Trump Attacks CNN’s Kaitlan Collins as ‘Stupid and Nasty’ for Questioning His New Ballroom Plans in Weekend Truth Social Rant

Kaitlan Collins became the latest target in Donald Trump’s streak of lashing out at female reporters when the president called her “stupid and nasty” for inquiring about the cost of his sprawling White House ballroom project.

Trump, 79, kicked off a Truth Social post shared on Saturday, Dec. 6, with an attack on the 33-year-old journalist, who is CNN’s Chief White House Correspondent and host of The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

He seemingly targeted Collins, whose name he spelled incorrectly in the post, because she inquired about the controversial project, though it is unclear when the interaction occurred.

“Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago,” the president wrote on Truth Social. “I said because it is going to be double the size, and the quality of finishes and interiors has been brought to the highest level. Also, the column SPAN has been substantially increased for purposes of viewing.”

Trump went on to claim that the multi-million dollar renovation, first announced in July, is “under budget and ahead of schedule,” despite reports that state the opposite. (Initially estimated at $200 million, the project is now expected to cost about $300 million, per Trump, who said in October that the entire amount is being paid by donors, including himself.)

“It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are,” the president said in the Dec. 6 post. “It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned.”

“Interestingly, and seldom reported, there are no taxpayer dollars involved,” he continued. “It is being fully paid for by private donations. FAKE NEWS CNN, and the guy who runs the whole corrupt operation that owns it, is one of the worst in the business. Their ratings are so low that they’re not even counted or relevant anymore. MAGA!!!”

The White House demolished the East Wing in October to make way for the project, which has drawn criticism from some lawmakers who have raised questions about oversight and historic protections.

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Trump’s post targeting Collins is the latest in a string of attacks on female journalists. Recently, he called another White House correspondent “stupid” on Thanksgiving.

While talking to reporters at Mar-a-Lago on the holiday, Trump became irritated when CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes challenged him about the vetting of Suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the Washington, D.C., shooting that killed one National Guard member and injured another. (Lakanwal was among hundreds of Afghans allowed into the U.S. under the Biden administration’s “Operation Allies Welcome” program in 2021, during the chaotic withdrawal from Kabul.)

“Your DOJ IG just reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and by the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the U.S., so why do you blame the Biden administration?” asked Cordes, as Trump quickly fired back, “Because they let ’em in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?”

He continued, “Because they came in on a plane along with thousands of other people that shouldn’t be here, and you’re just asking questions because you’re a stupid person.”

The day before, Trump called The New York Times‘ Katie Rogers “ugly, both inside and out” on social media after the outlet published a story about how his age has seemingly affected his schedule during his second term.

Another instance came two weeks earlier, as Trump hushed Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey when she asked if there was anything incriminating in the Epstein emails, pointing at her and angrily saying, “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy.”

At the time, Collins jumped to Lucey’s defense, saying in a post on X that she does “a great job.”