The president appeared on CNN Sunday to discuss the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

Trump shuts down Jake Tapper live after Iran question: ‘Don’t talk about it’

The president appeared on CNN Sunday to discuss the death of Sen. Lindsey Graham.

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.

EW's editorial guidelines

July 13, 2026 3:16 p.m. ET

Donald Trump; Jake Tapper. Credit:

Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP via Getty; Roy Rochlin/Getty

- Donald Trump shut down Jake Tapper during a live interview on Sunday while discussing the war with Iran.

- The president had called in to CNN to discuss Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday.

- Trump also replaced Graham on *Meet the Press *on Sunday, during which he spoke about his final conversation with the late South Carolina senator.

Donald Trump wasn’t interested in chatting about the ongoing war in Iran with Jake Tapper.

The president berated the journalist on Sunday during a live interview on CNN. Trump had called in to discuss South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, who died on Saturday, July 11 at 71. Tapper attempted to change the conversation but was shut down immediately.

“Iran has declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Is that true?” Tapper asked. Trump brushed off Tapper’s question, saying, “It’s open as far as we’re concerned.” “Don’t talk about it. Talk about the reason the you asked me to speak,” he added.

Tapper then switched gears to ask Trump if he had any “final word” for the audience about Graham, to which the president gave a rambling response, mentioning Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s hearing and the Democratic Party.

Ilya Savenok/Variety via Getty

As the segment ended, Tapper said, “I know you don’t want to talk about any other issues, but we would love to have you back sometime, because I do have a lot of other questions for you.”

Trump seemed open to the idea. “Sure. We’re trying to have CNN go on a normal path. And we’ll do that,” he responded. “Well, I’m on a normal path right here, sir,” Tapper insisted before Trump said, “Good. You are,” and ended the conversation.

“Leave it to Fake Tapper to abuse President Trump’s generous gift of time on Tapper’s failing network. The President’s appearance was intended to discuss the legacy of his dear friend, Senator Lindsay Graham,” White House spokesperson Anna Kelly tells ** in a statement.

Jake Tapper gives 'Lords of the Rings' fan Stephen Colbert a very precious gift

'View' stars bash Donald Trump amid Iran deal, Obama criticism: 'He will never be President Obama'

Early Sunday, Graham’s office announced that the senator had died from “brief and sudden illness.”

Graham’s communications director later revealed that he died from a ruptured aorta. “The death certificate will be pending until all the toxicological and microscopic testing are finalized and at that point the death certificate will be to reflect the cause of death and appropriately classify the manner of death,” Taylor Reidy shared on X.

***Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with our ******EW Dispatch newsletter******.***

Graham was scheduled to appear on the Sunday morning broadcast of *Meet the Press. *Kristen Welker paid tribute to the late politician, noting that it would have been his 64th appearance on the show. “We are sending our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues.”

Instead, Trump made an appearance on the show to discuss Graham’s legacy and recalled their final conversation, which happened shortly after Graham returned from a trip to Ukraine. Trump said Graham “sounded a little bit tired.” “It was a long trip, you know, many hours, and he had just gotten back,” he added.

“But no, he felt okay. He was fine. I had known him well — he would let you know if he wasn’t feeling well. He had days when he didn’t feel so well, and he’d let you know about it.”

Andrew Harnik/Getty

Welker also asked Trump about the Strait of Hormuz, but he shut her down quickly as well.

“It’s open, and I don’t want to talk about it because I want to honor the life of Lindsey Graham,” he fumed. “So, I don’t want to talk about it. I told you that before the call.”

- News & Commentary Shows

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW News”