Ana Navarro and former Trump campaign aide clash over president's combative exchanges with female journalists

"The View" co-host Ana Navarro raged during a Monday night appearance on CNN, condemning a fellow panelist for defending President Donald Trump from accusations of sexism.

Trump abruptly ended a tense "Meet the Press" interview with host Kristen Welker on Sunday after she repeatedly challenged his claims about election fraud, California’s vote count and his proposed "anti-weaponization" fund, the latest example of Trump’s frequent contentious exchanges with reporters.

"The second issue, which to me is just as horrible and needs to be discussed, is his consistent berating and insulting and ad hominem attacks, particularly against women, whether it's Kristen – " Navarro began during a panel discussion on "CNN Newsnight."

"Give me a break," Trump’s 2024 campaign deputy communications director Caroline Sunshine interjected.

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"What do you mean, ‘Give me a break!?’" Navarro shouted. "Kristen Welker this week! Kaitlan Collins last week! The woman he called ‘Piggy!’ Will you give me a break!? Have you no shame as a woman, that we hear him call them ugly, and piggy, and crooked, and liars, and stupid, and bad journalists!? Have you absolutely no solidarity with women!?"

Navarro cited Trump criticizing CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins for not smiling during press questions with him, saying, "How dare you tell me to give you a break!? Have some shame."

CNN host Abby Phillip then asked, "Why would the president tell a woman that she doesn't smile enough when she's working, asking him a question."

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"Because he's an equal opportunity offender," Sunshine said. "Let me explain how the game works, because Kaitlan got something out of that exchange, too. The president gets a lot out of having combative exchanges with journalists. His base loves it. His poll numbers — that's why I said he should do two to three more of these a week — his poll numbers go up."

"But Kaitlan’s getting something out of it, too," she continued. "So many journalists have made their careers in this country off of being combative with President Trump, Kaitlan Collins included, Jim Acosta, many former people. It is all part of the game. It is all part of the theater."

After Sunshine objected to fellow panelists treating it as a "woman problem," Navarro blasted her again.

"The guy needs to grow up," she said. "He's the president of the United States. He needs to grow up."

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In response to Navarro, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told Fox News Digital, "President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency. This has nothing to do with gender — it has everything to do with the fact that the President’s and the public’s trust in the media is at all-time lows."