CNN’s Kaitlan Collins claims Trump ‘seemed to backtrack’ after he took aim at her in tense Oval Office briefing over deportation of alleged MS-13 member
CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins hit back at President Trump just hours after he took aim at her during a tense exchange in the Oval Office over the deportation of a man to an El Salvador prison.
During her show Monday evening, Collins claimed Trump ”seemed to backtrack” on earlier promises to comply with a Supreme Court order to reverse the deportation.
She replayed clips of the president lobbing insults her way and having members of his administration, including Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller, defend the deportation of a Maryland man to an El Salvadoran prison.
“In the Oval Office today, the president seemed to backtrack what he said about the Supreme Court and instead leaned on some of his top aides to make the case,” Collins said during her show, “The Source.”
The Trump administration has claimed that Kilmar Abrego Garcia, the El Salvadorian national who was deported, was a member of the violent MS-13 gang. His family has denied this. Abrego Garcia has not been criminally charged in the US or El Salvador, according to court filings.
Justice Department officials have acknowledged the deportation was a mistake, because of an immigration judge’s 2019 order preventing such a move, and the Supreme Court has ordered the White House to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.
“The administration has made clear they do not intend to seek this man’s return despite a Supreme Court ruling in recent days that the White House must ‘facilitate’ it, and despite the comment from President Trump just a few days ago,” Collins said on her show, before rolling a clip of Trump speaking from Air Force One.
On board the plane, Trump said: “If the Supreme Court said bring somebody back, I would do that. I would respect the Supreme Court.”
In the Oval Office on Monday, Collins pushed Trump on the issue, asking whether he intends to abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling and seek Abrego Garcia’s return.
“How long do we have to answer this question? Why don’t you just say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country’? Why can’t you just say that? Why do you go over and over — and that’s why nobody watches you anymore. You have no credibility,” Trump said.
He shot back that Collins was a “low-rated” anchor and passed the question to Bondi.
He later asked Miller to jump in, while slamming Collins’ network once again.
“Can you just also respond to that question because you know it’s asked by CNN and they always ask it with a slant because they’re totally slanted because they don’t know what’s happening,” Trump told Miller.
“That’s why nobody’s watching them,” he added.
Trump previously cut off Collins during a press briefing last month, saying sharply: “Excuse me, I didn’t pick you.”
