The irony of Donald Trump telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to smile more after she asked him about Jeffrey Epstein’s victims on Tuesday was not lost on Jimmy Kimmel, as the late night host skewered the president for being in the “women-should-smile-more stage of his presidency.”
“I’m trying to think of a worse time to tell a woman to smile more than when that person is a reporter asking about the Epstein victims,” the host quipped.
The incident happened Tuesday after Collins asked Trump while speaking to press about the latest names listed in the freshly released batch of Epstein files — among them Bill Gates and Elon Musk — and the proposed “justice” the later sex offender’s female victims are calling for.
Instead of answering the question, Trump called Collins “the worst” and added she is a “young woman” he’s never seen smile.
Collins appears to be cool, calm and collected after her run-in with the president.
“President Trump argued it’s time for the country to move on from the Epstein files and lashed out when I asked about the survivors’ response to the latest Justice Department release,” Collins later wrote on Instagram on Tuesday.
Watch the “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” clip below.
“Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity,” a CNN spokesperson also shared on Tuesday. “She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”
Meanwhile, Collins’ peers and colleagues have further spoken out in her defense. “Trump says it’s time for the country to move on from Epstein files, calls it a Democratic problem,” Jake Tapper said. “Kaitlan Collins notes Musk and Lutnick are in the files, asks about criticisms by survivors. Trump insults her and criticizes her for not smiling enough. (Needless to say Kaitlan is a great reporter and person.)”
Trump, on the other hand, has a history of using misogynistic language against female reporters, in particular. His recent attacks have included the use of “nasty,” “piggy,” “terrible,” “ugly” and “incapable,” just to name a few.
