President-elect Donald Trump brutally rejected an interview request from MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, using his trademark bluntness. In a fiery exchange, Trump dismissed Ruhle’s inquiry, partly because of her network's credibility and the motivations behind the request. His sharp and unyielding response reflected his longstanding disdain for mainstream media outlets, especially those he perceives as hostile to his political views.
Surprised he took her phone call in the first place, Ruhle noted how accessible Trump was compared to Democrats during the 2024 race.
However, Trump declined an interview with the left-wing host, telling her to politely go “f*ck” herself.
“The day after Donald Trump had that crazy rally at Madison Square Garden. I rolled the dice, and I called him on the phone, and he answered,” Ruhle told Lukas Thimm.
“I wasn't calling to chit-chat,” Ruhle continued. “It was not an on-the-record conversation, so I’m not going to get into what he said. But I called for one reason… I said you just said a whole bunch of public things. I'd like to sit down for an interview with you; we've got five days before the election. So we didn’t get anything, there’s nothing for me to report. I called, I said I want an interview. Obviously, he said no.”
Ruhle explained the significance of contacting Trump rather than outgoing President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. She pointed out how easy it was to call the incoming president, recalling how she just dialed his number. On the contrary, she pointed out that if she wanted to contact Biden, Harris, or another Democrat, there would be at least 50 people between her and a phone call with them.
“I could write a note that maybe could get to somebody to get somebody, then through Pony Express and a pigeon, something might end up in a mailbox near them,” Ruhle said.
The far-left host of an even further-left network said, “Love him or hate him,” Trump keeps it “real,” pointing out that when it came to Harris, the White House was pulling the strings.
“When I interviewed President Biden, they gave me 10 minutes, OK?' Ruhle said. A politician can knock out one answer in 15 minutes,” she said, adding that Biden’s team tried to control the narrative by censoring specific topics. Ruhle recalled a moment during an interview when she asked Biden about pardoning his son, Hunter.
“As soon as I said those words, President Biden's team waved in front of the camera, started screaming and yelling, and stopped the interview,” she said.
The Biden-Harris team has long been known to control the narrative and has pre-screened reporter’s questions before a press conference or an interview. Both Biden and Harris have limited availability to journalists and have given slow responses to requests for information. Reporters have expressed frustration with having restricted access to the administration and noticed the president only calls on pre-approved reporters from fully-vetted outlets. Biden and Harris have also relied on scripted answers when addressing reporters, questioning the administration's transparency.