President Donald Trump deflected from questions about the Epstein files by complaining that he never sees CNN’s Kaitlan Collins smile.
During an Oval Office briefing on Tuesday, Collins asked Trump about the recently released tranche of Epstein documents which include references to his associates including Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick.
Trump admitted that he hadn’t read through the files but said he was sure that their mention in the files was “fine” because otherwise there would have been “major headlines.” There were, in fact, major headlines about the individuals named in the files.
Collins continued to push Trump on Epstein and the president said he wants the country to move past the files.
“I think it’s really time for the country to get onto something else, really,” Trump said.
When Collins pushed again, asking about justice for the women victimized by Epstein’s operation, Trump got angry and began ranting about CNN and called Collins “the worst reporter.” He then complained that she never smiled.
“You know she’s a young woman,” Trump said to the rest of the room before redirecting to Collins. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.”
He continued, saying that “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.
Trump interrupted and spoke over her, saying he thinks the reason she doesn’t smile is because “you know you’re not telling the truth.”
After the heated exchange, Piers Morgan weighed in on Trump’s comments noting — not that Collins’ facial expressions are at all relevant to her work — that she “smiles a LOT.”
On Tuesday night, Collins spoke with CNN’s Jake Tapper about the exchange at the White House, mentioning that she’s spoken to Epstein survivors who are frustrated by some of the redactions in the files.
“So far, I just spoke to [a survivor] on Friday night who was saying that, you know, entire witness interviews with the FBI were redacted. The entire page was blacked out. And so these are real questions,” Collins said. “Obviously as the president is saying it’s time to move on, there’s many people — including a lot of his own supporters —who do not feel that way.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has lashed out at Collins. In December, he called insulted the reporter after she asked him about the cost of his new ballroom at the White House.
“Caitlin Collin’s [sic] of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” he wrote on Truth Social last month.
Collins responded to the president’s comment in an Instagram post, noting that “technically my question was about Venezuela.”
Before his Truth Social attack, the last question Collins had asked Trump on-air was about his FIFA peace prize and Venezuela.