Politics
Dana Bash Visibly Flustered By Trump Press Conference: ‘CNN Does Not Hate Our Country!’
A fiery moment unfolded on Monday during a joint press conference between President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, as CNN anchor Dana Bash pushed back live on air against Trump’s latest criticism of the network.
The event was held inside the Oval Office and marked Bukele’s official state visit to the United States, a visit that centered on the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering his return.
While Trump used the moment to highlight his administration’s tough stance on immigration and to praise Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence—including expanding cooperation with El Salvador’s high-security prison, CECOT—his comments also took a familiar turn toward media criticism.
Gesturing toward the press during the event, Trump remarked, “CNN over there, doesn’t want to put [the numbers] out because they don’t like putting out good numbers … because I think they hate our country. It’s a shame, really.”
The remark sparked a response from CNN’s Dana Bash, who returned on air visibly unsettled after the network cut away from the live press conference.
“We’ve been listening to a lengthy live press conference inside the Oval Office with the leader of El Salvador, Bukele, where we have heard a lot of bits of information, a lot of news nuggets that we want to definitely focus on, a lot of some misinformation as well,” Bash began.
Then, addressing Trump’s dig at the network directly, she stated, “I just want to say for the record, since we heard President Trump say in the Oval Office that CNN hates our country—CNN does not hate our country. That should go without saying. I’ve been here for 32 years, and I see a rhetorical device in him trying to say such a thing.”
WATCH:
The feud between Trump and CNN has remained one of the most combative in modern political-media history. Throughout his presidency and beyond, Trump has consistently targeted the network, branding it as “fake news” and “the enemy of the people.”
The animosity escalated in 2018 when CNN’s Jim Acosta had his White House press credentials revoked after a heated exchange with Trump. CNN responded by filing a lawsuit, and a federal judge ultimately ordered the administration to reinstate Acosta’s access.
By 2023, the relationship hit another flashpoint when CNN hosted a town hall with Trump. During the event, he repeated disputed claims about the 2020 election and mocked the verdict in a sexual abuse case brought against him.
Critics slammed CNN for giving Trump a platform, accusing the network of enabling misinformation. Inside CNN, tensions also surfaced, with staff reportedly expressing concern over what they saw as a softening stance toward Trump and a shift toward more neutral—or even favorable—coverage.
Trump, for his part, has taken legal action, most notably filing a $475 million defamation lawsuit against CNN over its repeated use of the phrase “the big lie.” A judge dismissed the case, ruling that the term was opinion, not defamation.
