CNN’s Kaitlan Collins confronted President Donald Trump over his extraordinary remarks about Los Angeles and San Diego — and the president did not stick around to explain them.
The confrontation came after Trump ignited a firestorm with comments made while defending the war with Iran at a campaign rally in Grand Island, Nebraska.
Trump was arguing that the economic consequences Americans are experiencing from the war were a relatively small cost compared with what he described as the danger posed by Iran.
(WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW)
Then his remarks took a startling turn.
“They can take out a city,” Trump said.
“Let them take out Los Angeles. Let them take out San Diego.”
The comments immediately triggered outrage in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned Trump’s remarks, while Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria also pushed back.
Newsom went even further, announcing that he had directed California’s State Threat Assessment Center to actively monitor the situation in case foreign actors interpreted Trump’s remarks as an invitation to target the state.
The White House, meanwhile, insisted that Trump’s comments were being misinterpreted.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung argued that Trump was making the case that American cities could have faced such danger if Iran had been allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon — and that Trump’s military actions were intended to prevent exactly that scenario.
That explanation provided context.
But it also left one rather obvious question:
What did Trump himself mean?
Enter Kaitlan Collins.
When the CNN anchor got an opportunity to question Trump directly, she went straight to the controversy.
“What did you mean?” Collins asked, pressing Trump about his Los Angeles and San Diego remarks.
Trump did not provide her with an explanation.
Instead, as Collins continued pressing him for an answer, Trump walked away.
The video captures Collins continuing to question the president as he leaves.
It was a remarkably simple exchange — but one that made the controversy even harder for the White House to put behind it.
Trump’s aides have now offered an explanation for what the president supposedly meant.
Trump himself was presented with an opportunity to provide one.
He didn’t take it.
And Collins is becoming increasingly familiar with this territory.
Trump has repeatedly targeted the CNN anchor personally, attacking both Collins and her network while she continues to confront him with questions he clearly would rather not answer.
This time, however, there was no lengthy argument with CNN and no extended back-and-forth.
There was simply a reporter asking the president to explain his own words.
Collins asked.
Trump walked away.
And the question remains unanswered.
About the Author
