Kaitlan Collins Responds to Donald Trump Saying ‘I Don’t Think I’ve Ever Seen You Smile’

CNN’s Kaitlan Collins has responded to Donald Trump’s remark that he had “never seen [her] smile.”

Collins, 33, discussed the moment during the Tuesday, Feb. 17 episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, after Colbert asked about an exchange in the Oval Office on Feb. 3. During that interaction, Collins questioned Trump about what he would “say to the survivors” of Jeffrey Epstein, the late convicted offender.

Trump responded by attacking Collins and CNN, calling her “the worst reporter” and claiming the network has “no ratings.” He then shifted to a personal comment, telling her he didn’t think he had ever seen her smile and repeating that he’d known her for years without seeing one. Collins noted at the time that she was asking about Epstein’s survivors.

Reflecting on it with Colbert, Collins said the insult itself didn’t surprise her, explaining that Trump has “called [her] a lot of names” and often tries to deflect from questions. But she added that the context mattered. She said that if the remark had come in response to a different topic, it might have landed differently, and she believed many women could relate to the experience.

Collins emphasized that her question was about assault survivors and was not an attack on Trump. She added that she doesn’t believe it’s controversial to say someone shouldn’t be expected to smile while asking about trafficking and assault victims. Colbert agreed, drawing applause from the audience.

Collins also said she was later flooded with messages and photos— including from her father — showing her smiling. The images, she joked, prove she does smile “when it’s appropriate.”

Trump later revisited the criticism, accusing Collins of not smiling because she “know[s] [she’s] not telling the truth,” and calling CNN “very dishonest.”

A CNN spokesperson defended Collins, calling her an exceptional journalist who reports with depth and tenacity and who brings that work to viewers across CNN platforms.

The episode was not the first time Trump has publicly criticized Collins. He has also repeatedly insulted other female reporters in recent months.