President Trump made his displeasure known Tuesday morning when he spotted CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins among the pack of journalists waiting to question him as he arrived at the United Nations.
Trump opened his remarks by saying he was honored to be at the UN, but quickly shifted gears once he noticed CNN’s presence among the assembled press. He turned his attention to criticizing the network, arguing they had no business being there given his recent ban on the outlet.
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn’t be here!” Trump told the group.
Collins pushed back immediately, telling the president, “the United Nations allowed us in, sir.”
Trump wasn’t swayed. “You should not be here covering me,” he continued. “You said you weren’t going to cover me, you shouldn’t be covering me.”
As other reporters began shouting questions, Trump raised his right hand in a gesture signaling them to stop. He then reiterated his honor at being present before walking away, with First Lady Melania Trump at his side.
The tense exchange followed the Trump administration’s decision a day earlier to escalate its dispute with CNN by removing the network from its scheduled White House TV pool assignment.
Trump had defended the broader ban in a post on Truth Social, insisting that a free press is something he cherishes, while dismissing CNN, along with MS NOW and Politico, as sources of “FAKE NEWS.”
“It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America,” Trump wrote. “It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, NOW! Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
In response, the three outlets joined forces and filed a lawsuit against the White House over the ban, arguing that it discriminates based on editorial viewpoint and has already caused significant harm to their operations.
Earlier Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the president’s decision during a heated interview on NBC’s “Today” show, saying he understood Trump’s frustration because mainstream reporters often sound as though they’re sympathetic to Iran’s position. Rubio also sparred with co-host Craig Melvin over whether “ban” was even the right word to describe the administration’s action against the outlets.
