CNN anchor Erin Burnett has apologized after repeating a quote attributed to Donald Trump in a report, leading her to use the F-word on live TV.
During Tuesday’s edition of her current affairs show Out Front, Burnett discussed an article published in The Atlantic which alleged that Trump became angry at learning the cost of a burial for a Mexican-American soldier.
The report says that Trump had previously offered to pay for the funeral of Vanessa Guillén, a 20-year-old who was murdered in 2020 while serving in the U.S. army.
According to the report, during a meeting five months later, Trump was informed that the funeral had cost $60,000. He reportedly became angry, and said, “It doesn’t cost 60,000 bucks to bury a f****** Mexican.”
While Burnett had previously used the euphemism “effing” while discussing the alleged quote, in this case she read it out verbatim. Following her use of the expletive on air, Burnett apologized.
“Excuse my language there, I just read it, that’s what he said,” she said.
Erin Burnett attends the WarnerMedia Upfront at Madison Square Garden on May 15, 2019, in New York. The CNN news anchor said the word “f**king” on live TV while reading out a quote attributed to Donald Trump in a report.
Evan Agostini/Invision via AP
Newsweek has contacted CNN via email and Burnett via social media for comment outside of working hours.
Trump’s alleged comment reportedly came as part of a conversation with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.
Meadows responded on X, writing, “Any suggestion that President Trump disparaged Ms. Guillen or refused to pay for her funeral expenses is absolutely false.”
He added, “He was nothing but kind, gracious, and wanted to make sure that the military and the U.S. government did right by Vanessa Guillen and her family.”
Newsweek has contacted the Trump campaign via email for comment outside of business hours.
News of Burnett’s blunder spread on social media, where it caught the attention of Mike Lavigne, a Kamala Harris supporter and senior advisor for Vote Vets, a progressive platform advocating for military veterans and their families. He posted a clip of the moment on X, formerly Twitter, writing, “Wow.@ErinBurnett isn’t pulling punches tonight.”
It is not the first time an F-bomb has slipped into live CNN programming. In 2019, Robert De Niro appeared on its Sunday broadcast Reliable Sources, which covers media and pop culture. The actor used the platform to rail against Trump, repeating his comments at the previous year’s Tony awards: “F*** Trump.”
Host Brian Stelter responded, “It’s not an FCC violation, but it is still a Sunday morning.”
The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) guidelines prohibit obscene or profane content, although they do not apply to cable networks, Reuters reported in 2023.
The Atlantic article, published on Tuesday evening, also reported that the former president wanted his military generals to be as “loyal” as those that served under the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
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