What to Know
President Donald Trump continues to insult female reporters who ask him questions that he doesn’t like. On December 6, he took to Truth Social to complain about CNN White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins because she allegedly asked him a question about the White House ballroom. In a long rant, he explained why he thinks the question about the White House ballroom was so “stupid.” Meanwhile, Collins says she actually asked the president about Venezuela.
Trump called Collins “stupid and nasty.”
He also spelled her name wrong and referred to the news outlet she works for as “Fake News CNN.” In the post, he wrote, “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 then went on to explain his answer to the alleged question. “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,” he continued. “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. It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned. Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved. It is being fully paid for by private donations.”
Collins responded to Trump’s post.
Sharing a screenshot of Trump’s Truth Social post about her to her Instagram Stories, Collins offered a simple response: “Technically, my question was about Venezuela.”
It’s unclear what question Trump was referring to in his rant about Collins, but according to The Hill, she was referring to the question she asked him at the Kennedy Center on December 5. “What would you say to people who say that prize might conflict with your pledge to strike Venezuela?” she asked the president that night.
Trump responded to the question with, “Well, I think the peace prize, I mean, I settled eight wars. I don’t know that I’m getting it. I haven’t been officially noticed. I’ve been hearing about a peace prize, and I’m here to represent our country in a different sense. But I can tell you, I did settle eight wars, and we have a ninth coming, which nobody’s ever done before. But. I want to really save lives. I don’t need prizes. I need to save lives. And we’re saving a lot of lives.”
Trump either remembered the interaction differently or was referring to something else entirely, based on Collins’ response to his Truth Social rant.
Trump has been targeting female reporters lately.
Clearly, negative reports are getting to Trump. The White House has even launched a website to track reporters and publications that publish stories the Trump administration doesn’t agree with. In addition to that, he has also snapped at or ranted about female reporters on multiple occasions. At the end of November, Trump called another female reporter “stupid” when he was angered by her question.
CBS News chief White House correspondent Nancy Cordes questioned why Trump blamed the Biden administration for suspected shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s status in the United States. “Because they let them in,” he said. “Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person? Because they came in on a plane, along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here, and you’re just asking questions, because you’re a stupid person.”
