President Donald Trump said CNN’s Kaitlan Collins has “hatred in her eyes.” Collins addressed it live on air that same evening. The incident happened on June 3, during a press gathering in the Oval Office, where Trump veered from a policy question into a personal attack on CNN’s chief White House correspondent.
Kaitlan Collins responds after Donald Trump targeted her
Kaitlan Collins opened Wednesday’s edition of The Source by framing the Oval Office confrontation for viewers, then played the unedited clip of Donald Trump’s tirade. The moment laid bare the increasingly hostile dynamic.
The press gathering in question began with a reporter asking Trump to explain why his administration abandoned the $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization fund.” The program, created to compensate individuals who believed they were unfairly targeted by the Justice Department, had generated unease among lawmakers from both parties. Critics warned the fund could be used to make payouts to people charged in connection with the January 6 Capitol riot, including those convicted of assaulting police officers.
Trump did not answer the question directly. He instead delivered a lengthy denunciation of what he called the Justice Department’s weaponization under previous administrations. Then, without prompting, he turned his focus to Collins.
“CNN’s a very corrupt organization with a corrupt reporter standing right there,” Donald Trump said from the Oval Office. He continued with remarks about Kaitlan Collins’ appearance and demeanor: “Never smiles. A young, beautiful woman. Never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes.”
The president claimed the alleged hatred stemmed from his administration’s policies. “She has hatred because we have borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes, because we do things that everybody wanted,” he said.
Collins remained silent during the tirade. When Trump finished, she returned immediately to the briefing’s substance. “Is the $1.8 billion DOJ fund dead or is it on hold?” she asked. Trump responded, “It’s, uh, I’d have to ask the lawyers. I don’t know.”
Collins pressed further, asking for his personal decision on the matter. Trump described the fund as “a beautiful thing” before revisiting Collins’ background. “You used to be a conservative, she was a conservative from Alabama,” he said. “I’m still from Alabama, Sir,” Collins replied. This is not the first time Donald Trump has taken issue with Kaitlan Collins’ composure.
