President Donald Trump had terse words for CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins after he recently banned the news outlet from the White House.
Collins, 34, attempted to quiz Trump, 80, about the Iran war outside a United Nations General Assembly event in New York City on Tuesday, September 22, when Trump said, “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me.”
Collins responded, “The United Nations allowed us in here, sir.”
“You should not be here,” Trump hit back at the reporter. “You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me.”
In a Truth Social post late Tuesday, Trump again lashed out at Collins, writing, “All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate ‘Reporter,’ Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me.”
“Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations? Why was she there? She’s got a ‘TRUMP’ addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They’re all sick, treasonous, and demented!” he continued.
On Friday, September 18, Trump announced a White House ban on CNN, MSNOW and Politico “effectively immediately … as a result of their constant ‘reporting’ FAKE NEWS!”
“Media Outlets shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America. Other Fake News Media Outlets to follow. Thank you for your attention to this matter,” he wrote via Truth Social.
The three outlets filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, September 21, “to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” they said in a joint statement after reporters were barred from White House grounds two days prior.
“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting. Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the outlets said.
Trump has previously targeted Collins, including comparing her to trans actress Dylan Mulvaney during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in July.
Collins reacted to the incident during an appearance on The Daily Show, saying, “I’ve always felt this, regardless of who’s the president … it’s really not about me, and I don’t want it to be about my reaction. If you let it become about that, then it becomes a back-and-forth between the two of us.”
“Instead, I think it’s more important to remind people in those moments when he is insulting me, he is criticizing me … it’s important to put the reminder back on the work, on the question, and on the non-answers that we get,” she added.
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