Update: CNN has defended Kaitlan Collins after Trump’s latest attack on her as she questioned him about a response to victims of Jeffrey Epstein.
“Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity,” a CNN spokesperson said. “She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”
Original Story: Donald Trump snapped at Kaitlan Collins and accused her of not smiling enough when he pressed her once again about the Epstein Files.
On Tuesday, the CNN reporter tried to ask the president about a response to Epstein victims in the wake of new documents being released. Collins did not get far before Trump cut her off and attacked her for being a poor reporter who does not smile enough.
“You are so bad,” Trump said. “You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN has no ratings. She’s a young woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for ten years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth. You’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”
Trump has only heightened his war against the media in his second term. Female reporters in particular have taken the lion’s share of the attacks. “Nasty,” “piggy,” “terrible,” “ugly” and “incapable” are just some of the litany of ways the president has verbally attacked women reporting on him – in every location from Air Force One to the Oval Office.
“President Trump has never been politically correct, never holds back, and in large part, the American people re-elected him for his transparency,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said in a statement last year. “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.”
Jake Tapper went to bat for his CNN colleague following Trump’s remarks, taking to social media to call out the president for again trying to move on from the Epstein files and to defend Collins’ abilities as a reporter and her character.
“Trump says it’s time for the country to move on from Epstein files, calls it a Democratic problem,” Tapper wrote. “Kaitlan Collins notes Musk & Lutnick are in the files, asks about criticisms by survivors. Trump insults her & criticizes her for not smiling enough. (Needless to say Kaitlan is a great reporter & person).”
You can watch the exchange in the video above.
