Did Karoline Leavitt Ban Kaitlan Collins From Press Briefings? Inside The Rumors
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt's pettiest interactions with CNN's Kaitlan Collins have shown that the air of professionalism expected in the White House Briefing Room isn't always a reality. The two have butted heads on multiple occasions, sparking feud rumors. There's even been speculation online that Leavitt took things a step further and barred Collins from future briefings.
"Karoline Leavitt BANS CNN's Kaitlan Collins from Press Brief after STUPID Question," read a post shared on Facebook. The caption also encouraged users to check the comments for more information. The same claim was circulated on other Facebook pages and social media sites as well, including X, formerly known as Twitter. BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh wasn't convinced, reposting one of the posts and commenting that it was purely for clicks. "There's no evidence that Karoline Leavitt has banned CNN's Kaitlan Collins from White House press briefings," Sardarizadeh added in his X post. Check Your Fact also disputed the claim, stating that it was incorrect and that there was no proof that such a thing had occurred.
It seems the rumors that Collins was banned from press briefings began after her especially heated exchange with Leavitt, which didn't help either of their reputations. At a briefing in March 2025, Collins kept trying to ask an additional question based on a comment Leavitt made, and the latter dodged it repeatedly. Leavitt ended the back-and-forth stand-off by snapping (for the second time), "Kaitlan, I'm not taking your follow-up" (via X). She then moved on to speak with another journalist.
Collins was barred from a White House press event during Trump's first term
Even though Karoline Leavitt has yet to ban Kaitlan Collins from the White House Briefing Room, during Donald Trump's first term, Collins was booted from a White House event. In 2018, then-President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker was at the White House with Trump, and Collins was working as a "pool reporter" to report on the visit to the various TV networks, according to CNN. Collins asked questions about Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, Cohen's court case, and Vladimir Putin, but Trump didn't respond.
However, then-Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Bill Shine and then-Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders pulled Collins aside afterward and told her she wasn't allowed to go to the Rose Garden for the other press event with Juncker and Trump. "They said that the questions I asked were inappropriate for that venue," Collins told CNN. "And they said I was shouting." She felt the real reasoning was because of her line of questioning. CNN as a whole wasn't barred from the event, just Collins specifically.
Huckabee Sanders shared a statement that the CNN reporter "shouted questions and refused to leave despite repeatedly being asked to do so." However, eyewitnesses claimed Collins did not behave in the disrespectful manner that was described. CNN expressed frustration that the White House booted Collins seemingly just because of her questions and said, "This decision to bar a member of the press is retaliatory in nature and not indicative of an open and free press. We demand better." That ban was just for that event, making way for Collins to become chief White House correspondent for CNN in late 2024. However, it's almost a guarantee that she and Leavitt will continue to irk each other.