Trump Mocks Bloomberg Reporter At Press Scrum — Demands She ‘Speak’ Her Question ‘Without Reading It’

Tommy ChristopherFeb 22nd, 2025, 9:25 am

President Donald Trump mocked a White House Correspondent during a press event at the White House, interrupting her to demand she stop reading out her question and just “speak it.”

On Friday, Trump participated in the ceremonial swearing-in of Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in the Oval Office, during which he took questions from reporters.

In one exchange, Trump singled out an ABC News reporter who asked him about widespread criticism of his DOGE initiative being spearheaded by Elon Musk.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Who do you work for?

REPORTER: I work for ABC News, sir.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Who?

REPORTER: ABC news.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: No wonder.

(LAUGHTER)

In another exchange, he roasted a reporter for the crime of referring to notes — a common practice among reporters, press secretaries, and even presidents — and demanded she “speak” the question “without having to read it”:

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: It’s more than they’ve ever spent by a factor of probably ten.

REPORTER: We are reporting that you were signing a memo later to counter Digital Service taxes?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Well, will you speak–. I mean, what are you doing, reading it?

REPORTER: Yeah, it’s my question.

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Can’t you just say it without having to read it?

REPORTER: My question?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Yeah.

REPORTER: Oh, sure. Bloomberg. We’re reporting that you’re expected to sign tariffs or a memo later on tariffs on digital taxes. Is there any idea how high you might go with those tariffs?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We are going to be doing that. Digital. What they’re doing to us in other countries is terrible with digital.

So we’ll be announcing that. Are we signing it maybe today?

AIDE: Today.

REPORTER: How high will you go?

PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: And we’ll be. So we’ll talk about that in a little while.