Karoline Leavitt's Pettiest Interactions With CNN's Kaitlan Collins

Karoline Leavitt infamously got booted off CNN for disrespecting their anchors during an interview, so clearly there's no love lost between President Donald Trump's press secretary and the cable news network. This hostility seems to have carried over to the press briefing room, with CNN's Kaitlan Collins leading the charge. It's no secret that Collins isn't a fan of the president, who once told her to her face, "You are a nasty person," (via USA Today). Collins was promoted to CNN's chief White House correspondent after Trump won the 2024 election, and she and Leavitt butted heads from the moment they were within the confines of the press briefing room.

During Leavitt's first press briefing, which was packed with journalists and even had the president himself watching from behind the scenes, she was in a real pressure cooker situation, but Collins had no mercy, questioning the newly minted press secretary about Trump's shocking decision to lay off multiple inspectors general — a controversial move that sparked outrage across the country and was, according to certain pundits, not entirely legal either. She also asked Leavitt whether the decision to fire members of the Justice Department who worked on his criminal trials was the result of a personal vendetta. 

"How is the administration deciding which laws to follow and which ones to ignore?" Collins demanded to know, per CNN. Leavitt responded in a way that was reminiscent of her boss' reasoning, simply telling the intrepid reporter, "He is the executive of the executive branch and therefore he has the power to fire anyone within the executive branch that he wishes to." This was just a taste of what was to come, and Collins and Leavitt's barbs have provided plenty of newsworthy moments since Trump's second term commenced.

In mid-February, 2025, the White House revoked Associated Press journalists' clearance for covering presidential events after the outlet failed to comply with referring to the Gulf of Mexico by its new name, the Gulf of America. The AP refused to change the name in its official Stylebook, and the Trump administration wasn't having it. And naturally, Kaitlan Collins had some questions for Karoline Leavitt — who likely is part of the list of people who can't stand Collins — regarding the matter. 

"Which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter from the Oval Office and the Diplomatic Reception Room last night?" Collins asked (via YouTube) to which Leavitt had a fiery response: "First of all, let me just set the record straight; it's a privilege to cover this White House." She then made it clear that getting to ask President Donald Trump questions in the first place was an honor not bestowed upon many, including several of the reporters who were in the room that day. This was likely a subtle jab at Collins, who once had her access revoked from an event in 2018 after asking him about Russian President Vladimir Putin and his former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Collins wasn't deterred by Leavitt's attitude and she quickly followed up with: "The question here is, is this setting a precedent that this White House will retaliate against reporters who don't use the language that you guys believe reporters should use?" Leavitt had another answer ready that, as ardent and passionate as it was, unfortunately seemed to insinuate that the answer to Collins' question was a resounding "yes."

As the weeks dragged on, Kaitlan Collins and Karoline Leavitt continued to butt heads in the White House press room. While Collins once managed to brutally put Donald Trump Jr. in his place during an interview, she was the one who got cut off during a press briefing while questioning National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on President Donald Trump's controversial claims that Ukraine started a war with Russia, rather than the other way around. Many condemned Trump's stance, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing the divisive politician of "living in a disinformation space," (via the BBC).

During the briefing, Collins pointed out that Waltz himself had penned a 2023 op-ed acknowledging that Russia was the original culprit and asked him if, therefore, he agreed with his boss's stance. Waltz gave Collins a non-answer, and she continued to press him, until Leavitt finally stepped in and brutally cut her off. "You just had two questions, Kaitlan," Leavitt asserted before giving the go-ahead to another journalist to ask their questions instead. "I have an important follow-up," Collins countered, but Leavitt completely ignored her, encouraging the other reporter to "go ahead," (via Mediaite).

While Karoline Leavitt can certainly think on her feet and has had answers (some good, some bad) to almost every question journalists have thrown her way thus far, Kaitlan Collins managed to catch the press secretary unawares on one occasion. The CNN reporter inquired about the potential meet-up between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2025, questioning whether the former "Apprentice" host had been smart enough to put some conditions in place before the meeting that would serve to help finally bring Russia's war with Ukraine to an end. Shockingly, Leavitt didn't have a response. Either that or the truth would have made Trump look like a fool. She responded, "[No preconditions have been put in place that] I'm aware of," quickly adding, "That doesn't mean they don't exist," (via CNN). 

Collins continued to press Leavitt on the matter. "Aren't they [Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth] giving away bargaining chips before these negotiations have even started?" she asked, referring to the controversial former Fox News host's outlandish claim that Ukraine becoming a member of NATO wasn't on the table, nor was the possibility of the country reclaiming the territory Russia had invaded during the war. 

Leavitt admitted that she hadn't discussed this with the president but encouraged Collins to ask him herself when she saw him next. And, true to form, the CNN reporter did exactly that. While attending a press briefing in the Oval Office that very same day, Collins asked Trump straight out, "Do you trust President Putin?" (via CNN). The president responded, "I trust him on this subject." Not exactly a comforting response.