During a tense meeting in the Oval Office, former President Donald Trump directed a personal critique at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, amid discussions about his proposed $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’.
Even before Collins could pose a question, Trump launched into a verbal attack on the 34-year-old journalist, highlighting their fraught history.
“They’re crooked as hell. CNN is a very corrupt organization, with a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles,” Trump said, targeting Collins directly.
“She’s a young, beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes,” he continued.
In a related development, Trump recently reached a settlement over a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). The lawsuit stemmed from his tax returns being leaked by a government contractor during his first presidential term.
The settlement includes the establishment of a $1.776 billion fund aimed at compensating victims of alleged government weaponization, which notably includes some individuals involved in the January 6 Capitol events.
It has enraged both Republicans and Democrats, with critics slamming it as a ‘slush fund’ for Trump’s allies.
Following the backlash, a US district judge barred the administration last week from taking any further action. And Trump’s acting Attorney General Todd Blanche told Congress that the effort will no longer continue.
President Donald Trump sparred with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during an Oval Office event on Wednesday after she asked him about the future of his proposed $1.8 billion ‘Anti-Weaponization Fund’ that could pay out January 6 Capitol rioters
Collins has frequently asked tough questions of the White House, prompting many of its officials to clash with her publicly
‘We are not moving forward with the fund. Period,’ Blanche told the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday.
Trump had uncharacteristically been silent after his AG declared the fund dead.
‘Is the $1.8 billion DOJ fund dead, or is it on hold?’ Collins asked Trump during the Oval Office event on Wednesday afternoon.
‘I’d have to ask the lawyers. I don’t know,’ Trump responded. ‘The weaponization fund, as far as I’m concerned, was a beautiful thing.’
Then he ripped into Collins and her network: ‘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.’
When Collins attempted to interject, Trump continued to speak over the CNN host.
‘Wait a minute, be quiet. Have abused our people so badly, and you should be ashamed of yourself. You used to be a conservative, she was a conservative from Alabama. Can you believe it?’
‘CNN does such false reporting, but now they have new ownership, so maybe it’ll straighten it out. I doubt it, but it’s hard to straighten garbage out.’
‘She’s a young, beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes,’ Trump said of the CNN host on Wednesday
The President noted how there were many ‘great people’ that attended his speech on the National Mall before a large group of them headed to the Capitol and clashed with police
The President then began talking about the speech he gave on January 6, 2021, before the crowd marched over to the Capitol, where many would later break in and clash with police.
He claimed that the ‘tremendous crowd’ went to the Capitol ‘with love.’
He added that these ‘great people’ were ‘destroyed’ in the aftermath, many of them committing suicide because of the fallout.
‘It was the most amazing thing. People were crying, they were like…,’ Trump stated before Collins attempted a follow-up question.
‘Wait a minute, let me finish, let me finish, let me finish,’ Trump talked over Collins.
He ended the question by insulting Collins: ‘There’s something wrong with you.’
Trump and Collins have a history of fiery back-and-forths since the CNN host took over for ex-CNN personality Jim Acosta, who also got in vicious spats with the President during his first term.
Starting with CNN’s White House team in 2017, Collins quickly began asking tough questions of the administration.
After years of her reporting, Trump began lashing out at her as he did at Acosta, who he called ‘the most unprofessional individual.’
The friction continued into his return to the campaign trail, and in May 2023, during a CNN town hall in New Hampshire, Trump called Collins a ‘nasty person.’
During his second term, the clashes have continued. In December 2025, the President took to social media to ridicule the CNN host.
In February, Trump again publicly criticised her for ‘not smiling enough.’
CNN and many members of the press have continually defended her against the President’s constant attacks.
