Donald Trump had a tense exchange with CNN host Jake Tapper in a recent interview. The president lashed out at Tapper over questions about the Iran war. The confrontation marked another clash between the two after an earlier public spat.
Jake Tapper’s question about Iran drew a sharp response
Donald Trump lashed out at CNN’s Jake Tapper during a phone interview on Sunday, July 12. Tapper initially spoke with the president about the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham before attempting to shift the conversation to the current status of the Iran war.
“Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Is that true?” Tapper asked Trump, who quickly shut down the line of questioning. “It’s open as far as we’re concerned,” the president replied. He then pushed back at the CNN host, telling him, “Don’t talk about it. Talk about the reason that you asked me to speak.”
Tapper went on to say, “I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues. But we would love to have you back sometime, because I do have a lot of other questions for you.” Trump responded curtly, saying, “Sure. We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path. And we’ll do that.”
Tapper then replied, “Well, I’m on a normal path right here, sir,” to which Trump said, “Good. You are.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has clashed publicly with Tapper. Last year, the CNN host came to the defense of his colleague Kaitlan Collins, after Trump called her “stupid and nasty” in a Truth Social rant, for asking him about his controversial White House ballroom renovation.
Tapper confronted the president in an X post on December 6, countering Trump’s attack on Collins with several bullet points. The lead Washington anchor for CNN also defended his colleague’s questions and journalistic integrity.
Originally reported by Namrata Ghosh for Mandatory.
