President Donald Trump has reignited his feud with CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins after confronting her at the United Nations. The president later took the fight to Truth Social, where he accused Collins and CNN of having a “TRUMP addiction”.
Per HindustanTimes, the exchange started when Collins asked Trump about public concerns over the war with Iran as he arrived at the UN. Trump immediately turned his attention toward CNN, telling Collins, “I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me. You should not be here covering me. You said you weren’t going to cover me.”
Collins quickly pushed back on the claim. “The United Nations allowed us in, sir,” she told Trump, before returning to her question about when the war with Iran would end. CNN later reported that its journalists were at the UN because they had been credentialed by the international organization.
Trump wasn’t finished with Collins after the confrontation
Trump’s response became considerably more personal after the exchange. In his Truth Social post, he referred to Collins as a “Third Rate ‘Reporter’” and described CNN as “Fake News CNN.”
“All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate ‘Reporter,’ Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren’t going to be covering me,” Trump wrote. He then questioned why Collins and other journalists were in the UN press area if CNN had supposedly decided not to cover him.
“Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations?” Trump wrote. “Why was she there?”
The president then made the accusation that quickly became the centerpiece of his post. “She’s got a ‘TRUMP’ addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC,” Trump wrote, before describing the outlets as “sick, treasonous, and demented.”
Trump also took aim at the federal judge handling the legal fight over White House press access. He described the judge as “totally disloyal” and claimed the media organizations had a judge who was favorable to them.
The dispute comes as CNN, MS NOW and Politico challenge their exclusion from White House grounds in federal court. The organizations argue that the administration targeted them because of their coverage and have asked the court to find the restrictions unconstitutional. The administration has asked the judge to reject that request.
The White House has argued that access to the White House is “a privilege — not a right.” Its court filing also said presidents have historically decided which journalists receive privileged access, with the rules changing between administrations.
Trump was also asked about the possibility of losing the court fight and having the three organizations regain access. He responded by criticizing Judge Timothy Kelly, saying, “Well, it probably will, because this is a judge who’s not a particularly fair judge.”
Published: Sep 23, 2026 01:15 pm