Trump's 'stupid' dig at CBS correspondent is latest in string of personal swipes towards female reporters

President Donald Trump has had a string of fiery exchanges with female reporters in recent weeks, fueling accusations of bullying and misogyny from his critics while the White House defends his transparency.

While taking questions from reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday, Trump was pressed by CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes about the vetting of Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspected gunman in Wednesday's shooting of two National Guardsmen in Washington, D.C. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, has died, and another victim, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.

Cordes noted that officials have said Lakanwal worked closely with the CIA in Afghanistan leading up to the Biden administration's 2021 withdrawal from the country and that "the vetting came up clean," to which Trump responded, "He went cuckoo. He went nuts."

"Your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration?" Cordes later asked.

"Because they let him in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?" Trump fired back. "Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here. And you’re just asking questions, because you’re a stupid person."

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Trump's critics slammed him on social media as the exchange went viral during the Thanksgiving holiday.

"Trump again bullying female reporter... This BS has to stop," former Politico journalist Carla Marinucci reacted on X.

"At [what] point does his disgraceful repeated abuse of female reporters get to the point when the rest of the press pool actually grows a spine and defends them. The other journalists and their parent media companies [are] cowards. Btw- the question was spot on," former CIA officer and commentator Marc Polymeropoulos wrote.

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On Nov. 14, Trump called Bloomberg News correspondent Catherine Lucey "piggy" during a testy exchange on Air Force One when she attempted to ask a follow-up question about his past relationship with late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as he was taking a question from another reporter.

"Quiet… quiet, piggy!" Trump snapped, pointed his finger at Lucey.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the president, pointing to his "frankness" and touting his "unprecedented access" to the press.

"He gets frustrated with reporters when you lie about him, when you spread fake news about him and his administration. But he also is the most transparent president in history," Leavitt said when asked about the exchange.

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Days after the "piggy" insult, Trump clashed with ABC News correspondent Mary Bruce on Nov. 18, calling her "fake news" after she asked pointed questions of him and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during an Oval Office exchange.

He later slammed Bruce as a "terrible person" when she asked about the release of the Epstein files. 

"It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter. It’s the way you ask these questions," Trump told Bruce. "You start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question."

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On Tuesday, The New York Times published a report with the headline "Shorter Days, Signs of Fatigue: Trump Faces Realities of Aging in Office," suggesting the president's stamina has slowed down in comparison to his first term.

The story was co-authored by the paper's White House correspondent Katie Rogers and journalist Dylan Freedman, who was specifically credited for analyzing Trump's public schedules and social media posts. However, as critics noted, it was only Rogers who Trump went after.

"The writer of the story, Katie Rogers, who is assigned to write only bad things about me, is a third rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out," Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling the report a "hit piece."

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The Times defended the report and said Trump's "name-calling" didn't change anything.

"The Times’ reporting is accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts. Name-calling and personal insults don’t change that, nor will our journalists hesitate to cover this administration in the face of intimidation tactics like this. Expert and thorough reporters like Katie Rogers exemplify how an independent and free press helps the American people better understand their government and its leaders," a Times spokesperson wrote. 

While Trump's most recent fiery press exchanges have been with female reporters, he has gone after male reporters as well. In September, he told ABC News' Jonathan Karl "you have a lot of hate in your heart" as the president accused the correspondent of treating him unfairly. 

In October, he swiped Reuters correspondent Jeff Mason, telling him, "You're a third-rate reporter, always have been." He also takes frequent potshots at ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, who he's dubbed "George Slopadopoulos," following the network's $15 million settlement last year over false on-air comments Stephanopoulos made about the president.

Trump has also made personal jabs towards male political adversaries in recent days, poking fun at Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's weight and calling Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz "seriously re----ed."

Reached for comment, the White House pointed to Trump's transparency compared to predecessor Joe Biden.

"This is the most accessible and transparent administration in history – full stop," spokeswoman Taylor Rogers told Fox News Digital. "The Biden administration hid the President of the United States from the press, covered up his mental decline, and lied to the media's faces about it for years. Meanwhile, President Trump answers unrestricted questions nearly every single day from the failing legacy media, whose trust from the American people recently fell to an all-time low. President Trump provides candid answers for the American people while also holding the press accountable, just as he promised, whenever they shamelessly peddle fake news."