President Donald Trump criticized CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins during a tense verbal exchange in the Oval Office on Tuesday, Feb. 3.
Trump told Collins she doesn’t smile enough when she questioned him about his former pal Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are the worst reporter. CNN has no ratings because of people like you,” Trump told Collins when she asked him about Epstein’s victims.
Trump continued, “You know she’s a young woman — I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth.”
When Collins continued to press Trump about the files, he responded, “I think it’s really time for the country to get onto something else.”
This isn’t the first time Trump voiced his displeasure with Collins.
He called her “stupid and nasty” in December 2025, and in November on board Air Force 1, he told another female reporter, “Quiet! Quiet, piggy.”
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel rebuked Trump for telling a reporter to smile.
“I’m trying to think of a worse time to tell a woman to smile more than when that person is a reporter asking about the Epstein victims,” he said Tuesday.
Maria Shriver, ex-wife of former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, wrote on X (Twitter), “In years past, this sort of behavior would have been unimaginable from a president of the United States. Unimaginable… The press is being attacked in public and private. Having a free press is critical to our democracy.”
In years past, this sort of behavior would have been unimaginable from a president of the United States. Unimaginable. There are other words to describe this, but you can simply watch it and feel it yourself. This is being done in public.The press is being attacked in public and… https://t.co/rOOIiVEly7
— Maria Shriver (@mariashriver) February 4, 2026
