Trump criticizes – President Donald Trump used an Oval Office press conference on Wednesday, June 3, to again attack CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins over her refusal to smile—sparking fresh scrutiny after his earlier remarks about her appearance and her quest
President Donald Trump made it through the usual rhythm of an Oval Office press briefing on Wednesday, June 3—then turned to CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins and went for her expression.
At 79, Trump first described CNN as “a very corrupt organization” before shifting his attention to Collins, 34, who was standing in the room for the briefing. In a direct line of attack, he called her “a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles.”
“She’s a young beautiful woman. Never smiles. I never see a smile off her face,” Trump continued. “I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes. like she has hatred. because we had borders. because we have a strong military. because we cut our taxes. because we do things that everybody wanted. and then we win our election in a massive landslide.”.
The remarks didn’t come out of nowhere. Trump had previously singled out Collins in an Oval Office press briefing in February. telling her. “She’s a young woman … I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.” At the time. Collins had been quizzing Trump about the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
In the days that followed, Collins returned fire in a different setting. On the Tuesday. June 2 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. she addressed Trump’s comments and said. “When he told me I should smile more when I was asking him about sexual assault victims. in that moment. I was thinking. ‘This is not going to be received well.’” She added that she understood how others would respond.
Collins also pushed back on the idea that she should be judged as a personality rather than a reporter. “I truly think, as a reporter, you shouldn’t make it about yourself. It’s about the president, about the person you’re questioning. But we’re people too.”
Trump’s criticism of Collins has continued alongside his broader complaints about major media outlets. Later. he criticized Collins again after she questioned him over the Department of Justice reportedly scrapping a proposed $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund. Trump did not give a clear answer on whether the fund is going ahead. but he called it a “beautiful thing” because “people like you have abused our people so badly. The fake news. like CNN. like The New York Times. and like others. have abused our people. have abused our people so badly.”.
When Collins attempted to interject, Trump told her to “be quiet.” He then kept going: “And you should be ashamed of yourself. You used to be a conservative. She was a conservative from Alabama, can you believe it?”
CNN responded to the latest round of criticism with a firm defense in a statement to Deadline on Wednesday. CNN said. “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist. reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day. which audiences around the world know they can trust.”.
Donald Trump Kaitlan Collins CNN Oval Office press conference Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen Jeffrey Epstein anti-weaponization fund Department of Justice media criticism