‘Be Quiet’: Trump Goes After CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Again, Demanding She Smile More While He Dodges Questions About a $1.8 Billion Fund
‘That doesn’t happen to men.’
Donald Trump went after CNN’s Kaitlan Collins again on June 3, 2026, this time telling her to “be quiet” and accusing her of having “hatred in her eyes” while he dodged questions about a $1.8 billion fund. According to The Hill, the latest clash happened in the Oval Office, where Trump took questions from reporters about the now-defunct “anti-weaponization” fund, which he called “a beautiful thing.”
Instead of sticking to the topic, he pivoted to attacking CNN, calling the network “crooked as hell” and “a very corrupt organization” before zeroing in on Collins. “But with a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles,” Trump said. “You never see a young, beautiful woman who never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes.”
He claimed her supposed hatred stemmed from resentment over his policies, like securing borders, strengthening the military, cutting taxes, and winning the election “in a massive landslide.” Minutes later, when Collins tried to interject, Trump shut her down with a terse “be quiet.” He then questioned her past political leanings, saying, “You used to be a conservative. She was a conservative from Alabama. Can you believe it?”
This isn’t the first time Trump has fixated on Collins’ demeanor
Back in February, he criticized her for not smiling while she asked about the Justice Department’s files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Vice President J.D. Vance later called Trump’s observation “so perceptive,” telling Megyn Kelly that even when reporters ask tough questions, they shouldn’t have to force a smile.
In December, Trump called Collins “stupid and nasty” over a question about Venezuela, which he mistakenly thought was about White House ballroom construction. Collins clapped back on social media, clarifying that her question was, in fact, about Venezuela.
Trump’s pattern of targeting female reporters isn’t limited to Collins. In November, he told a Bloomberg reporter, “Be quiet, piggy,” after she asked about Epstein. That same month, he called a New York Times reporter “ugly, both inside and out” over a story about his health and fitness.
The attacks have sparked backlash from some in the media
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon urged White House reporters to “stand up” and show “some dignity and backbone” in response to the insults. Anderson Cooper weighed in too, defending Collins and pointing out the double standard in how Trump treats male and female journalists. “That’s the president of the United States, a nearly 80-year-old man who has no problem commenting on her physical appearance and telling her she needs to smile,” Cooper said.
He added, “That doesn’t happen to men. No one’s ever said that to me in an office setting.” He noted that Collins was standing among several male reporters who weren’t smiling either, yet Trump singled her out. “She was there like every other journalist doing her job, standing around with a bunch of non-smiling men, by the way, all behind her,” Cooper reiterated, per The Hill.
The White House didn’t take kindly to Cooper’s criticism. Davis Ingle, a White House spokesperson, fired back calling Cooper “a talentless hack who should also smile more.”
Meanwhile, former Trump deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews said, “It is disgusting to watch him tell a woman that she needs to smile while doing her job. I’ve seen Kaitlan smile plenty of times, but when she’s asking someone a hard-hitting question, I don’t think that that means that she has to smile while doing it.”
CNN has stood by Collins
A spokesperson called her “an exceptional journalist” who brings “real depth and tenacity” to her reporting. The network emphasized that audiences worldwide trust her work, whether she’s in the White House briefing room or out in the field.
Trump’s latest remarks suggest he’s not backing down from his habit of personalizing political disagreements. After attacking Collins, he turned his attention back to CNN, saying the network has “new ownership, so maybe it’ll straighten it out. I doubt it. But it’s so hard to straighten garbage out.” He was likely referring to Paramount, led by his ally David Ellison, acquiring Warner Bros., CNN’s parent company.
The $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund that sparked the latest confrontation was originally pitched as a way to counter what Trump called the “weaponization of government” against political opponents. The fund was scrapped earlier this year after failing to gain enough support, but Trump still touts it as a win for transparency.
Trump’s rhetoric shapes the relationship between the White House and the press
His attacks on female reporters, in particular, have raised concerns about the normalization of sexist language in political discourse. When a president publicly tells a woman to “be quiet” or criticizes her for not smiling, it sends a message that women in journalism are fair game for personal insults. That’s a problem, especially when those women are just doing their jobs – asking tough questions, holding leaders accountable, and reporting the facts.
Collins, for her part, has largely brushed off Trump’s insults. After he called her “stupid and nasty” in December, she simply clarified the topic of her question on social media, letting her work speak for itself. That approach seems to frustrate Trump even more, as he thrives on personal conflict and public spats. But it also highlights the resilience of journalists who refuse to be distracted.
The question now is whether Trump’s attacks will backfire, rallying more support for Collins and other journalists he targets. So far, the White House press corps hasn’t shown a unified front in pushing back, but figures like Don Lemon and Anderson Cooper are calling for more solidarity. If reporters stand up for each other more consistently, it could force Trump to rethink his strategy, or at least make it harder for him to single out individuals without facing broader criticism.
(Featured image: Sdkb)
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