US President Donald Trump told a female reporter to be "quiet" during a tense confrontation with the press on Saturday, before separately rejecting as "ridiculous" the notion that women are better suited to leading governments than men.
The 47th US President silenced MS NOW reporter Akayla Gardner after she questioned whether he desired only media outlets that "support" him to be included in the White House press pool. Her inquiry followed Trump's decision to ban CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the Oval Office last week. A federal judge overturned that ruling on Thursday, although Trump still barred CNN from joining the press contingent aboard Air Force One on Saturday.
President's response to reporter
"No, no," Trump responded. "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 then alleged that CNN and MS NOW had poor ratings. Gardner challenged him further, asking: "Do you not want tough questions?".
"Wait, wait," Trump said, raising his index finger. "Quiet."
"What I don't like is fake news. And they're fake news."
Obama's comments dismissed
The President's confrontations involving women persisted later in the day when he was questioned about comments made by his predecessor, Barack Obama. During the week, Obama had spoken about women in government, stating: "If you put women in charge of every government for like two years and then just kind of saw alright how are things going, I have a strong belief that things would - they wouldn't be perfect - but they'd be better."
Trump seemed to dismiss the former president's argument, labelling it as "ridiculous".
"It's ridiculous," Trump declared. "I love women. I think they're great. But what a ridiculous statement that is."
History of media clashes
Trump has sustained a highly contentious relationship with the media. The US President frequently accuses journalists of biased or unfair reporting, and has personally targeted others. Female journalists are often the subjects of his criticisms.
In June, Trump lashed out at CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins, alleging she had "hatred in her eyes" and stating: "I never see a smile." He had previously dubbed Collins "stupid and nasty" after she questioned him about the proposed White House ballroom.
The White House defended Trump's comment at the time, asserting the President is "very frank and honest with everyone."
