President Donald Trump sharply criticized CBS News host Margaret Brennan following her controversial comments allegedly suggesting free speech played a role in the Holocaust, calling her show “Deface the Nation” and questioning her qualifications.

During a wide-ranging interview with The Spectator’s Ben Domenech on February 27, 2025, Trump addressed the February exchange between Brennan and Secretary of State Marco Rubio where the CBS host attempted to link Vice President JD Vance’s pro-free speech comments at the Munich Security Conference to the Holocaust.

“I call it ‘Deface the Nation,'” Trump said when asked about the viral exchange. “Brennan is like anybody on the street that you could take and say, ‘Go in and ask a few questions.’ That was so bad, I don’t get how you hire some of these people.”

The controversy began when Brennan interviewed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on February 16, 2025. During the discussion, Brennan criticized Vice President Vance’s speech in Munich defending free speech and condemning government censorship across Europe.

Brennan argued that Vance had been speaking in a country where free speech was used to carry out a genocide, and noted that he had met with the leader of a political party with far-right views and historical connections to extreme groups. She suggested that the context was important and claimed that the censorship Vance criticized was specifically targeting right-wing speech.

Rubio immediately challenged Brennan’s historical interpretation.

Rubio disagreed with Brennan’s characterization, explaining that free speech was not responsible for the genocide. He stated that the Holocaust was perpetrated by an authoritarian Nazi regime that targeted Jews, minorities, and others they hated. Rubio emphasized that free speech did not exist in Nazi Germany, nor was there any political opposition, as the Nazis were the only ruling party. He concluded that Brennan’s portrayal was historically inaccurate.

Historians widely agree with Rubio’s assessment that free speech did not exist in Nazi Germany. After taking power, the Nazi regime quickly eliminated freedom of speech and the press, closing down anti-Nazi newspapers, requiring journalists to be licensed by the government, and arresting Germans who criticized the regime.

Vice President Vance also responded to Brennan’s comments, expressing disbelief at her characterization.

Vance questioned whether the media actually believed that the Holocaust had been caused by free speech, expressing his astonishment at such a claim.

According to CBS News, Vance “stunned European leaders in Munich with a speech in which he painted a picture of European politics infected by media censorship and political correctness.”

During his European visit, Vance also reportedly met with the leader of Alternative for Germany (AfD), a far-right political party with controversial views, which Brennan referenced in her interview with Rubio.

This is not the first time Brennan has clashed with Trump administration officials. The CBS host has had confrontational moments with several Republicans, including Secretary Rubio, Senator Lindsey Graham, and Vice President Vance on various issues ranging from immigration to presidential statements.

CBS News did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding Trump’s criticism of Brennan, according to reports. The network has faced significant backlash from conservatives and historians over Brennan’s comments about free speech in Nazi Germany.

In defense of Brennan, it has been pointed out that she did suggest that free speech played a role in Nazi Germany, but she framed it as “free speech being weaponized,” rather than directly blaming free speech for the Holocaust.

Trump’s criticism comes as he has reportedly increased pressure on CBS with a massive discovery demand as part of a lawsuit against “60 Minutes,” another CBS News program, though details of this legal action were not specified in the sources.

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and mainstream media outlets, particularly over interpretations of history and free speech issues. It also underscores the administration’s focus on promoting free speech both domestically and internationally, as evidenced by Vance’s Munich speech.

Brennan, who has moderated “Face the Nation” since 2018, has increasingly found herself in the spotlight due to these contentious exchanges with Trump administration officials, which have frequently gone viral on social media and drawn both criticism and support depending on political affiliations.