U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a bilateral meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman in the Oval Office of the White House on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
President Donald Trump on Tuesday called for ABC’s broadcast license to be revoked, slamming one of the station’s reporters for asking why the government was not releasing government files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
President Trump told ABC News reporter Mary Bruce, “I think you’re a terrible reporter,” and said he took issue with her “attitude.”
“You should go back and learn how to be a reporter. You don’t need to ask any more questions,” Trump said in the Oval Office.
The angry remarks came just before the House of Representatives voted on a bill that would force the Justice Department to release all records related to deceased investors.
President Trump does not need to wait for Congress to pass the bill. He may unilaterally order the Justice Department to release more Epstein files, news outlets reported.
Bruce was asking, “Why wait until Congress releases the Epstein files? Why not release them now?”
“As far as the Epstein file goes, I have nothing to do with him,” Trump said. “I kicked him out of the club years ago because I thought he was a terrible pervert.”
“The people are wise to your falsehoods,” the president told reporters. “Your shitty company is one of the culprits. And let me tell you something…I think you should have your license taken away from the ABC because your news is so fake and so wrong.”
“We have a great commissioner…who should be considering it,” he added, apparently referring to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr.
In September, Mr. Kerr threatened to revoke one of ABC’s late-night talk show hosts, Jimmy Kimmel,’s ABC license over comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” Kerr, whose agency manages broadcast licenses for media companies, said in a podcast interview. “These companies can, frankly, find a way to change their behavior and take action against Kimmel. Or it’s going to take more action down the road for the FCC.”
Hours later, Nexstar Media Group, which hosts ABC and ABC-affiliated local stations, announced it was preempting “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely. The show returned to air about a week later following a wave of backlash against ABC and its parent company. disney.
President Trump has slammed Democrats’ focus on the Epstein file, calling the issue a “hoax” and urging allies to drop the issue. Mr. Trump and Mr. Epstein were friends but had a falling out years before Mr. Epstein died in 2019 while incarcerated on federal sex trafficking charges.
But the president has not been able to shake off his ties to sex offenders. The relationship became more apparent last week when Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released emails showing Mr. Epstein discussing Mr. Trump. In one 2019 email, Epstein wrote that Trump “knew about the girls.”
On Sunday night, just as the chances of passage of the Epstein bill seemed increasing, President Trump abruptly reversed course and called on his Republican allies to support the bill. President Trump said Monday that he would sign the bill if Congress passed it.
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