President Donald Trump called a reporter 'the most obnoxious reporter in the whole place' and a 'terrible reporter' when pressed on releasing full videos of Pentagon strikes against suspected drug boats on September 2, deferring the decision to Defense Secretary nominee Pete Hegseth, in remarks reported on X between 8:16 p.m. and 8:45 p.m. UTC on December 8. Trump denied telling reporters on December 3 that his administration would release the videos, stating 'I didn't say that. You said that,' according to Kathryn Wu citing C-SPAN footage, despite his earlier comment 'whatever they have, we’d certainly release, no problem.' The exchange followed questions referencing Trump's prior statement that Hegseth would have 'no problem' with the release, per Acyn. The questions stem from a provision in the National Defense Authorization Act withholding 25 percent of Hegseth's travel budget until the Pentagon provides unedited videos, as reported by Politico earlier on December 8. Trump reiterated that 'whatever Hegseth decides is ok with me,' according to the BulwarkOnline. In the same press interaction, Trump described the January 6 events and the new pipe bomber suspect taken into custody as a 'Democrat hoax,' per Aaron Rupar. Trump also offered neutral praise for both Rep. Elise Stefanik and Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman in the New York governor primary, calling both 'great,' according to Jake Sherman. Separately, Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed concerns about preserving the Federal Reserve's autonomy during Supreme Court arguments in a case on presidential power to fire regulatory agency heads, stating 'I share those concerns' to Solicitor General John Sauer, per Nick Timiraos citing a Wall Street Journal report. Rep. Nancy Mace wrote in a New York Times op-ed published December 8 that Speaker Mike Johnson is better than predecessors but Republican leadership marginalizes women, adding 'Nancy Pelosi was a more effective House speaker than any Republican this century,' as shared by Jake Sherman and Reese Gorman.
