Who is Kristen Holmes? CNN reporter Donald Trump told to ‘be quiet’ in Oval Office over aide Natalie Harp question

CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes has become the focus of a political row after US President Donald Trump and the White House sharply criticized her questions during an Oval Office event.

Trump, 80, on Monday (local time) was hosting 16-year-old lifeguard Ryder Williams, who rescued 10-year-old Nathaniel Rai from powerful surf in California. But, as is often the case during Trump's events, the president opened the floor to questions on unrelated issues.

Holmes first asked Trump about comments made by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff concerning his executive assistant, Natalie Harp, 35. Ossoff had criticized Trump while referring to Harp and her presence in the president's inner circle.

Trump dismissed Ossoff as a "Pee-wee Herman lookalike", while the White House's Rapid Response account launched a personal attack on Holmes.

Watch video

"Someday, your children will come across your disgusting and inhumane question," the White House team said in an X post directed at Holmes.

The account also accused Holmes of using an event honouring a young lifeguard to take "a cheap shot" at a Trump staffer, adding: "These scumbags are the lowest of the low."

The confrontation escalated when Holmes continued to question Trump about foreign policy.

Trump told her: "Quiet, quiet, quiet. You’re very disrespectful."

He later added: "You're a loud, boisterous person, you're fake news, be quiet," and called her a "fake reporter".

CNN strongly defended Holmes, describing her as “one of the most respected and accomplished journalists covering the White House”.

The network said she had asked a “tough, relevant, and newsworthy question on behalf of the American people” and said the attacks were "beneath the office."

Who Is Kristen Holmes?

Holmes is CNN's Senior White House Correspondent, based in Washington, DC. She has spent years covering Trump, including his presidential campaigns and administration.

She studied journalism at Northwestern University and also attended Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. Before joining CNN, she worked as a weekend reporter at NewsChannel 8.

Who is Natalie Harp?

The controversy surrounding Holmes' question centred on Natalie Harp, one of Trump's most visible aides.

Harp, a former television news personality, frequently appears alongside Trump and has been dubbed the "human printer" for providing him with printed materials and information. Recent reporting has also drawn attention to her unusually close access to the president.

Trump and female journalists

Monday's confrontation follows several instances in which Trump has publicly criticized female journalists who questioned him.

In November, he targeted The New York Times White House reporter Katie Rogers, accusing her of being "assigned to only write bad things" about him and calling her "a third-rate reporter who is ugly, both inside and out."

The New York Times defended its reporting, saying it was "accurate and built on first-hand reporting of the facts" and that "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."

Trump also confronted Bloomberg News reporter Catherine Lucey aboard Air Force One while she was asking about the release of files related to the FBI's Jeffrey Epstein investigation.

"If there's nothing incriminating in the files, sir, why not…" Lucey began.

Trump interrupted: "Quiet! Quiet, piggy."