President Donald Trump sparked a heated exchange with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins during a White House briefing after she questioned his continued support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
Rather than simply addressing the growing controversy surrounding his Cabinet official, Trump turned his attention toward Collins.
The exchange began when the reporter asked whether Trump intended to stand behind Hegseth as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie pushes for his removal from office.
“Yeah I’ll stand by him,” Trump responded, according to UNILAD. “He’s won two wars, he was in charge, we all won, I have great people.”
The president then shifted his focus to Massie, dismissing the congressman as a “loser” before directing a personal jab at Collins.
“Just like you’re a loser at CNN, just like your ratings are a loser. Massie is a stone cold loser,” Trump said.
Donald Trump support Pete Hegseth
He continued, saying: “I did something nobody has done before, I took on a guy that was in his own way sort of popular, and I beat him badly and easily.
“Massie has a lot of hatred in his heart, we won two wars and we have made the world a much safer place.”
Trump also defended Hegseth’s performance, saying: “More people want to be in the army and even the police, and the soldiers they love Pete Hegseth.
“Now we have waiting lists, he’s done a very good job.”
The comments have since drawn a response from another prominent CNN figure. Anchor Jake Tapper came to his colleague’s defense, taking aim at Trump’s remarks in a post on X.
“Kind of incredible to hear President Trump, after last Tuesday’s results, calling anyone else a loser.
“There’s one person in this exchange whose behavior, hand-picked candidates, and policies were repudiated handily by voters with historical election losses coast to coast – including in Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Ohio, and Georgia – and it ain’t Kaitlan.”
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