A fiery moment unfolded on Monday during a joint press conference between President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, as CNN anchor Dana Bash pushed back live on air against Trump’s latest criticism of the network.
The event was held inside the Oval Office and marked Bukele’s official state visit to the United States, a visit that centered on the case of Kilmar Abrego García, a Maryland resident who was deported to El Salvador despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling ordering his return.
While Trump used the moment to highlight his administration’s tough stance on immigration and to praise Bukele’s crackdown on gang violence—including expanding cooperation with El Salvador’s high-security prison, CECOT—his comments also took a familiar turn toward media criticism.
Gesturing toward the press during the event, Trump remarked, “CNN over there, doesn’t want to put [the numbers] out because they don’t like putting out good numbers … because I think they hate our country. It’s a shame, really.”
The remark sparked a response from CNN’s Dana Bash, who returned on air visibly unsettled after the network cut away from the live press conference.