CNN’s Erin Burnett was stunned Wednesday by former Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham’s disturbing anecdote about what Donald Trump once allegedly told authoritarian leaders about the American press.
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During a discussion on Burnett’s “OutFront” show about Trump’s escalating attacks on the media, Grisham recalled accompanying the president during his first-term meetings with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and China’s Xi Jinping.
“For North Korea I actually physically fought those guards to get the press into that room,” Grisham said.
And Trump, she alleged, told both Kim and Xi: “The press. Aren’t they animals? They’re animals, they’re crazy, you have the right idea.”
“So he absolutely wants to have a presidency more on the side of dictators,” Grisham added.
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“That’s incredible,” Burnett responded.
The anchor repeated Trump’s alleged remark: “They’re animals and you have the right idea.”
“Wow,” she added. “All right. Sobering finale there, Stephanie.”
Grisham’s account came as Trump faced criticism for rolling out the red carpet for Xi, at the start of a state visit to the U.S., and his ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds, which a judge early Thursday ordered overturned.
Watch the segment here:
Former Trump WH Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham says she heard Trump tell both Chinese and North Korean officials that they had “the right idea” about the press, describing reporters as “animals.” pic.twitter.com/TorKBRDI0X
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— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) September 24, 2026
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