10 Times Donald Trump's Unfiltered Thoughts Insulted People Right In Front Of Him

The filter between President Donald Trump's brain and his mouth has never quite been in good working order. There's the Access Hollywood tape where he described, in crude detail, how he made unwanted advances toward women. He's frequently disparaged women publicly and seems to find great joy in fixating on his opponents' appearance. Few could forget how Trump called out former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie for being overweight in August 2023 because the governor dared challenge him for the Republican presidential nomination. Trump was delivering a speech in New Hampshire, telling his audience, "Don't call him a fat pig. You can't do that," per NBC News. Additionally, he said, "Christie, he's eating right now. He can't be bothered." It's worth noting that Trump himself has spent a considerable chunk of his life in the overweight category.

Many political experts have voiced their concern over the president's brash and often dangerous rhetoric. "I've never seen anything like it in American politics," Robert C. Rowland, rhetoric and political communication professor at the University of Kansas, told States Newsroom (via Maine Morning Star) regarding Trump's abundance of insults and lack of actual policy. The divisive politician has spewed hate at those who disagree with him, painted Democrats as "radical left lunatics," and questioned his 2024 opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris' intellect.

Many bullies don't have the guts to say to people's faces what they easily pen on social media. The president has no such problem. Trump's most memorable meltdowns of 2025 included plenty of moments where the divisive politician's lack of a filter insulted people right to their faces. Some of the insults are eyebrow-raising, while others are downright jaw-dropping. And Trump notably hasn't had to weather any consequences for any of these encounters.

Some argued that Donald Trump and Joe Biden's messy hairstyles at their 2024 debate proved it was way past their bedtime, but something else they proved that evening was that they truly can't stand each other. Biden came ready with the insults, seemingly trying to get ahead of Trump, who always doles out barbs during these events.

While Biden called Trump a "clown" and "the worst president America has ever had," per Reuters, Trump made sure to hit below the belt, insulting the former president's son, Hunter Biden, and bringing up his drug abuse when Biden touched on Trump's criminal record. "When he talks about a convicted felon, his son is a convicted felon," Trump snapped, per Alaska Beacon. He then proceeded to insinuate that Biden is stupid, citing the fact that he didn't graduate top of his class at the University of Delaware. "He was the lowest or almost the lowest in your class. Don't ever use the word 'smart' with me," Trump barked. "Because you know what? There's nothing smart about you, Joe." Trump's crowd size fixation also made an appearance as he criticized Biden's lack of rallies, comparing it to his own. "If you could get the crowds, you would have done the same thing," the divisive politician said.

Many Americans were aghast at what they witnessed on the debate stage that fateful night, with many questioning Biden's aptitude for the job once again. Others voiced their shock at the two men's conduct on stage. "I'm a teacher. I would never in a million years let a classroom turn into this," one X user wrote, per Reuters.

Donald Trump's debate behavior with former Vice President Kamala Harris proved his confidence had crumbled since the Joe Biden bloodbath a few months prior. His struggling performance on the debate stage did not keep Trump from flinging insults at his opponent, however. If anything, it made him all the more agitated and brash.

As the two presidential candidates traded barbs, Trump attempted to hit Harris where it hurt. He berated her for what he deemed a lack of border security, for championing green energy, and for the Israel-Hamas and Russia-Ukraine wars. He claimed that the U.S. had become a laughingstock and that it was entirely thanks to Harris and former President Joe Biden's poor performance. He ended his tirade with the ultimate insult, calling Harris "the worst vice president in the history of our country," per PBS NewsHour.

The divisive politician's insults did not end there. He doled out some more during his rallies, where he opted to insult Harris' intelligence. "Kamala is mentally impaired," he told a crowd in Wisconsin, per CNN. He elaborated on this insult during a subsequent Pennsylvania rally, telling his audience, "Joe Biden became mentally impaired. It's sad, but lying Kamala Harris, honestly, I believe she was born that way."

In February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took quite the beating in the Oval Office. He was discussing next steps for the Russia-Ukraine war with President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, and neither of the two were very receptive to Zelensky, with Vance accusing him of being ungrateful and Trump repeatedly demeaning him. "You're right now not in a very good position," Trump said to Zelensky, per The Wall Street Journal. "You've allowed yourself to be in a very bad position ... You don't have the cards right now. With us you still have cards." Zelensky clapped back, "I'm not playing cards."

The meeting was awkward to watch, and matters got so bad that the rest of Zelensky's visit was summarily canceled. He walked away without lunch and without addressing reporters during a planned press briefing that was supposed to follow the proceedings. The exchange between Zelensky, Trump, and Vance had everyone talking. Even Ukraine's ambassador was, at one point during the meeting, spotted sitting with her head in her hands.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins and Donald Trump have been locked in a bitter feud, so to speak. The tension appears to be mostly one-sided, with Collins often asking Trump uncomfortable questions he doesn't want to answer, leading to the divisive politician attacking the CNN anchor personally instead. He did exactly this during an April 2025 Oval Office pool spray while hosting El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

Collins jumped at the opportunity to ask a question, and Trump, granting it, took a moment to discredit her before letting her speak, telling those gathered, "Go ahead. Let's hear the question from this very low-rated anchor at CNN. Low-rated," per Hindustan Times. Collins proceeded to ask her question, one Trump definitely didn't want to hear, which pertained to the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García to an El Salvador prison earlier that year. Trump deferred to Attorney General Pam Bondi, and once she finished answering the question, Trump asked Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller to weigh in, adding, "You know, it's asked by CNN, and they always ask it with a slant because they're totally slanted because they don't know what's happening. That's why nobody's watching them."

This wasn't Trump's first scuffle with Collins. He also brutally insulted her during a 2023 CNN town hall while she questioned him about his decision to defy a subpoena to part with several classified documents he kept in his possession after his first term ended. Trump was visibly agitated by Collins' line of questioning and clapped back, "It's very simple that you are a nasty person," per The Telegraph. Collins, to her credit, managed to keep cool as a cucumber in the face of Trump's wrath.

While the insults Donald Trump directed at Kaitlan Collins were certainly brutal, he reached a new low in November 2025 as his shadiest comments to female reporters became increasingly more eyebrow-raising. While gaggling with the press on Air Force One, a reporter asked Trump about the release of the Epstein files. He turned to her irritably and, pointing a finger at her said, "Quiet! Quiet, piggy," per CBS Chicago. The exchange evoked widespread criticism. What was even more worrying was that White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed the exchange as Trump simply being his usual no-nonsense self.

"Look, the president is very frank and honest with everyone in this room," Leavitt responded during a press briefing, per KATU News. "And I think it's one of the many reasons that the American people reelected this president, because of his frankness." She then proceeded to blame reporters for Trump's conduct, claiming that they frustrate him and that they don't report the truth. She praised Trump's so-called transparency and took a swipe at the Biden administration, which Leavitt claimed was anything but. All in all, she never actually answered the reporter's question, which pertained to what, exactly, Trump had meant when he'd called the reporter "piggy."

Once Donald Trump called a reporter "piggy," he was seemingly on a roll. He started flinging insults at female reporters more regularly and went as far as to call one of them a "terrible person" during a November 2025 Oval Office pool spray. The reporter in question, ABC's Mary Bruce, ruffled the president's feathers when she asked him a question about the Epstein files while he hosted Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

"Mr. President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?" Bruce asked, per NBC News. Trump visibly bristled at the question, and instead of answering it, proceeded to verbally attack Bruce instead. "You know, it's not the question that I mind, it's your attitude," he started. "I think you are a terrible reporter." He then berated Bruce for having asked the crown prince what he deemed an inappropriate question earlier in the briefing. She had grilled the royal about his involvement in the murder of Washington Post reporter Jamal Khashoggi and noted Saudi Arabia's involvement in the 9/11 terror attacks. Trump proceeded to tell Bruce, "You're a terrible person and a terrible reporter."

The president eventually touched on Epstein but quickly went off track again to tell Bruce that ABC News is a "crappy company" and that he felt strongly the network's license should be revoked because of its negative and (according to him) untrue reporting about his presidency.

Calling journalists "nasty" and "terrible" isn't where Donald Trump's inventory of insults ends. When two National Guard members were shot in Washington, D.C., in November 2025, the shooter was revealed to be Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan man and a former CIA agent. Trump blamed his entry into the country on the Biden administration, surmising that Lakanwal hadn't been thoroughly vetted. The truth, however, was that he had come to the country legally, courtesy of a special immigration scheme. CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes pointed this out to the president while questioning him about his claims that the blame rested solely on Biden.

"Your [Department of Justice Inspector General] just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration?" Cordes asked, per PBS NewsHour. Trump lost his temper and lashed out at her. "Because they let them in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?" the president barked. "Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn't be here, and you're just asking questions because you're a stupid person." It was a jaw-dropping moment, but given Trump's conduct with journalists up to that point, it wasn't entirely surprising.

Pam Bondi might have escaped Mar-a-Lago face, but she hasn't quite managed to evade some of Donald Trump's inappropriate comments. During a cabinet meeting in August 2025, Trump, who is known for his obsession with how the people he surrounds himself with look, commented on Bondi's appearance, and it wasn't exactly a compliment. He'd been rambling on about how looks aren't important in politics while in the same breath criticizing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for looking "like he's aged 100 years," per Mediaite. He then randomly shifted his attention to Bondi, telling the room, "I look at Pam. I would never say she's beautiful because that's gonna be the end of my political career."

It was probably meant to be a compliment, but the lead-up to the declaration made it a confusing statement. Trump offered up similar commentary during Bondi's swearing-in ceremony at the beginning of 2025. On that occasion, however, his inappropriate comment was directed at Bondi's partner, John Wakefield. Trump told everyone in the room, "I just want to introduce her very, very handsome husband. I hate being around him. He looks too good," per People. What an odd thing to say at something as serious as a swearing-in ceremony.

Vice President JD Vance has been caught giving Donald Trump some shady side-eye more than once, and it was probably justified, especially given the fact that Trump had once, albeit apparently by accident, hinted that he doesn't think his VP is all that competent. Trump made headlines during a December 2025 cabinet meeting when he discussed Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, who was also Vance's opponent during the 2024 election. While being asked about the infamous fraud scandal that has been plaguing the governor's state, a reporter questioned whether Trump thought Walz should render his resignation.

"Look, I think the man's a grossly incompetent man. I thought that from the day I watched JD destroy him in the debate," Trump started. "I was saying, 'Who was more incompetent, that man or my man?' I had a man, and he had a man. They were both incompetent," Trump rambled (via The White House on YouTube). The moment made headlines. Vance was sitting right across the table from Trump, and while the camera wasn't trained on his face when the president made the comment, one wonders what went through his head. Did he know his boss was misspeaking, or did he suspect Trump was taking a subtle jab at him in full view of the press and the entire cabinet? Most media outlets seemed to suspect the latter.

In the end, it was Snopes that set the record straight, thanks to a White House official responding to its request for comment. "He was referring to his own opponents," an official clarified, noting that Trump had by no means called Vance "incompetent" during the ramble and that he'd instead been referring to their respective debate opponents. Still, the damage to Vance's ego was done.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt might be a little Trump-obsessed, but her reverence for her boss hasn't spared her from his wrath. On January 20, 2026, Leavitt took to X to tell her followers, "A very special guest will be joining me at the podium today.... TUNE IN!" That special guest was the president himself. Unfortunately, the press briefing didn't go quite as the press secretary expected.

As Donald Trump rambled on about how the economy is booming under his reign, while also not passing up the opportunity to blame former President Joe Biden for the current economic mess, he expressed his woe that people don't seem to be talking about his great accomplishments enough. "We inherited a mess," Trump lamented, per Scripps News. "The numbers that we inherited were way up, and now we brought them, almost all of them, way down." Trump looked back at his notes, muttering, perhaps wondering why the press wasn't applauding. He looked back up, then said, "Maybe I have bad public relations people. But we're not getting it across."

Leavitt, practically the head of Trump's public relations team, was sitting right in front of her boss as he said it. That had to sting, especially given the fact that she'd gone out of her way to defend her boss' jaw-dropping actions and conduct for an entire year at that point. Trump, clearly not caring — or perhaps, not realizing — that he'd just insulted his loyal press secretary to her face in front of the entire White House press pool and the American nation, droned on.