'Such hatred in her eyes': Trump lashes out at CNN reporter for 'not smiling'

President Donald Trump on Wednesday went after CNN's chief White House correspondent and host Kaitlan Collins, after she pressed him on questions surrounding the $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund. Trump first attacked the reporter for what he described as looking hateful before lashing out at her after she interrupted his answer regarding the now-blocked fund. 

In his first White House appearance in a week, Trump was asked a question about his $1.8 billion anti-weaponization fund, which had been set up to provide financial compensation to those targeted by previous administrations, including those involved in the January 6 Capitol riots. He then gestured toward Collins, and before she could ask her question, Trump began his attack, saying, "CNN's crooked as hell, CNN's a very corrupt organization, with a corrupt reporter standing right there, never smiles." He then continued saying, "A young, beautiful woman [who] never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes, like she has hatred, because we had borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes, because we do things that everybody wanted, and then we win our election in a massive landslide."

Collins then finally managed to ask the President a question over the anti-weaponization fund, which many critics have labeled a "slush fund," pressing him to share his opinion on the court's decision to block it. "The weaponization fund, as far as I'm concerned, was a beautiful thing," Trump said, adding that he thought "that was the greatest thing because people like you have abused our people so badly. The fake news, like CNN, like the New York Times, and like others, have abused our people." When Collins attempted to interject, Trump snapped, saying, "Wait a minute, be quiet."

He then began a personal attack on Collins as he said, "And you should be ashamed of yourself. You used to be a conservative. She was a conservative from Alabama, can you believe it?" He then looked away from her and said, "But CNN in particular does such false reporting, but now they have new ownership, so maybe it'll straighten out, but I doubt it," referring to the pending deal from his allies, the Ellison family, to take over the network's parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, according to The Independent. 

This isn't the first time Trump has launched a personal attack on a journalist. Recently, he issued a direct warning to a Fox News White House correspondent, Jacqui Heinrich, over his fiancé, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick, always voting against his policies. "Her husband votes against me all the time. Can you imagine? I don't know what's with him. You better ask him what's with him," he said to the reporter, telling her that "it doesn't go well" for those who vote against him. 

Previously, Trump called PBS White House correspondent Liz Landers a "rotten reporter" after she pressed him on the allegations of the 2020 elections being rigged. When she shared quotes from Trump's own attorney general saying the elections weren't rigged, Trump snapped and said, "If you say it wasn't rigged, you're a rotten reporter," before walking away, The Independent reported.