Kaitlan Collins Has Pointed Response to Trump Telling Her He's Never Seen Her Smile: 'I Do Indeed ... When It's Appropriate'
CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins issued her response to Donald Trump telling her that he’s never seen her smile.
During a Tuesday (February 17) appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, the 33-year-old journalist reacted to the heated interaction with the 79-year-old president, which took place as she was questioning him about Jeffrey Epstein‘s survivors during a February 3 Q&A in the White House.
Pointing out that there is photographic evidence of her smiling, Collins shared a very pointed reason that she wasn’t in that moment.
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“I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion that you shouldn’t smile when you’re asking questions about a sex trafficker and sexual assault victims,” she told late-night host Stephen Colbert, as the audience burst into applause.
Collins said that she didn’t feel “surprised” when Trump made the remark. However, she hypothesized that he miscalculated in his timing.
“The president has called me a lot of names. He’s gone after me and tried to deflect from the questions we’re asking. In that moment, he is someone who is often political savvy or tied in with what his base wants. In that moment, I was thinking if he had said that in response to a different question, I think it would have had a different reaction,” she said.
Continuing, she explained, “I think it was actually the question that is what generated so many headlines out of that. Because my question was about sexual assault survivors and it wasn’t even accusatory of the president.”
The reporter said that she’s been “inundated” with photographic proof that she does smile, saying, “I do indeed smile… When it’s appropriate.”
During the Q&A, Trump cut Collins off as she asked, “What would you say to survivors…”
“You are so bad. You know, you are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN… CNN has no ratings because of people like you. 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, and you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”
At the time, Collins replied, saying, “Well I’m asking you about survivors.”
CNN defended her in a statement shared with PEOPLE at the time, saying, “Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional journalist, reporting every day from the White House and the field with real depth and tenacity. 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 attack came after he referred to Collins as “stupid and nasty” in December 2025 when she questioned him about a controversial project he’s undertaken.