CNN’s Kaitlan Collins delivered a pointed assessment of the Trump administration Wednesday night, saying the White House appeared unsure how to respond to Republicans’ sweeping midterm election losses.
“I mean, the Trump administration is lost right now. They’re not really sure how to navigate this going forward,” Collins said during a CNN panel discussion.
Her comments came as President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance offered competing explanations for the Republican defeats.
Vance had published a lengthy statement blaming the losses on the war in Iran, citing remarks Trump made after the election. But Collins questioned his characterization of the president’s comments.
“That’s not what the president said last night,” she said.
Trump subsequently acknowledged that the war had contributed to the Republican losses, while insisting he would make the same decision again.
“If I had to do it again, I’d do it again,” Trump told reporters Wednesday.
Collins also pointed to rising gasoline prices, which she linked to the Iran conflict. According to figures cited in The Daily Beast’s report, the national average climbed from roughly $2.98 per gallon before the February 28 attacks to a peak of $4.79 in May.
But it was Trump’s first major public appearance after the election that particularly caught Collins’ attention.
Rather than delivering an extended response to the Republican defeats, Trump appeared at the White House ballroom construction site, where he signed a steel beam for the project. He also complained about the Senate’s failure to make daylight saving time permanent.
Collins said the president was offering little direction to Republicans trying to understand what had gone wrong.
“He appeared at the White House ballroom construction site, signed a steel beam, and right now, is complaining that the Senate didn’t make daylight savings permanent,” she said.
Fellow CNN panelist Dana Bash suggested Trump’s behavior amounted to an unspoken message that he did not care about the losses.
“But he definitely cares,” Collins replied.
Earlier in the broadcast, Collins said people familiar with Trump had described the ballroom project as his “happy place.”
She also highlighted the president’s explanation for the results: Trump argued that voters still liked him but were less enthusiastic about Republican candidates, even though he had personally selected many of them.
For Collins, the contrast between the party’s election losses and Trump’s public response illustrated the uncertainty surrounding the administration’s next steps.
About the Author
