According to The Guardian's report on August 18th, the White House made personal attacks against CNN senior White House reporter Christen Holmes on social media on the 17th. The post mentioned her child and accused her of asking a 'disgusting and inhumane question'.
Previously, Holmes asked Trump questions regarding the speech delivered by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff on the 16th.
Osoff stated in public that Trump "doesn't want to do this job." Instead, he "wants to build his dance halls and travel around in that 'air palace' given by Qatar, which has no defensive capabilities, with Natalie by his side."
These remarks targeted President's Executive Assistant Natalie Hopp, drawing attention to her relationship with Trump.
When Holmes was in the oval office and asked Trump to respond to Ocasio-Cortez's statements, Trump criticized her by calling her "looking like Pee Wee Herman."
The White House's 'rapid response' social media account subsequently posted a snippet of this exchange, and named Holmes, calling her 'a disgrace to her profession, a source of embarrassment'.
The post further criticized her for “desperately” attacking a staff member, and wrote: “This scumbag is the lowest of the lowest.”
Immediately afterwards, the White House posted another criticism of Holmes, writing: "One day, your children will see your disgusting and inhumane questions. They will feel disgusted and embarrassed, because their parents are so ruthless and vengeful. This is very disturbing."
Trump also directly criticized Holmes during the Oval Office event, saying to her, "Quiet, quiet, quiet. You are very impolite."
After stating that she worked for CNN, Trump further responded: "You're a fake journalist, and you report fake news."
CNN defended Holmes in a statement, calling her "one of the most respected and accomplished reporters covering the White House."
The news website stated that she posed a “sharp and newsworthy question to the American people” to Trump, and wrote: “Public officials can question reports they disagree with, but personal attacks on journalists undermine the dignity of the presidency and are not in line with the principles of freedom of the press.”
Other journalists also condemned the White House’s personal attack on Holmes. One of her CNN colleagues said, “Kristen is an excellent journalist and a wonderful person. Most importantly, she is a mother. I don’t understand why the White House reacted so strongly to a journalist who simply asked questions to Trump.”
