President Donald Trump railed against CNN‘s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins for “never” smiling as she asked the president a question about the survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“What would you say to the survivors who feel like they haven’t gotten justice?” Collins asked the president during Tuesday’s Oval Office signing of the funding bill. The question came after she cited that several women who are survivors of Epstein’s sex trafficking ring have denounced the Department of Justice’s redactions of content in the Epstein files.
“You are so bad,” Trump said to Collins as he spoke over her. “You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, 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.”
“Well, I’m asking you about survivors of Jeffrey Epstein, Mr. President,” Collins said.
“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 said to Collins.
The interaction came after Collins pressed Trump on the latest release of the Epstein files.
She first asked about members of the Trump administration circle mentioned in the latest release, including Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Elon Musk, the former head of the Department of Government Efficiency. Trump said he did not read the files in the latest trove but said of Lutnick and Musk, “I’m sure they’re fine.”
Collins then pressed Trump on the DOJ’s redactions in the files, saying, “A lot of women who were survivors of Epstein’s are unhappy with those redactions that came out. Some of the entire witness interviews are totally blacked out.” She asked Trump if the DOJ “should be more transparent” in their release and redaction process.
“Well, they’re also unhappy with the fact that they thought they released too much,” Trump said, speaking to the DOJ, addressing victim identification concerns. “I heard that, and you’re telling me something else.
“I think it’s really time for the country to get on to something else. Now that nothing came out about me, other than it was a conspiracy against me, literally by Epstein and other people. But I think it’s time, now, for the country to maybe get on to something else, like healthcare or something that people care about.”
The interaction spilled over after the bill signing press conference ended, with Trump telling the lawmakers standing behind him, “See her right there? She never smiles. She’s an unhappy person,” pointing toward Collins.
TRUMP UPENDS TRADITIONAL COMMUNICATION WITH WHITE HOUSE REPORTERS AND THE MEDIA
Trump has shut down members of the White House press pool throughout the first year of his second term when he thought they were asking unfair questions, often repeating his signature “fake news” line. In November, Trump made headlines for interrupting a Bloomberg reporter and snapping at her with “Quiet, piggy!“
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has said Trump is “very frank and honest” with members of the White House press pool.
