Former President Donald Trump unleashed a fresh verbal attack on a female journalist during a White House event on Friday, dismissing ABC News correspondent Karen Travers as a "very loud person" who should "let somebody else have a chance." The confrontation occurred as Travers attempted to question Trump about his staggering $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department.
Confrontation During Oval Office Event
The tense exchange took place during an executive order signing ceremony that was ostensibly focused on celebrating America's 250th birthday with an IndyCar race around the US Capitol. As Trump fielded questions from reporters, Travers seized the opportunity to ask about the lawsuit filed just the night before against two departments that fall under the president's own administration.
"Mr President, why are you suing this administration and the IRS? Why are you suing?" Travers exclaimed during the Oval Office gathering, which followed the release of additional files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
Trump's Deflection Tactics
Rather than addressing the substantive legal question, Trump immediately shifted to questioning Travers' credentials. "Who are you with?" he shot back, prompting the reporter to identify herself as working for ABC News. What followed was a dismissive personal attack rather than a policy response.
"You're a loud person," the president sneered. "Very loud. Let somebody else have a chance." When Travers persisted, asking if Trump was willing to answer her question, he escalated his criticism of both the reporter and her news organization.
"ABC fake news," Trump groused while continuing to ignore the substance of her inquiry. "Go ahead. I didn't call on you... ABC, by the way, is truly one of the worst." The president then moved on to another correspondent who asked about upcoming talks between Russia and Ukraine, leaving Travers' question about the IRS lawsuit completely unanswered.
The $10 Billion Lawsuit at Issue
The lawsuit that prompted Trump's hostile response represents a remarkable legal action against his own administration. Filed in the president's "personal capacity," the complaint includes Trump's two oldest sons and the Trump Organization as plaintiffs. It alleges that the IRS and Treasury Department failed to prevent the leak of Trump's tax records by an IRS contractor in 2019 and 2020.
Charles Littlejohn, the contractor in question, pleaded guilty in 2023 to leaking the president's tax returns to the New York Times and received a five-year prison sentence. The 2020 New York Times report revealed that Trump paid only $750 in federal income taxes in 2016 and no taxes for most of the previous fifteen years, despite his claims of substantial wealth.
Legal Claims and Political Reactions
The lawsuit seeks damages of at least $10 billion, claiming the leak caused "reputational and financial harm" and "unfairly tarnished" the business reputation of the Trumps and their company. Former GOP Representative Denver Riggleman reacted strongly to the legal action, describing it as "theft and corruption. Immoral, sick and anti-America."
At the time of the original tax return revelations, Trump had dismissed the New York Times story as "totally fake news," employing similar language to his recent criticism of ABC News.
Pattern of Attacks on Female Journalists
Friday's incident continues a troubling pattern of Trump targeting women journalists with derogatory comments. In recent months, the president has increasingly launched into tirades against reporters covering his administration, with female journalists bearing the brunt of these personal attacks.
Trump has previously described women reporters using terms like "piggy," "stupid," "nasty," "ugly," and "obnoxious." This pattern has raised concerns about misogynistic behavior toward women in the White House press corps.
White House Defense of Trump's Approach
The White House press office has consistently defended Trump's confrontational style with journalists. Following an incident where the president told a Bloomberg reporter to be "quiet piggy," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt argued that Trump's frankness represented transparency rather than disrespect.
"Look, the president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room," Leavitt stated. "He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration. But he is also the most transparent president in history."
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson offered similar justification to The Independent, claiming, "President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency. This has nothing to do with gender – it has everything to do with the fact that the President's and the public's trust in the media is at all time lows."
Broader Context of Media Relations
The confrontation occurred against a backdrop of increasing tension between the Trump administration and news organizations. The president's Justice Department recently arrested Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort, adding to concerns about press freedom under the current administration.
Trump's tendency to dismiss unfavorable questions as "fake news" has become a hallmark of his interactions with journalists, particularly when faced with inquiries about legal or financial matters. The $10 billion IRS lawsuit represents one of the most substantial legal actions taken by a sitting president against their own administration, making Trump's refusal to discuss it particularly noteworthy.
As the 2026 incident demonstrates, substantive policy questions continue to be met with personal attacks rather than substantive answers, particularly when posed by female journalists. This dynamic raises ongoing questions about accountability, transparency, and the treatment of women in political journalism.
