘You’re a rotten reporter’: Trump revives 2020 rigged election claims in viral clash with reporter as US heads to midterms | Video
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘You’re a rotten reporter’: Trump revives 2020 rigged election claims in viral clash with reporter as US heads to midterms | Video")
US President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One as he departs from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 11, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Why did Donald Trump call a reporter a “rotten” at the White House? The tense moment unfolded after a journalist challenged Trump’s repeated claims about the 2020 election being rigged. What exactly was asked and how did the exchange escalate? Scroll down to watch the video.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday (Mar 11) resorted to his old technique of name-calling reporters who call out his lies and half-truths. As the POTUS was departing the White House for Cincinnati, Ohio, he slammed a female reporter as "rotten" for calling out Trump's unsubstantiated voter fraud claims. This comes as the United States, which is engaged in a war alongside Israel against Iran, heads towards the midterm elections. Here's what triggered the US president and how the shocking moment panned out.
Why did Trump call a reporter 'rotten'?
Trump was questioned by PBS News Hour White House correspondent Liz Landers about the FBI seizing election records in Arizona. She asked him why the FBI had issued a federal grand jury subpoena for records related to 2020 voter results in Maricopa County, Arizona. To this, Trump replied, "they probably thought the election was rigged, right?". In reply, the reporter said that the elections were not rigged, spurring Trump to exclaim, "Really, how do you know?".
The reporter answered that Trump's "own attorney general in 2020 said that there was no measurable voter fraud." This served to antagonise the US president, who then told Lander, "I think it was rigged. And if you say it wasn’t rigged, then you’re a rotten reporter".
Watch what happened here:
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Trump’s war on female journalists: 2025-26
Dec 2025: ABC’s Rachel Scott called “obnoxious” over Pacific boat strike video.
Dec 2025: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins labelled “Stupid and Nasty” over ballroom costs.
Nov 2025: ABC’s Mary Bruce was told that she is a “terrible person” during MBS visit.
Nov 2025: Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey told "quiet, piggy” for a question on the release of Epstein-related material.
Trump's repeated salvos against female reporters
This is not the first time Trump has belittled female reporters publicly. In December 2025, he called one "obnoxious" for asking questions about the lethal US strikes on alleged drug boats in the Pacific region. ABC reporter Rachel Scott had asked him about White House's plans to release the full video of the September 2 boat strike that has been dubbed "double tap". The boat strike saw the US hit the vessel a second time, killing two people who had survived a previous hit. Trump, after saying he had "no problem" releasing a video of the strike, had backpedalled, saying, "Whatever (Pete) Hegseth wants to do is OK with me". When pressed further, Trump snapped at the reporter, saying, "You are the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place." Calling her a "terrible reporter", he added, "Let me just tell you, you are an obnoxious, a terrible—actually a terrible—reporter.
Earlier in December, he slammed Kaitlan Collins of CNN for questioning the increasing price of his new White House ballroom. In a Truth Social post, he labelled her "always Stupid and Nasty," while ranting, "asked me why the new ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago".
November 2025 saw Trump lashing out at female reporters multiple times. In one incident, he berated ABC White House correspondent Mary Bruce for asking about the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, the Trump family's business ties, and the Epstein case. This happened as Trump was hosting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Admonishing her, Trump said, "You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter," while telling her not to "embarrass our guest." A separate incident, before this, happened on Nov 14 aboard Air Force One, where, when pressed by Bloomberg reporter Catherine Lucey on why he would not release Epstein-related material, Trump cut her off with "quiet, piggy."
