Trump Responds to Questions from Reporters During White House Briefing

<figure><img alt="US President Donald Trump speaks with media before boarding Marine One as he travels to Grand Island, Nebraska, on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., US, October 5, 2026. REUTERS/Eric Lee" src="https://thedailybeast-thedailybeast-prod.web.arc-cdn.net/resizer/v2/CXR3UMOYFFAXTFLJDMZDQUQJT4.JPG?auth=3d06bcd205180c5b4e128d3e28af5a7aa482c4d488e219d8958ec7b8edb6b79d&amp;smart=true&amp;width=3262&amp;height=1835" /><figcaption>Eric Lee/REUTERS</figcaption></figure><p>On October 5, 2026, President Donald Trump spoke with reporters outside the White House before departing for a rally in Nebraska. During this interaction, he responded to questions from CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Nancy Cordes and CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes.</p><p>Trump engaged with Cordes after she inquired about his encouragement for supporters to vote by mail, despite his previous statements undermining that method. He stated, “I’d rather have them vote in person, but, uhh, they can vote by mail if they want, because we seem to have no choice,” and reiterated his claim of “a lot of cheating in vote-by-mail.” Cordes challenged him by asking for evidence, to which Trump referred to California, asserting there was fraud without providing substantiation.</p><p>Trump then addressed Holmes, who questioned him about his approval ratings among Latino voters. He interrupted her, insisting that he was doing well and dismissed her reference to a poll by stating, “You’re CNN. You’re fake news.” He claimed his poll numbers were strong and pointed to crowd sizes as evidence of his support.</p><p>Holmes cited an NBC/Telemundo poll indicating that Latino voters were shifting back toward Democrats, with a 24-point margin favoring Democrats over Republicans. The poll also revealed that 59 percent of Latino voters preferred Democratic control of Congress compared to 35 percent for Republicans.</p><p>The White House did not respond to a request for comment regarding the interactions. Trump has previously faced criticism for his treatment of female reporters and has taken actions against certain media outlets, including banning CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House, although a district judge ordered the restoration of their press credentials.</p>