A White House ceremony meant to celebrate NASA’s Artemis II mission crew and Administrator Jared Isaacman devolved into yet another heated exchange between President Trump and CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on April 29, 2026, with the president dismissing her questions as “fake news” and appearing to confuse details about two separate conflicts.
Collins pressed Trump during the Oval Office event about which of the two ongoing wars, Iran or Ukraine, would be more likely to reach a ceasefire first. The president’s answer seemed to muddle the two entirely. “I think Ukraine militarily, they’re defeated, okay. You wouldn’t know that by reading the fake news, but militarily, look, they’re navy — so they had 159 ships. Every ship is underwater right now. Typically, that’s pretty good. What do you think, Jared?” Trump said, turning to Isaacman. Viewers online noted the naval losses he described appeared to reference Iran, not Ukraine.
Trump had initially tried to shut down Collins when she attempted to question him about the ceasefire talks he claimed to have discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The 79-year-old president turned away from her toward his guests and said, “Fake news,” brushing her off in front of the assembled crowd.
Collins didn’t relent, circling back with her pointed question about which conflict would end first. “Ummmm. That’s an interesting question. You know, coming from you, it’s very interesting,” Trump responded.
The contentious back-and-forth represents the latest installment in a years-long feud characterized by Trump’s repeated attempts to humiliate Collins and her consistent refusal to back down from questioning the president.
A History Of Clashes
Their combative relationship stretches back years and has intensified in recent months. In February 2026, Trump unleashed another tirade against Collins during an Oval Office encounter when she asked about heavily redacted Epstein files. The actual question Collins asked was “What would you say to the survivors who feel like they haven’t gotten justice?” Trump branded her “the worst reporter,” blamed her for CNN’s ratings problems, “because of people like you,” and noted he had never once seen her smile in the decade he had known her.
“You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth,” Trump told her at the time. Collins subsequently aired the footage on her CNN program, The Source, and said the outburst “shed some light” on how Trump views the Epstein story through the lens of how it affects him personally.
The president has taken his attacks on Collins to social media as well, calling her “always Stupid and Nasty” in a Truth Social post in December after she questioned him about cost overruns at the White House, though Collins said her question was actually about Venezuela. Trump has similarly targeted other female journalists in recent months, calling Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey “quiet piggy” aboard Air Force One, and telling ABC’s Mary Bruce at the White House on November 18, 2025, that he believed her network’s license should be revoked.
Days After Calling For Unity
The April 29 verbal assault on Collins came just days after Trump called on Americans to come together following a shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner — an event Collins attended, seated near the center of the room. Collins has remained one of the network’s most prominent voices covering the administration.
Trump’s appeal for national unity proved short-lived. Within 24 hours of the appeal, he had already attacked “60 Minutes” host Norah O’Donnell, calling her “a disgrace” and “horrible people” after she asked him about a shooter’s manifesto that made accusations against him.
Collins has consistently declined to be intimidated by Trump’s attacks, pressing her questions through interruptions, insults, and dismissals, a persistence that has made her one of the more visible targets of the president’s ongoing war with the press. Based on their history, few are expecting a truce.
