Kaitlan Collins says Trump attack over Epstein question was 'revealing' as he made it about himself

WASHINGTON, DC: Kaitlan Collins is opening up about her heated moment with Donald Trump, saying the president’s response to her Epstein-related question said more about him than the issue at hand.

During a recent appearance on ‘Absolutely Not’, Collins reflected on the exchange that took place last week when Trump lashed out at her during a signing ceremony.

The CNN anchor said she was trying to ask about survivors’ concerns regarding the latest Epstein Files release - not provoke the president.

Kaitlan Collins says Trump’s reaction did not surprise her

Speaking candidly on the podcast hosted by Heather McMahan, Collins made it clear she was not caught off guard by Trump’s response.

“Well, I mean, I’ve also covered Trump for 10 years and so he doesn’t really surprise me that often with his responses,” Collins said. “And so it didn’t really faze me that much because one, you know, he’s not liked my lines of questioning before and I’ve had that moment.”

The confrontation began when Collins asked Trump about concerns from Epstein survivors, specifically mentioning worries about redactions and feelings that “they haven’t gotten justice.”

Instead of addressing the substance of the question, Trump fired back at the journalist and claimed she never “smiles”. Collins suggested the exchange followed a familiar pattern she has observed while covering the president.

Kaitlan Collins says attacks from those in power deflect from real issues

Collins used the podcast appearance to explain why she chose to stay composed in the moment.

“But I think, and I’m always, always maintained this and thought this when covering him, but any president and any, anyone who’s in a position of power funded by taxpayer dollars, when they’re trying to argue with you or belittle you or criticize you, it takes away from the point of the question and it deflects from what you’re actually trying to ask,” she said.

She added that engaging in personal back-and-forth would only distract from the issue she was trying to highlight.

“If you get pulled into that back-and-forth about me not smiling or anything else,” Collins said, emphasizing why the issue is important to her. “This is not something to joke about …I’ve spoken with many of these women who were underage at the time, and their stories are incredibly powerful.”

Kaitlan Collins says focus should remain on Epstein survivors

The CNN anchor stressed that her question was never meant to target Trump personally, which is why his response stood out to her.

“And so I just think in that moment, I was thinking, the question is about what these victims think,” Collins explained. “It wasn’t even anything accusatory of Trump himself, which I think in itself is revealing of how he thinks about it and how he is viewing it through the lens of himself.”

She said her goal in the moment was to keep the conversation centered where it belonged.

“But the point is to ask about what the victims and the survivors thought here,” she said. “And so I just thought in that moment, this is more important to stay focused on this and to remind him, this is what I’m asking about.”

Collins reiterated that the exchange was never about her personally.

“It’s not about me. It’s not about me smiling and my expressions. It’s what these women think about what your administration has done,” she said.

“And so I think that’s why that moment resonated with so many people because just the issue at hand,” she concluded, noting that the focus remains on “women who were survivors of s*xual abuse.”