- US President Trump criticised CNN's Kaitlan Collins for not smiling during Oval Office questioning
- Collins questioned Trump on the redacted Epstein files and survivors' dissatisfaction with justice
- Trump has a history of verbally attacking female journalists, including calling one reporter "ugly"
US President Donald Trump criticised a CNN correspondent for not smiling after she pressed him about the Epstein files during a press conference at the Oval Office on Tuesday. Trump called her the "worst reporter" and labelled CNN a "dishonest organisation".
Kaitlan Collins confronted Trump about how the US Justice Department redacted important information and that survivors of Epstein are unhappy with it. She asked him what he would say to the survivors who feel they have not received justice.
Responding to her question, Trump said, "I've known you for ten years. I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you're not smiling? Because you know you're not telling the truth. You're a very dishonest organisation - and they should be ashamed of you."
The other journalists in the room should rise up and defend Kaitlan Collins when President Trump goes into bully mode. pic.twitter.com/AqN4iqaL9O
— Fernando Ortega (@Ferndiggity) February 4, 2026
He continued to say, "I think it's really time for the country to get on to something else, now that nothing came out about me".
Even as reporters were ushered out of the Oval Office, Trump was heard complaining that Collins "never smiles" while gesturing towards the press.
He has singled out Collins in the past as well, writing on Truth Social, "Caitlin Collin's of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty."
This is not the first time Trump has lambasted a female journalist. Last year he shut up a journalist by saying, "Quiet! Quiet, piggy."
In November last year, Trump cut off a reporter as he fielded questions at his Florida estate about the vetting of Afghans in the United States. "Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?", he barked.
He has also raged at a New York Times report that focused on his age and growing signs of fatigue, calling the woman author of the article "ugly."
Collins is an American journalist and anchor. She was an entertainment reporter before becoming a White House correspondent for The Daily Caller in 2016. She joined CNN a year later and then moved on to anchoring roles.
CNN later described Collins as "an exceptional journalist" who reports "with real depth and tenacity".
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