Karoline Leavitt clashes with Kaitlan Collins, backs Trump’s call for CNN’s sale

WASHINGTON, DC: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday, December 11, reiterated President Donald Trump's call for CNN to be sold. This came moments after a tense, minutes-long confrontation with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins dominated the daily briefing. 

Leavitt argued the network’s ratings had “declined,” saying CNN “would benefit from new ownership” as part of the larger Warner Bros Discovery negotiations now underway.

The escalation came after Collins challenged Leavitt on Trump’s messaging around inflation and holiday spending.

What began as a standard question about economic “mixed signals” quickly dissolved into repeated interruptions, accusations of bias, and a broader clash over how the press covered inflation during the Biden administration.

Karoline Leavitt and Kaitlan Collins spar over inflation coverage

The confrontation ignited when Collins pressed Leavitt on Trump’s advice that parents buy “two or three dolls” for Christmas despite claiming the economy is strong. 

Leavitt argued that Trump was promoting American-made products, which she said may cost “a dollar or two more but are better quality” and support US workers.

Collins pushed back, pointing out lingering affordability concerns and rising grocery prices. Leavitt countered that inflation had dramatically improved under Trump and blamed Biden for creating an economic “hole” that Trump had “clawed us out of.”

“Nobody reported inflation being high under Biden!” Leavitt snapped, accusing the press corps of giving the previous administration a pass.

She charged that reporters wanted “to push untrue narratives about the president,” prompting Collins to fire back before Leavitt refused to take her follow-up question.

Karoline Leavitt revives long-running media grievances

Leavitt repeatedly referenced what she described as “double standards,” claiming reporters failed to challenge Biden’s press secretary when she said inflation “didn’t exist” and the border was “secure.”

She accused Collins directly of ignoring favorable economic indicators and amplifying negative ones.

The heated exchange ended abruptly when Leavitt moved on to another journalist, declining to revisit Collins’s second question on Venezuela.

Karoline Leavitt says Trump believes CNN needs ‘new ownership’

But the confrontation lingered in the room. When Wall Street Journal reporter Brian Schwartz later asked about the potential Netflix-Warner Bros deal, Leavitt used the question to take aim at CNN once more.

“The president’s comments yesterday about the sale of CNN and new leadership is evidenced by my exchange with the CNN reporter in this room,” she said.

“Their viewership has gone down, the ratings have declined, and the president rightfully believes that the network would benefit from new ownership.”

She added that Trump has “great respect for both companies” bidding for WBD but insisted CNN’s fate “must be part of the deal,” echoing Trump’s remarks from the day before when he called CNN’s current leadership a “disgrace.”