Vice President Vance recently weighed in on a heated interaction between President Trump and anchor Kaitlan Collins, calling the president’s shocking insult about her lack of a smile “so perceptive.” Vance made his comments on “The Megyn Kelly Show,” defending President Trump’s observation that the anchor never seems to crack a grin while asking tough questions, as reported by The Hill.
The incident occurred earlier this week when the anchor was questioning President Trump in the Oval Office. She was pressing him for details about the Department of Justice’s final release of files connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Even after the president tried to pivot away from the topic, Collins kept pushing for answers.
“You are the worst reporter,” President Trump told her. He continued, “CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know she’s a young woman, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.” The president then suggested the reason she wasn’t smiling was because she knew she wasn’t “telling the truth.”
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time President Trump has singled out the anchor
Vance wasn’t actually present during the exchange, but he heard about it quickly while he was in the West Wing. He noted that while he has a “decent relationship with Kaitlan Collins,” which he acknowledged is “unusual” given her network affiliation, he agreed with the president’s assessment of her demeanor.
“She’s asking a question and the president says, ‘Why don’t you ever smile?'” Vance recounted. “And it’s actually, like, so perceptive even if you’re asking a tough question, even if you take your job very seriously. Like, why does it always have to be so antagonistic?”
Host Megyn Kelly agreed with Vance’s take, recalling that a former CEO she worked for, Roger Ailes, gave similar advice. Kelly said Ailes “used to tell us that. ‘Every once in a while, remember to smile. Show the viewers that you have a heart.'”
The core issue that sparked President Trump’s reaction was the anchor’s line of inquiry into the Epstein files. Collins specifically mentioned criticisms made by survivors of the sex offender. She also noted that Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick were included in the files. President Trump had previously insisted the country should move on from the files, calling the entire issue a “Democratic problem.”
Unsurprisingly, Collins’s colleagues quickly jumped to her defense. Anchor Jake Tapper posted on X that it is “Needless to say Kaitlan is a great reporter & person.” Tapper pointed out that the president insulted her after she asked about survivor criticisms. Meanwhile, a political analyst and Democratic strategist, David Axelrod, wrote on X that Collins “is one of the very best journalists around. Smart, tireless, fearless and fair. I’m proud to call her my colleague and my friend.”
In December, Trump called Collins “stupid and nasty” after claiming she was asking about construction on the White House ballroom. Collins later clarified the issue on Instagram, writing, “Technically, my question was about Venezuela.”
It’s also part of a wider pattern. In November, President Trump told another journalist, Catherine Lucey, to be “quiet, piggy” when she, too, asked him about the DOJ’s Epstein files. Tapper and Collins defended Lucey then, with Tapper writing on X that the president’s comments were “disgusting and completely unacceptable.”
Published: Feb 6, 2026 11:00 am