Backfire Erupts After White House Tries to Shame a Writer Who Challenged Trump— and Accidentally Proves Her Point
The current presidential administration continues to wage its war on the press.
The White House’s Rapid Response 47 team found itself at the center of another heated exchange on social media after publicly taking aim at a journalist known for chronicling the inner workings of the Trump marriage, Melania’s influence, and unflattering portraits of life inside his White House.
Kate Bennett, a former CNN White House correspondent, has also covered Melania’s influence in the biography “Free Melania: The Unauthorized Biography.” She recently turned her sharp tone toward Trump, and the MAGA crusade came in defending their leader’s “inappropriate behavior.”
A Nov. 28 post seemingly added to the ongoing friction between the administration and creators of critical coverage.
That morning, Bennett posted on X, “You know, everyone keeps writing these stories about how President Trump is only insulting female reporters by calling them piggy, ugly, stupid etc. But, it’s actually because the women are the ones asking all the tough questions. Give that a thought.”
The Rapid Response Team replied, “Give this a thought: how big of a scumbag you must be to have been fired from CNN of all places.”
The backlash was quick and swift against Bennett and Trump, with two social media users writing, “Hahahahahhahaaaaaaa” and “He is afraid of smart women.”
“CNN’s journalistic standard are so low, being fired is actually impressive,” said a Rapid Response supporter, while another added, “He insults dudes all the time. Trump does not discriminate, he trolls all that deserve it. No matter who they are.”
Other X users found their response to be proof of Bennett’s point about the administration’s treatment of women journalists.
One commenter said, “That’s an interesting take, but insults aren’t the answer—especially when they target women reporters doing their job. Tough questions should be met with respect, not name-calling. Accountability goes both ways.”
Several believed that choosing to work under Donald Trump was the real sign of being a “scumbag.”
“Well taken, Kate. The orange buffoon has always treated women like dirt or chattel. He can never keep his crude mouth shut,” replied one X user.
After seeing the White House’s response, one user added, “The response to Kate Bennett’s post is a prime example of how the current administration reacts when the truth is written or spoken about it. The President cannot handle being challenged by strong women. His stated belief is ‘Women, you have to treat them like [crap].’”
Despite their crusade against “fake news” about President Trump and the administration, the Rapid Response team appears to have fallen for it. Their claim that Bennett was fired from CNN is completely false.
In January 2023, the former “CNN Right Now” host announced on Instagram that she was switching careers from journalism to strategic communications.
“As many of you know, I quit my gig at CNN at the end of this last contract,” Bennett wrote, alongside a video documenting her years as a journalist. “A very difficult decision, but one that came with several months of thought, exploration and a feeling in my gut that it is time to try something new.”
According to her Instagram bio, Bennett now serves as the vice president of brand strategy and external affairs at the government communications firm Invariant.
He reporting on her 2019 book about Melania has earned her a permanent place on Trump’s enemies list as well as indirectly embroiled her in litigation by the first lady. In 2017, Melania won a multimillion-dollar settlement from the Daily Mail after the outlet published false claims linking her modeling career to escort work, later issuing a public apology and “substantial damages.”
Bennett has continued to rely on the courts to police coverage she considers defamatory and has ramped up her legal stance since Trump’s first presidency and his most recent term. Recent disputes involve litigation against authors and commentators over alleged false statements about her marriage, personal history, and business interests.
Appears @realDonaldTrump tries to coax @FLOTUS into standing up. pic.twitter.com/CSEdpLXBlE
— Kate Bennett (@KateBennett_DC) July 4, 2020
Bennett’s own words have been cited in defamation cases; the family has used them against media outlets such as CNN, framing critical work as biased and malicious.
The Rapid Response team’s “scumbag” remark is hardly an isolated insult in the Trump political vocabulary. He has normalized disrespectful, misogynistic, and dehumanizing language for years, especially when speaking about critics and opponents.
In a January 2025 Oval Office appearance, Trump answered questions about his transformation from businessman to politician. He smugly said that “getting to know scum” like California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff and “other people like that” made questionable real-estate salesmen “quite nice in comparison.”
He recently doubled down on his Schiff stand by calling him the “lowest form of scum” when journalists asked him to comment on mortgage fraud allegations the administration is raising against the senator.
