President Donald Trump and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt launched a verbal attack against CBS News “Face the Nation” host Margaret Brennan during an interview with The Daily Caller on Friday, September 2, 2025. The exchange occurred in the Oval Office as Trump discussed his recent legal settlement with CBS News parent company Paramount.
During the interview with Daily Caller White House correspondent Reagan Reese, Trump pivoted from discussing the departure of former CBS Evening News anchor Norah O’Donnell to targeting Brennan directly. Trump indicated that O’Donnell, who earned 12 million annually, was likely close to leaving the network entirely after stepping down from her evening news role earlier this year.
Trump then referenced Brennan, remarking, “The woman on ‘Face the Nation’ is so bad.” He then addressed Leavitt, who had been present during the interview, asking, “What do you think of her?”
“She’s stupid. You can put that on the record,” Leavitt responded.
“She’s nasty,” Trump added.
The president expressed surprise that Secretary of State Marco Rubio continued to appear on Brennan’s program, citing what he perceived as intense animosity during questioning sessions.
The criticism appears to stem from recent contentious interviews between Brennan and Rubio on “Face the Nation.” In August 2025, Brennan suggested that European leaders were concerned Trump might pressure Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy into accepting an unfavorable peace agreement with Russia. Rubio forcefully rejected this characterization, calling it a misguided media narrative.
The exchange occurred after Trump met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska and before hosting Zelenskyy alongside several European leaders at the White House. Rubio emphasized that the administration had conducted numerous meetings with Ukrainian officials compared to just one with Putin, contradicting Brennan’s suggestion about European concerns.
Trump praised Rubio’s handling of the CBS interviews, describing him as competent and intelligent for his confrontational approach with Brennan. The president suggested that one of his White House aides, former One America News anchor Natalie Harp, could perform better in the anchor position than current CBS hosts.
The Friday interview was part of Trump’s broader criticism of mainstream media outlets following his settlement with Paramount. Trump had previously accused CBS of election interference over their handling of a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris, ultimately reaching a resolution that reportedly favored the former president.
This incident represents another example of Leavitt’s confrontational approach toward journalists since assuming her role as the youngest White House press secretary in United States history at age twenty-seven. Previously, she has engaged in heated exchanges with reporters during press briefings and has been known to research journalists’ backgrounds and political affiliations before responding to their inquiries.
Neither Brennan nor CBS News responded to requests for comment regarding the criticism from Trump and Leavitt. The network has previously defended its journalists when facing similar attacks from the Trump administration, particularly regarding coverage of foreign policy issues and sensitive intelligence matters.
The attack on Brennan follows a pattern of the Trump administration targeting individual journalists and news anchors who provide critical coverage of presidential policies. Leavitt has previously called out other reporters by name during press briefings, including CNN correspondent Natasha Bertrand over her reporting on leaked intelligence regarding United States strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
Brennan has served as the host of “Face the Nation” since 2018 and regularly conducts interviews with high-ranking government officials from both political parties. Her program frequently addresses foreign policy issues, including ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, areas where the Trump administration has faced scrutiny over its diplomatic approaches.
