Overview

• Jake Tapper said on CNN’s State of the Union that President Trump answered his questions via text, sharing replies on topics including Gaza and the government shutdown.
• Lawrence O’Donnell argued CNN “can’t even prove” the texts were from Trump and suggested the answers could have come from an imposter or been coordinated by the White House.
• O’Donnell faulted CNN for not disclosing how long replies took and for withholding which questions went unanswered, calling the format a “new dark low” for Sunday interviews.
• He cited Tapper’s past criticism of Joe Biden in a 2025 book to claim a double standard compared with Tapper’s handling of Trump’s brief text responses, including “complete obliteration” on Hamas in Gaza.
• Outlets noted that CNN and the White House did not immediately respond to requests for comment, while the segment and its criticisms drew wide coverage across media sites.