Overview
- ABC’s Mary Bruce asked President Trump about potential conflicts tied to Saudi-linked business activity and pressed him on the release of Epstein records during a meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
- Trump called ABC “fake news,” denied involvement in his family’s businesses, and told Bruce she was “a terrible journalist” before saying ABC’s license should be taken away.
- Trump urged the FCC chair to “look into” ABC, a step that would be unusual since the FCC licenses local stations rather than national networks and revocations are rare and complex.
- Reporters referenced U.S. intelligence findings that MBS was responsible for Jamal Khashoggi’s 2018 murder, while Trump defended his guest and said the crown prince did not know about it.
- The exchange followed a separate incident days earlier on Air Force One in which Trump insulted Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey after a question about the Epstein case.