Donald Trump has repeatedly insulted Chris Cuomo over the years, most famously calling him “Fredo” and attacking him as “fake news” and a “lunatic,” but more recently he has also said he “actually appreciate[s]” Cuomo’s family after a personal outreach from Cuomo.

Key things Trump has said

  • Trump has called Chris Cuomo “Fredo,” comparing him to the weak brother from The Godfather , and said “he will always be Fredo to us.”
  • He has described Cuomo as a “chained lunatic” on TV and said he “spews lies every night,” attacking both his style and credibility as a broadcaster.
  • After a viral video of Cuomo angrily responding to a heckler, Trump said Cuomo looked like a “total out-of-control animal” with “filthy language” and even joked that under red-flag laws Cuomo “shouldn’t be allowed to have any weapon” because “he’s nuts.”

Earlier hostile phase

  • For much of Trump’s first term, his comments about Cuomo were almost entirely negative, tying Cuomo to CNN and branding both as “fake news.”
  • He mocked Cuomo’s TV ratings, saying his numbers were low and that “Fredo’s ratings have plummeted by 50%,” using ratings as a way to dismiss Cuomo’s criticism.
  • These attacks often came on social media or in quick comments to reporters, blending media criticism with personal jabs.

Newer, softer tone

  • After an assassination attempt on Trump in 2024, Chris Cuomo reached out privately to him, a move that generated backlash toward Cuomo from some of his own audience.
  • In a later exchange, Trump responded by saying to Cuomo, “I actually appreciate your family,” signaling a more conciliatory tone toward the Cuomos than in earlier years.
  • This friendlier remark stood in contrast to his long history of mocking both Chris and Andrew Cuomo, suggesting a shift driven by that moment of personal contact.

How it fits into the latest news

  • The phrase “what did Trump say about Chris Cuomo” now covers both Trump’s older insults (“Fredo,” “lunatic,” “fake news”) and his recent acknowledgment that he appreciates Cuomo’s family.
  • Commentators and forums often frame this as a story of media–political feuding mellowing slightly after the 2024 assassination attempt, even as both men still criticize each other’s positions in public.

TL;DR: Trump has called Chris Cuomo “Fredo,” a “chained lunatic,” and “fake news,” blasted his on-air rant as “out of control,” but more recently has said he appreciates Cuomo’s family after Cuomo reached out following an assassination attempt on Trump.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.