Donald Trump spent Tuesday telling CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that she shouldn’t be covering him.
Then, nearly 13 hours later, he was still talking about her.
After confronting Collins face-to-face at the United Nations, Trump returned to Truth Social just before midnight and unleashed a deeply personal attack on the CNN anchor — calling her a “Third Rate ‘Reporter,’” describing her as a “truly unhappy person,” and accusing her of having a “TRUMP addiction.”
The irony was difficult to miss.
Trump had spent the morning demanding to know why Collins was there covering him. By 11:53 p.m., it was Trump who was once again putting Collins at the center of his attention.
And by Wednesday morning, the confrontation he apparently couldn’t let go had followed him somewhere considerably more consequential: federal court.
The remarkable sequence began Tuesday morning when Trump arrived at United Nations headquarters in New York and spotted Collins among the reporters waiting for him.
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,” Trump said.
“You shouldn’t be here!”
Collins had a straightforward answer.
“The United Nations allowed us in, sir.”
Unlike the White House, the United Nations controls its own press access — meaning Trump’s decision to shut CNN out of the White House did not prevent Collins from showing up to cover him in New York.
But Trump kept going.
“You should not be here covering me,” he told Collins. “You said you weren’t going to cover me. You shouldn’t be covering me.”
Then he walked away.
CNN, however, made its own decision about how much attention Trump would receive that morning.
The network did not carry his United Nations address live.
Wolf Blitzer told viewers that CNN had access to the live feed and would bring them any “newsworthy moments.” While Fox News carried Trump’s entire speech and MS NOW aired roughly the first 20 minutes, CNN waited until after Trump had left the stage before showing a brief excerpt.
That might have been the end of the story.
Trump made sure it wasn’t.
At 11:53 p.m. Eastern — nearly 13 hours after his encounter with Collins — the president returned to Truth Social and went after her personally.
He branded Collins a “Third Rate ‘Reporter’” and a “truly unhappy person” before demanding to know why she had been at the United Nations.
Then came the line that made the whole episode even more striking.
“She’s got a ‘TRUMP’ addiction,” Trump declared.
That was quite an accusation coming from a president who had confronted Collins that morning, complained about her presence, and then returned to social media nearly 13 hours later to attack her again.
And Collins wasn’t his only target.
Trump expanded the broadside to CNN and MS NOW, attacking the networks with a string of inflammatory descriptions. He also took aim at the federal judge overseeing the lawsuit challenging his administration’s decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
That last attack became especially notable only hours later.
Because while Trump was attacking Collins and the judge, the legal fight over his media ban was moving forward.
By Wednesday morning, Trump’s own confrontation with Collins at the United Nations had been added to the court record in the lawsuit brought by CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
The organizations are challenging their exclusion from the White House, arguing that the administration retaliated against them over their journalism and violated constitutional protections.
Trump has defended the restrictions while repeatedly attacking the outlets as “fake news.”
Now the court has another piece of evidence to consider: Trump himself spotting one of CNN’s most prominent journalists at a venue where the White House could not exclude her — and telling her that she shouldn’t be there covering him.
The sequence could hardly have been more revealing.
Trump barred CNN from the White House.
Kaitlan Collins showed up at the United Nations anyway.
He confronted her and told her she shouldn’t be covering him.
CNN then declined to carry his speech live.
Nearly 13 hours after their encounter, Trump was still attacking Collins by name.
And by the following morning, the confrontation had become part of the very court battle challenging his attempt to keep CNN out of the White House.
Trump may have told Kaitlan Collins to stop covering him.
But by midnight, he was the one who couldn’t stop talking about her.
About the Author
Trump likes a fight. He said on 1/6/2021: “We’re gonna fight like Hell.” He loves war conflict and creating mayhem and when he his criticized for that he doubles down on making war generating conflict and creating mayhem. He will continue doubling down on Evil until he has destroyed The U.S.A. at least and Western Civilization at most. He is Satan Incarnate. But “All born will taste Death.” (Quran 21:35) Everything that begins will end including The U.S.A. and Western Civilzation itself. So why not Death by Trump? Don’t trouble yourself about Trump and what he is doing for Trump will die too because he was born and there is a Hole In Hell waiting for him and his followers which they will be put into by Allah when they have finally earned it: “I will fill Hell with Jinn and Humans altogether – A Multitude from Every Community.” (Quran 11:119) Amen?