Trump Again Lashes Out At CNN, Berates Kaitlan Collins For Not Smiling

UPDATED: Donald Trump again went after CNN and its chief White House correspondent and host Kaitlan Collins, even berating her for not smiling.

In a press availability in the Oval Office, Trump called CNN “a very corrupt organization” and then referred to Collins, who was there asking questions, as “a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles.”

Trump said, “A young beautiful woman, never smiles. I never see a smile off her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes, like she has hatred, because we had 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.”

Later, Trump attacked the network and Collins again, after she asked him whether the Justice Department’s $1.8 billion weaponization fund was dead, or merely on hold.

After calling the fund a “beautiful thing,” Trump said to Collins that “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, 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? But CNN in particular does such false reporting, but now they have new ownership, so maybe it’ll straighten out, but I doubt it.”

Trump was referring to Paramount’s proposed acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery, which has yet to close as the companies await regulatory approval from the administration and European regulators.

After the Oval Office briefing, CNN anchor Kasie Hunt told viewers, “Kaitlan did note that she is still from Alabama, though the president seemed to suggest that she no longer was. We appreciate their professionalism.”

A CNN spokesperson said, “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”