Trump threatens to remove ABC’s licence after reporter asks about Epstein files
US President Donald Trump continues to snap at reporters who ask about the Epstein files. (Getty)
US President Donald Trump continues to snap at reporters who ask about the Epstein files. (Getty)
Donald Trump has threatened to remove ABC’s broadcasting licence after reporter Mary Bruce asked him about the Epstein files.
The president has appeared increasingly angry with reporters who have questioned him about his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, who was found dead in his prison cell in August 2019.
Mary Bruce, ABC News’ chief White House correspondent, was seemingly referring to the Trump’s Truth Social post where he said he supported Congress voting to release the files, when she asked: “Why wait… to release the Epstein files, why not just do it now?”
He responded: “It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude, it’s the way you ask these questions… you could even ask that same exact question nicely. You’re a terrible person and a terrible reporter.”
He then said he had “nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein,” despite emails seemingly pointing to the contrary. “I think the licence should be taken away from ABC because your news is so fake and it’s so wrong,” the president added.
Reporter: Mr. President, why wait for congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?
— Acyn (@Acyn) November 18, 2025
Trump: It's not the question that I mind. It's your attitude… I think the license should be taken away from ABC. We have a great commissioner, a chairman who should look at… pic.twitter.com/rSPG2m9EK4
Trump’s latest outburst came just hours after he snapped at a Bloomberg reporter after being asked a different question about the files.
“Quiet. Quiet, Piggy,” he replied when she pressed him about whether there was anything “incriminating” in the emails.
On Tuesday (18 November), lawmakers overwhelmingly approved a proposal to release government documents related to the disgraced financier. The bill now needs to be signed off by Trump, who, despite previously dismissing the issue as a Democratic smear campaign, wrote on his social media platform: “House Republicans should vote to release the Epstein files because we have nothing to hide.”
Thousands of documents from the Epstein estate have already been released by the House Oversight Committee but the resolution passed on Tuesday covers material currently held by the Department of Justice.
