U.S. President Donald Trump walks to speak to the media before boarding Air Force One for a trip to the Republican National Midterm Convention, at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, U.S. September 9, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
President Donald Trump lashed out at an ABC News reporter outside Air Force One on Wednesday, calling the network "fake news" and "the worst of all," moments after being asked why Republicans in competitive races are skipping his party's convention in Dallas.
Asked why several Republicans in tight races weren't attending, Trump insisted the opposite.
"Everybody is coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come," he said, predicting the event would be "sold out tonight." Then he asked the reporter which outlet she worked for. Told it was ABC News, he snapped.
"ABC fake news. One of the worst. You are the worst of all in my opinion," Trump fumed.
Trump went on to explain the absences by saying, "We don't have room for 500 politicians. We have room for the ones that have a close race."
That answer sat oddly next to the question, which was specifically about Republicans in competitive races choosing to stay away, the very group he claimed to be prioritizing.
His "sold out" boast also clashes with the RNC's scramble to fill the American Airlines Center. Organizers opened a public lottery for free tickets and pressed operatives to hand them out, according to multiple reports. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who has clashed with Trump, is absent from the speaker list for the first-of-its-kind midterm convention.
The testy gaggle also included a moment earlier in which Trump was pressed on why oil had climbed back above $100 a barrel despite his promises of relief. Trump admitted gas prices likely wouldn't fall below $2 a gallon until after the November midterms.
The exchange occurred outside his new Air Force One plane, a $400 million Boeing 747 gifted by Qatar, after a deal that ethics experts questioned and which has become a frequent target of the ABC coverage Trump attacks.