'Should be fired': Donald Trump blasts CNN's Natasha Bertrand over Iran strike report, network backs journalist

US President Donald Trump has launched a scathing attack on CNN journalist Natasha Bertrand, accusing her of spreading “fake news” over her reporting on US airstrikes targeting Iran’s nuclear facilities. In a post on Truth Social, the president went so far as to demand that Bertrand be “fired” and “thrown out like a dog”.

Bertrand was among the reporters who covered early intelligence assessments suggesting that the strikes may not have caused as much damage as initially claimed. Donald Trump, however, called her report a “lie” and said it undermined the US military’s success.

Trump’s outburst

“Natasha Bertrand should be FIRED from CNN! I watched her for three days doing Fake News. She should be IMMEDIATELY reprimanded, and then thrown out ‘like a dog,'” Trump wrote. “She lied on the Laptop from Hell Story, and now she lied on the Nuclear Sites Story, attempting to destroy our Patriot Pilots… TOTAL OBLITERATION!”

Trump further wrote, “It’s people like her who destroyed the reputation of a once great Network. Her slant was so obviously negative… FIRE NATASHA!”

CNN responds

CNN swiftly came to Bertrand’s defence. In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the network said:

“We stand 100% behind Natasha Bertrand’s journalism and specifically her and her colleagues’ reporting of the early intelligence assessment of the US attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities. CNN’s reporting made clear that this was an initial finding that could change with additional intelligence.”

The channel emphasised that Bertrand’s reporting was accurate and responsible:

“We do not believe it is reasonable to criticise CNN reporters for accurately reporting the existence of the assessment and accurately characterising its findings, which are in the public interest.”

Natasha Bertrand is a national security correspondent for CNN and has previously reported for Politico and The Atlantic. She has been a frequent target of criticism from conservative leaders due to her reporting on intelligence matters and investigations related to the Trump administration.