President Trump lit into CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins during an Oval Office exchange on Wednesday, June 3, repeatedly calling her out by name and labeling both her and her network as corrupt.
What started as a question about a Justice Department fund quickly degenerated into personal attacks on Collins’ demeanor, her past, and her reporting.
Collins had pressed Trump on the status of a roughly $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund” at the Justice Department. Republicans on Capitol Hill had pushed back against it, and she wanted to know where things stood.
Trump Turns Policy Question Into Personal Clash With CNN Reporter
Trump didn’t answer directly; instead, he praised the idea of using the money to help victims of what he calls lawfare.
“I thought that was the greatest thing,” Trump said, “because people like you have abused our people so badly.”
Collins tried to follow up, but Trump cut her off. “Shut up,” he said to her. He told her she should be ashamed of herself, reminding the room that she “used to be a conservative” from Alabama. “I can’t believe it,” he said, shaking his head.
Trump went on to blast CNN as a “very corrupt organization” with a “corrupt reporter standing right there” who “never smiles.”
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He claimed the network engages in “false reporting” but suggested its new ownership might eventually clean things up. “I doubt it,” he said. “It’s hard to straighten garbage out.”
Collins stayed calm through the barrage as she didn’t fire back at the insults about her smile or her character. Instead, she simply noted, “I’m still from Alabama.”
The president’s tone felt familiar to anyone who has kept a sharp eye on his long-running tensions with the press, but personal focus on Collins in the Oval Office stood out even by his standards.
He didn’t just dismiss the question; he kept returning to her with personal attacks.
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A CNN spokesperson, contacted by the New York Post for comment, defended Collins afterward and noted the reporter is good at what she does.
“She is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity,” the 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.”
Collins started as an entertainment reporter before going into politics. She was a White House correspondent for the conservative Daily Caller and switched to CNN in 2017 to cover Trump’s first term.
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Trump has called her the network’s “worst reporter” more than once over the years.
Last November, Trump attacked New York Times reporter Katie Rogers, describing her as “ugly, both inside and out.”
Around the same time, he told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey to “Quiet, piggy” aboard Air Force One.
Critics and Supporters Offer Differing Views of Confrontation
The president’s critics said he has a habit of targeting female journalists with comments that go outside policy disagreements.
Trump’s supporters argue he is simply fighting back against what he views as years of unfair coverage.
The funding question that triggered the exchange centers on a pot of money at the Justice Department meant to address the perceived weaponization of federal law enforcement.
Trump has long argued that the system was turned against him and his allies through investigations and legal cases he dismisses as politically motivated.
Collins’ question came at a time when the issue remains raw on Capitol Hill.
House Republicans have pushed to redirect or limit such funds, arguing they could be misused.
