President Donald Trump and White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt criticized CBS News’ “Face the Nation” moderator, Margaret Brennan, during an interview with the Daily Caller, labeling her as “silly” and “very bad.” Trump mentioned that he had won a settlement from CBS’s parent company, Paramount, in a case related to allegations of blocking election interference during a “60 Minutes” interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris. He also expressed curiosity about the future of Nora O’Donnell, who continues to work for the network. Trump remarked, “If you pay $12 million a year, she won’t be there that long.”
He followed up with comments about Brennan, stating, “The woman with the ‘face of the nation’ is very bad.” Leavitt, who was present, was asked for her thoughts and replied, “She’s stupid. You can put it on the record.” Trump agreed and added, “She’s awkward.”
In a separate context, Trump praised Secretary of State Marco Rubio during the same interview. He acknowledged a previous contentious exchange Rubio had with Brennan that centered around Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Brennan had raised concerns about European leaders pressuring Zelensky during negotiations. Rubio responded strongly, stating, “That’s not true. They’re not coming here tomorrow to make sure Zelensky is not bullied.”
Despite the heated discussions, neither Brennan nor CBS News offered any comments in response.
