Kaitlan Collins was further propelled into fame after her heated interaction with President Donald Trump. The CNN reporter clashed with the president after he dubbed her the “worst reporter” because she doesn’t smile, among other reasons. Well, she was all smiles when she not-so-subtly clapped back at him in a savage manner.
During a recent appearance on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Collins described her experience covering news related to Trump. Collins described Trump’s second presidency as a “2nd season of a television show.”
She explained, “Different characters, different plot lines—except it’s real; it’s the president, and it’s the White House.” Despite her qualms about working with the Trump administration, Collins claimed she still loves her job as a reporter.
During an appearance on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reacted to a moment at the White House when President Donald Trump told her, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile https://t.co/TkU6CdizM2
— Ulrich Ulfhednar (@UlrichUlfhednar) February 18, 2026
Shortly after, Colbert brought up the heated interaction between Collins and the president. And asked if she was surprised by Trump’s intense reaction to a question about the Epstein files. Collins recalled the moment and revealed that Trump’s response wasn’t surprising since they’ve had heated interactions similar to his recent outburst.
He’s also reportedly deflected questions asked by Collins in the past. Collins elaborated on the question that prompted Trump’s response when she brought up victims of the notorious late financier Jeffrey Epstein.
She justified her demeanor of not smiling by stating, “I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion that you should smile when you’re asking questions about a s– trafficker and s—– assault victims.”
This savage response earned Collins a loud cheer of approval from the audience at Colbert’s show. Apparently, it wasn’t just the audience who approved of Collins not smiling; her fans and loved ones also backed her up shortly after the heated incident involving Trump.
Trump to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for ten years. You know why you’re not smiling? It’s because you know you’re not telling the truth.”🤣
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) February 3, 2026
Collins revealed that shortly after Trump had slammed her for not smiling and called her the “worst reporter,” people flooded her phone with proof of her smiling. Collins revealed receiving countless pictures and selfies in which she’s smiling. Even her father sent a picture from when she was 10-years-old, smiling.
This is pretty much where she not-so-subtly clapped back at Trump, accusing her of not smiling. She responded with a smile, saying, “I do indeed smile when it’s appropriate.” After Collins finished speaking, Colbert complimented her smile and called it lovely.
Kaitlan Collins smiling with a dog today.
Yes she does smile just not around Trump. pic.twitter.com/5tags0AkQd
— Winter (@LeftyWinter) February 6, 2026
The duo continued to highlight Trump’s alleged pattern of either deflecting questions or complaining about reporters when he doesn’t like a question. Trump has not yet responded to Collins’ jab against him on Colbert’s show. But we might likely expect a lengthy rant on Truth Social, calling her out.
As mentioned earlier, Collins’ savage response comes nearly two weeks after Trump, and she had a heated interaction when the Epstein files were brought up. Trump didn’t just accuse her of not smiling.
Trump also falsely claimed that CNN had no good ratings because of reporters like Collins. Nevertheless, she has continued to cover news related to the POTUS and his administration, but has not personally interacted with him yet.
