CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins drew attention to a notable aspect of Donald Trump's latest personal attack on her: it began before she had even posed a question to the president.
Collins Responds to Trump's Tirade
During Wednesday's broadcast of The Source, Collins detailed how Trump launched into a rant targeting both CNN and her while criticizing the Justice Department's decision to abandon its controversial $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Before playing the clip, Collins emphasized that Trump's criticism was not triggered by anything she had said. 'And just to note, as you're about to listen to this, this first exchange actually occurred before I had yet to ask the president a question,' she informed viewers.
Trump's Remarks
In the exchange, Trump labeled CNN as 'crooked as hell' and 'a very corrupt organization,' and referred to Collins as a 'corrupt reporter.' He added, '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, like, 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 and then we win our election in a massive landslide.'
Subsequent Exchange
Later, when Collins asked Trump whether the fund was 'dead' or merely 'on hold,' the president responded that he would 'have to ask the lawyers' before again denouncing 'fake news CNN,' telling Collins to 'be quiet' and that she should 'be ashamed of herself.' Collins remarked that Trump appeared 'clearly irritated' by inquiries into why his administration claimed it was not proceeding with the anti-weaponization fund.
White House Response
The White House subsequently reinforced Trump's attack, posting a link to the clip on X with the caption 'Wow!' from the Rapid Response 47 account.
