Trump Confrontation with Female Journalist Reignites Debate on Tone Policing in Press

US PresidentDonald Trumpis once again facing scrutiny over how he treats journalists, particularly women, after a tense Oval Office exchange in which he rebuked a reporter not for her question but for her demeanor. The moment, captured on video and widely circulated online, unfolded when aCNNcorrespondent pressed him on the lingering fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein files and the concerns raised by survivors. The episode has reignited a familiar debate in American politics: where does tough questioning end and personal attacks on the press begin, and why does tone policing still surface so often when female journalists ask uncomfortable questions? The confrontation took place during a routine question-and-answer session in the Oval Office. Kaitlan Collins, a senior correspondent for CNN, asked Trump about newly released Epstein-related documents and their implications for people close to him. Instead of sticking to the substance, Trump shifted the focus to Collins herself. He criticized her for “never smiling,” called her “the worst reporter,” and mocked CNN’s ratings, suggesting the network’s struggles were due to journalists like her. At one point, he said he had known her for “10 years” and claimed she didn’t smile because she knew she was “not talented.”