CNN's Jake Tapper Faces Backlash Over Text-Based 'Exclusive' Interview with Trump

CNN's Jake Tapper faced significant backlash after presenting a brief, text message-based interaction with President Donald Trump as an "exclusive interview." Viewers expressed frustration over the lack of substantive information regarding Trump's stalled ceasefire deal with Hamas and ongoing government shutdown, criticizing the responses as vague and comparable to a "Twilight Zone" episode featuring generic fortune-telling machine replies. Critics accused Tapper of misleading the audience and airing propaganda rather than conducting a genuine interview, with some calling him detrimental to journalism. Trump's text replies included non-committal statements like "We will find out. Only time will tell!!!" when asked about Hamas's rejection of the ceasefire and a promise of "Complete Obliteration!" for Hamas if they remain in power, but lacked further clarity. The controversy highlights concerns over journalistic standards and the use of text messages as exclusive content in political reporting.