Few journalists have provoked President Donald Trump as persistently as Kaitlan Collins.
Trump first barred her from a White House event in 2018 after she repeatedly questioned him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and Michael Cohen. Five years later, during a combative CNN town hall, he called her a “nasty person.”
Last week, Trump intensified their long-running feud by banning Collins and CNN, as well as Politico and MS NOW, from the White House.
The dispute burst into public view again Tuesday morning, when Trump confronted Collins as he arrived at the United Nations General Assembly.
“I’m surprised CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here,” Trump told her in front of a group of reporters. “You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me.”
In public, Collins—who is 34 and reportedly earns an eye-watering $3 million a year as host of CNN’s The Source—has maintained her trademark composure.
Behind the scenes, however, the journalist is furious. At the same time, she and CNN executives recognize that the extraordinary snub has created a major opportunity.
“This is annoying and, of course, everyone is angry, especially Kaitlan. I don’t want to sound too cynical or opportunistic, but this is also a gift, and everyone knows it,” one CNN producer told Our News Outlet.
“The bosses know it, Kaitlan knows it. This makes her relevant. It’s getting her name out there in a way no one else can.”
Kaitlan Collins, 34, joined CNN in 2017 and has covered both of President Trump’s administrations for the network
The source said CNN can now promote a powerful narrative: Collins got so far under the president’s skin that the White House felt compelled to exclude her.
“That’s an ad right there,” the producer said. “She’s now CNN’s biggest star, at least for this week.”
CNN has maintained that Collins was unfairly excluded, a position echoed by rival news organizations. But Our News Outlet has learned that executives are also discussing behind closed doors how to make the most of the increased attention.
“She didn’t want this, but it happened,” the producer said.
“Now the conversation is: What do we do with it? How do we leverage it? It could mean a bigger show, a better show and greater visibility. The bosses are deciding what comes next.”
The Daily Mail has contacted CNN and Collins for comment.
NEXT UP: Trump Faces Legal Challenge as Banned Media Outlets Fight Back
Trump announced the sweeping ban on Friday, accusing CNN, MS NOW and Politico of spreading “fake news.” Reporters from all three outlets were subsequently turned away from the White House, and their credentials were deactivated.
The move also removed CNN from its scheduled turn operating the television press pool during Trump’s trip to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City on Monday. The responsibility is normally shared with CBS, ABC, NBC and Fox News.
The White House television pool operates on a rotating schedule, with networks traveling alongside the president and supplying footage to other news organizations.
In a show of solidarity with CNN, the four major networks suspended their pooled coverage of the president. As a result, no shared video feed was available for events involving him.
The television pool networks issued a joint statement on X: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should reject a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
On Monday, the absence of the press pool at Trump’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new granite helipad on the South Lawn forced the White House to rely on its own video. There were no high-powered microphones to capture the president’s remarks, and the footage that was available contained no usable audio.
Trump labeled Collins a “nasty person” in the years before the media ban
Collins has been banned from the White House along with CNN and the other media outlets MS NOW and Politico
Collins, who joined CNN in 2017 and became the youngest chief White House correspondent in the network’s history four years later, skipped her own 9 p.m. program after Trump announced the White House media ban.
She appeared on CNN the following day to discuss the new restrictions, reporting that Natalie Harp, a close Trump aide, showed the president media clips that “infuriated” him and ultimately prompted him to ban the three news organizations.
The three organizations have since sued the administration, alleging that the ban violates the First Amendment.
“Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference,” the news organizations said in a joint statement.
“The government does not decide what the press reports or publishes.”
After the lawsuit was confirmed, Trump responded with a blistering post on Truth Social.
“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” Trump wrote Monday morning.
“It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW!”
