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CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins fired back at Donald Trump after she became the latest female journalist to be targeted by the president.
In a Truth Social post on Saturday, Trump blasted Collins as “stupid” and “nasty,” misspelling her name and defending his $300 million ballroom.
It is not the first time over the past month that Trump has come under scrutiny for insulting female journalists for doing their jobs.
- Kaitlan Collins fired back at Trump after he insulted her as “stupid” and “nasty” on Truth Social, misspelling her name in the post.
- Trump defended his $300M ballroom on Truth Social, claiming it is larger, more beautiful, under budget, and funded by private donations.
- CNN anchor Jake Tapper and CNN defended Collins, highlighting her intelligence and the legitimacy of her question on construction details.
Donald Trump described Kaitlan Collins as stupid in a Truth Social post
Image credits: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” Trump wrote.
“I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level.
“Also, the column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing. It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are.”
The ballroom was originally estimated to cost $200 million and host 650 guests, but is now projected by Trump to exceed $300 million and accommodate about 1,000 people.
Image credits: Charles Sykes/Bravo via Getty Images
Trump continued his post, describing the ballroom as “much bigger” and “more beautiful than originally planned.”
It comes after he reportedly clashed with his hand-picked architect over the project’s scale.
While Trump is said to have pushed for a massive 90,000-square-foot addition, James McCrery II wasn’t on board, as a structure of that size could overwhelm the 55,000-square-foot main residence.
Trump added, “Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved. It is being fully paid for by private donations.
“FAKE NEWS CNN, and the guy who runs the whole corrupt operation that owns it, is one of the worst in the business. Their ratings are so low that they’re not even counted or relevant anymore.”
Image credits: Donald J Trump
Responding to Trump’s comments on her Instagram story over the weekend, Collins shared the rant and wrote, “Technically, my question was about Venezuela.”
She was defended by the organization and fellow CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who also shared Trump’s post on X and responded to all of his points in a list.
“1) Kaitlan Collins, 2) she’s smart, 3) she’s nice, 4) it’s a legitimate question about construction of a controversial project on White House grounds, 5) Thanks for the explanation, 6) generally speaking if someone or something is irrelevant, the President doesn’t talk about them,” Tapper wrote.
In a statement, CNN described Collins as an exceptional journalist.
Trump’s comments come amid scrutiny over strikes on alleged drug boats
“Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity,” a spokesperson said.
“She skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day, which audiences around the world know they can trust.”
Trump’s comments and Collins’ response come amid intense scrutiny over the administration’s strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and Pacific.
The Senate Armed Services Committee is “conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts” regarding strikes on September 2 that reportedly killed two survivors in the water.
Image credits: Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is facing allegations that he ordered everyone on board suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean to be killed.
According to The Washington Post, Hegseth had issued a verbal order to “kill everybody.”
To comply with that, the Special Operations commander overseeing the attack ordered a second strike that killed the two men who were clinging to the wreckage, the report said.
If a follow-up strike was deliberately ordered to target defenseless survivors in the water, it could constitute a war crime under international law.
The administration has denied the allegations and insists it acted in accordance with the law.
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