Former President Donald Trump got frustrated during a visit to the U.S. Capitol and ended up insulting a reporter in front of a crowd. Trump was there trying to get Republican lawmakers to support a new bill he’s been pushing, which he proudly calls his “big, beautiful bill.” But not everyone in his own party is on board yet, and that led to an uncomfortable moment when a reporter brought it up.
The reporter asked Trump about Congressman Andy Harris from Maryland, who is part of a group of very conservative Republicans known as the House Freedom Caucus. Harris had said that the bill didn’t have enough support from conservatives to pass at that time. The reporter repeated Harris’s words, saying that Trump hadn’t done enough to convince lawmakers to back the bill.
Trump, not liking the comment, responded by saying, “Why don’t we see how the vote is,” and added that he had just had a “great talk” with Republicans in Congress. But instead of stopping there, he then asked the reporter, “Who do you work for?”
The reporter answered, “NOTUS.”
Trump didn’t recognize the name and asked again, “Who?”
When the reporter repeated it, Trump rolled his eyes and said, “I don’t even know what the hell that is,” and then snapped, “Get yourself a real job.”
The remark was caught on camera and quickly spread online. A lot of people criticized Trump for being disrespectful to a journalist who was simply doing their job by asking a fair question. Others saw it as another example of Trump’s tendency to lash out when faced with tough or uncomfortable topics.
For some context, NOTUS is a new nonprofit news outlet. It was started in 2024 by Robert Allbritton, who also created Politico, a well-known political news organization. NOTUS is part of the Allbritton Journalism Institute, which was created to help train young journalists to cover politics in a fair and balanced way. The organization isn’t linked to any political party and focuses on solid, fact-based reporting.
Trump’s comment about NOTUS—saying he didn’t know what it was and mocking the reporter’s job—struck a nerve with many people. Critics pointed out that the role of journalists is to ask important questions, even if those questions make politicians uncomfortable. Supporters of the reporter said it’s part of a healthy democracy to hold leaders accountable, no matter who they are.
In the end, the exchange highlighted a few key things: Trump is still sensitive to criticism, even from within his own party, and he’s still quick to go on the offensive when he doesn’t like what he hears. It also showed the challenges that new and independent news outlets can face when trying to get recognition and respect in a fast-moving political world.
