During a meeting with ambassadors at the White House, Collins tried to press Trump on the fallout from the incident.
“Mr. President, you said that your national security learned a lesson after a reporter …” Collins began.
However, before she could finish, Trump cut her off.
“Excuse me, I didn’t pick you,” he said sharply, before turning to another reporter and saying, “go ahead.”
The Signal scandal
The controversy erupted after The Atlantic reported that its editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, had been accidentally added to a private Signal chat where senior Trump officials were discussing a planned military strike against Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The blunder raised serious concerns over how classified information is handled within Trump’s inner circle.
Initially, the US president had distanced himself from the matter, claiming he was unaware of the mishap. But on Tuesday morning, he defended National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, who had inadvertently invited Goldberg to the conversation, brushing it off as a “glitch.”
Despite criticism over the security breach, Trump made it clear he still had full confidence in Waltz.
Trump vs Collins
The exchange with Collins was just the latest in a history of tense moments between the journalist and the former president. In a separate Oval Office confrontation, Collins questioned Trump on his stance toward Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I believe he wants peace,” Trump said of Putin, referring to a conversation they had the day before.
Collins further inquired, “Do you trust President Putin?”
Rather than answer directly, Trump took aim at Collins and her network.
“I know [Biden is] a friend of yours. He’s a friend of CNN. That’s why nobody watches CNN anymore—because they have no credibility,” Trump shot back, drawing laughter from some reporters in the room.
Collins also confronted Trump over his claim that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies played a role in a collision between a passenger jet and a military plane in Washington, DC earlier this year.
“Does it comfort [the victims’] families to hear you blaming DEI policies?” she asked.
“I think that’s not a very smart question,” Trump responded. “I’m surprised, coming from you.”
The CNN journalist has also been at the centre of heated exchanges with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Last month, Collins demanded proof of Trump’s claim that presidential pardons issued by Joe Biden were invalid because they were allegedly signed using an autopen without Biden’s approval.
“You’re a reporter, you should find out,” Leavitt responded when pressed for evidence.
Trump alleged that Biden’s staff may have committed a crime by approving pardons without the president’s direct involvement.
“The necessary Pardoning Documents were not explained to, or approved by, Biden. He knew nothing about them, and the people that did may have committed a crime,” Trump said.
