When last we checked in with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, she was being rebuked by President Trump for asking a question about the DC mid-air collision — a question that the president deemed to be “not very smart.” Collins seemed quite upset about Trump mentioning DEI hiring practices possibly having something to do with the accident, and made her displeasure clear when questioning the president. And he made it very clear that he didn’t have time for her partisan posturing.
Collins makes her haughty presence in the White House press briefing room known at every Q&A held by either the president or White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, apparently believing that her seat in the front row somehow bestows on her some sort of VIP status. We know that the president isn’t playing that game, and neither is Leavitt.
At Tuesday’s White House press briefing, Collins took the occasion to be offended on behalf of the Associated Press (AP), who was summarily removed from the White House press pool Monday for refusing to refer to a certain body of water as the Gulf of America despite it now being the recognized designation of the federal government (and Google!). To be clear, AP reporters did not have their hard passes to the White House revoked—nor were they booted from the briefing room—they simply weren’t afforded the opportunity to be a part of the press gaggle that questions the president in the Oval Office.
Dear Associated Press: It Is Not a Constitutional Crisis When You Are Disinvited From the Oval Office
Nonetheless, Kaitlan Collins was steamed and directed her ire at Karoline Leavitt, demanding to know who at the White House decided the AP would be excluded.
CNN’s @KaitlanCollins: “And final thing for you, which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter from the Oval Office and the Diplomatic Reception Room last night?”@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “Well, first of all, let me just set the record straight. It is a… pic.twitter.com/IuJmXQhbKT
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 12, 2025
CNN’s @KaitlanCollins: “And final thing for you, which White House official made the decision to bar the AP reporter from the Oval Office and the Diplomatic Reception Room last night?”
@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “Well, first of all, let me just set the record straight. It is a privilege to cover this White House. It’s a privilege to be the White House press secretary. And nobody has the right to go into the Oval Office and ask the President of the United States questions. That is an invitation that is given. And there are hundreds of outlets on this campus, many of you in this room who don’t have the privilege of being part of that pool every single day and getting to ask the President questions. We reserve the right to decide who gets to go into the Oval Office, and you all have credentials to be here, including the Associated Press, who was in this Briefing Room today.”
This is an extremely important reminder, and Leavitt delivered it well. The legacy media long ago sacrificed its credibility in favor of partisan attacks, and it is a privilege—not a right—for them to be invited to report from the White House. Despite the important role journalism plays (or at least should play) in government accountability, being honest is more important. Outlets that can’t abide by basic journalistic standards should be left out, making room for others who take their assignment more seriously.
Collin wasn’t satisfied with this and accused the Trump White House of “retaliating” against AP.
CNN’s @KaitlanCollins: “But isn’t it retaliatory in nature is — is the argument because the reason the AP was barred, which they said was because they’re not using the phrase Gulf of America, they are using Gulf of Mexico in line with their standards. And so, the question here is… pic.twitter.com/l6GehiINte
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) February 12, 2025
CNN’s @KaitlanCollins: “But isn’t it retaliatory in nature is — is the argument because the reason the AP was barred, which they said was because they’re not using the phrase Gulf of America, they are using Gulf of Mexico in line with their standards. And so, the question here is is this setting a precedent that the White House will retaliate against reporters who don’t use the language you guys believe reporters should use and how does that align with the First Amendment commitment that you were just talking about?”
@PressSec @KarolineLeavitt: “I was upfront in my briefing on day one if we feel there are lies being pushed by outlets in this room we are going to hold those lies accountable, and it is a fact that the body of water off the coast of Louisiana is called the Gulf of America, and I am not sure why news outlets don’t want to call it that, but that is what it is. The secretary of Interior has made that the official designation and the geographical identification name server and Apple has recognized that, Google has recognized that, pretty much every outlet in this room has recognized that body of water as the gulf of America, and it is very important to the said administration that we get that right, not just for people here at home but also for the rest of the world.”
Kaitlan Collins’ tantrum had little to do with freedom of the press and everything to do with her refusal to acknowledge that old media norms—namely, outlets like CNN getting special treatment—are no longer in play at the Trump White House. Leavitt’s handling of the situation made it clear that this administration will not be bullied by those who, like Collins herself, seek to manufacture outrage.
