Donald Trump unloaded on the outlet journalist who asked about his health, calling the reporter “disgusting” and mocking his weight in front of the White House press corps.
Jacob Bogage, a reporter for the outlet, pressed the president on Monday about why he had canceled a planned rally in Kansas. “How are you feeling? How’s your health?” Bogage asked. Trump, 80, replied that he was “very good” and predicted Republicans would have “a strong Tuesday night” in the upcoming midterm elections.
Bogage continued his questioning. “So you not going to Kansas has nothing to do with you being sick of travel?”
“Oh you’re sick to ask that question,” Trump snapped back. “You are sick. Who are you with?”
When Bogage identified himself as working for the outlet, Trump turned hostile toward the outlet itself. “Look at this dope,” he said, addressing the remaining press while pointing directly at Bogage. “Look at this guy. He’s way out of shape. Look at how badly– he comes to me ‘sir, you’re not going to go to Kansas?'”
The president insisted his absence from Kansas was strategic, not health-related. “I’m not going to Kansas because he’s doing very well. I’m going to do a tele-rally,” Trump said. He added that he felt no need to travel there in person.
His attack on Bogage’s appearance escalated from there. “You are disgusting,” Trump continued. “Put yourself in shape. You look like hell.”
The exchange drew immediate backlash on social media, where users rallied behind Bogage. “It was horrific what was said to you. I’m sorry that happened to you for doing your job. It never should have,” one person wrote on Twitter. Another posted: “I’m appalled at his comments to you today. Thank you for the excellent work you do.”
Additional supporters defended Bogage’s questioning and condemned Trump’s response. “Anyone criticizing this journalist, @jacobbogage is an absolute idiot. Trumps behaviour and treatment of critical press should be considered a crime,” a third user wrote. Someone else added: “Apparently you asked a question that was too close to the mark for him to answer. Well done. And obviously ignore his childish bullying.”
Bogage has not publicly responded to the incident as of this writing.
Trump’s confrontation with Bogage fits a well-established pattern of the president lashing out at journalists whose questions he dislikes. Kaitlan Collins, CNN’s White House correspondent, has previously faced similar treatment from Trump, who has called her “nasty” and “stupid” during past exchanges.
Collins addressed the broader issue of Trump’s abuse toward reporters during an appearance on Bravo’s “Watch What Happens with Andy Cohen.” She offered a measured perspective on navigating such moments. “I truly think as a reporter you shouldn’t make it about yourself, it’s about the president, the person you’re questioning. But we are people too,” she said.
Collins recalled one specific incident that stuck with her. “When he told me I should smile more when I was asking him about sexual assault victims, in that moment I thought, ‘This is not going to be received well by people in terms of the line of questioning and what it’s about,'” she shared.
The Kansas rally cancellation that prompted Bogage’s question was one of two events Trump called off as the midterm elections approached, with the president opting for a tele-rally format instead.
Trump is scheduled to hold a rally in Dayton, Ohio on the eve of the midterms.