President Donald Trump’s rebuke of The Independent reporter Andrew Feinberg at an Oct. 20 Oval Office event came as a court fight over White House access continued and two media suits sought at least $10 billion each.
Trump told Feinberg, “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you better be careful,” then later said, “I actually think there’s something wrong with you.” The event transcript records both remarks. Feinberg’s account in The Independent says he had identified himself as a reporter earlier.
The exchange took place during Trump and Vice President JD Vance’s announcement of a fraud whistleblower program. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said qualifying tipsters may receive $10,000 to $30,000, while the Department of the Treasury committed $25 million to the program.
Trump said on social media Sept. 18 that CNN, MS NOW and POLITICO would be barred from the White House. U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered their hard-pass credentials restored temporarily on Sept. 24, then issued a preliminary injunction Oct. 13. Kelly found the outlets likely to prevail on due-process and First Amendment grounds. In 2018, he had also ordered the temporary restoration of CNN correspondent Jim Acosta’s credentials after the administration withdrew them.
Trump’s suit against The Wall Street Journal sought $10 billion over its reporting about an alleged birthday letter to Jeffrey Epstein. U.S. District Judge Darrin P. Gayles dismissed the original complaint because it did not adequately plead actual malice, while allowing Trump to file an amended version. Trump filed that complaint May 27, 2026, and defendants later renewed their request for dismissal. The ruling left unresolved whether the Journal’s reporting was accurate or defamatory.
The British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC) case concerns the broadcaster’s editing of Trump’s Jan. 6, 2021, speech. His complaint seeks at least $5 billion on each of two claims; those are allegations, not court findings.
A separate suit over CBS’ editing of a 60 Minutes interview with then-Vice President Kamala Harris ended in a settlement. Trump initially sought $10 billion; a February 2025 amended complaint added Rep. Ronny Jackson as a plaintiff and raised the demand to $20 billion. Paramount said in a July 2025 letter that the settlement totaled $16 million, including plaintiffs’ fees and costs, with the balance allocated to a future nonprofit presidential library. The company said neither plaintiff would receive personal payment and the settlement included no apology. It also required 60 Minutes to release full transcripts of eligible presidential-candidate interviews after broadcast, subject to legal and national-security redactions.
Paramount’s letter to senators cited a July shareholder-meeting comment by co-CEO George Cheeks that companies settle partly to avoid uncertain legal-defense costs. The company also cited the risk of an adverse judgment and business disruption, and said the agreement was separate from the Skydance deal and Federal Communications Commission review.
In the BBC case, summary-judgment motions are due Nov. 11, 2026. A court order provisionally sets a two-week trial calendar beginning Feb. 15, 2027.
