CNN anchor Jake Tapper fired back at President Donald Trump after he called fellow CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins a “loser” during a heated White House confrontation over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Tapper responded on X by turning Trump’s insult against him, pointing to the Republican Party’s sweeping losses in last week’s midterm elections.
“There’s one person in this exchange whose behavior, hand-picked candidates, and policies were repudiated handily by voters with historical election losses coast to coast — including in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Georgia — and it ain’t Kaitlan,” Tapper wrote.
His remarks followed Monday’s White House briefing, where Collins questioned Trump about eight articles of impeachment introduced against Hegseth by Republican Rep. Thomas Massie.
(Watch The Video: Trump AGAIN EXPLODES at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins!)
The articles accuse Hegseth of several violations, including conducting military operations against Iran without congressional authorization and failing to protect civilians. Those allegations have not been adjudicated.
Collins asked Trump whether he would continue supporting Hegseth if Congress impeached him.
“Yeah, I’ll stand by him,” Trump replied, claiming the defense secretary had “won two wars.”
But when Collins raised Massie’s allegations of illegal conduct, Trump immediately attacked both the congressman and the reporter.
“Massie’s a loser—just like you’re a loser at CNN!” Trump snapped.
“Just like your ratings are a loser. Massie is a loser, stone cold loser.”
Tapper’s response drew attention to the political fallout from the November 3 elections, when Democrats won control of both the House and Senate and Republicans suffered significant defeats in several states.
The CNN anchor also criticized Trump’s remarks during his program The Lead.
“Kind of incredible to hear President Trump, after last Tuesday’s results, calling anyone else a loser,” Tapper said.
The exchange was the latest in a series of confrontations between Trump and Collins, who has repeatedly challenged the president during White House appearances.
Trump has previously criticized Collins for her questioning and made personal remarks about her demeanor. Other female journalists have also faced similar attacks from the president.
Meanwhile, Hegseth’s political future remains uncertain following the midterm results and growing criticism of the administration’s war in Iran.
Trump has insisted he will stand by his defense secretary, defending his military record and questioning why officials responsible for previous American wars were not impeached.
“What about impeaching the people that ran the Vietnam War? What about impeaching the ones who ran Iraq and Afghanistan and all of these other wars?” Trump asked Monday.
But Tapper’s criticism focused on a different issue: the contrast between Trump’s personal attacks on journalists and the recent electoral rejection of Republican candidates and policies.
And his response left little doubt about whom he believed the president’s “loser” insult actually described.
“And it ain’t Kaitlan.”
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