Time to React: Trump Attacks Black Reporter, Unaware Her Network Sues Him

President Trump Faces Criticism for Disparaging Black Female Reporter

During a recent news conference, President Donald Trump found himself under fire after allegedly insulting a Black female reporter. The incident occurred near the Reflecting Pool, one of the many renovation projects he has been involved in across Washington, D.C.

Rachel Scott, an ABC News senior correspondent, posed a question to the president about the focus on these projects amid rising gas prices and ongoing tensions with Iran. “Mr. President, we are here against the backdrop of a war in Iran,” she asked. “Why focus on all these projects as gas prices soar?”

Trump responded by emphasizing his commitment to keeping the country beautiful and safe. “This place was disgusting place. It was the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, and we had a terrible, disgusting, I don’t know, you probably don’t see dirt.”

He went on to boast about the cleanup efforts, stating that crews had removed “11 or 12 truckloads” of garbage from the Reflecting Pool. According to Trump, the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was built around 1922. However, USA TODAY reported that one contractor claimed the pool was in disrepair and could be cleaned up within two weeks. The project also involved selecting the color “American Flag Blue” for the pool’s renovation.

Trump criticized Scott’s question as “such a stupid question.” He defended the renovations by saying, “We’re fixing up the reflecting pond to the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and you say, ‘Why are you fixing it up?’ Because you can understand dirt, maybe, better than I can, but I don’t allow it.”

The president announced the renovations last month, citing a comment from one of his German friends who described the area as “disgusting” and “not representative of the country.”

“This is one of the worst reporters, she’s with ABC Fake News, and she’s a horror show,” Trump said, referring to Scott. He also called her question “a disgrace to our country” before whispering something to a Secret Service agent and leaving the scene.

This is not the first time Trump has targeted Scott. In 2024, at the National Association of Black Journalists conference, he criticized her for not greeting him before asking a question. “Well, first of all, I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, a first question,” he said. “You don’t even say, ‘Hello, how are you?’ Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network, a terrible network.”

In 2025, during a press interaction, Trump left the room when Scott asked about an unreleased video involving the U.S. military’s second strike on a capsized boat.

Online reactions to Trump’s comments were largely negative. One user wrote, “This from the guy who just dumped toxic waste all over the East Potomac Golf Course. Washington, D.C. was beautiful before he came, and now the Kennedy Center lies follow, the reflecting pool is blue, the East Wing is in shambles, and the White House is littered with cement patios and statues.”

Another user commented, “It’s the fact that he is always disrespectful to women, and not one man ever says anything about it.”

Some praised Scott for her persistence, with one user writing, “Thank you, Rachel Scott, for asking the questions we want answers to. Wish your colleagues were as relentless as you in seeking the truth.”

However, Scott may have had the last word. ABC News filed a lawsuit against the president on Friday, claiming that Trump violated its First Amendment rights by investigating whether “The View” broke a requirement that broadcast stations give equal time to political candidates for the same office.