CNN’s Kaitlan Collins has taken a subtle on-air dig at President Donald Trump.
Collins went on air this week with a mug prominently placed on her desk during her thrice-weekly show, The Source, bearing a provocative message.
“America Needs Nasty Women,” it reads.
Collins has been a target of Trump’s ire towards the press, and in particular his habit of berating and criticizing female journalists.
In a 2023 town hall during the Republican primaries, Collins grilled Trump over boxes of classified documents the FBI said he had sequestered away at Mar-a-Lago and refused to return, eventually leading to a raid.
During the terse exchange, Trump told Collins, “You are a nasty person.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump’s attacks on Collins have become even more frequent.
In December, he began a Truth Social post by misspelling her name, writing, “Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty.”
His obsession with “fake news” media organizations came to a head in September when he banned CNN, Politico, and MS NOW from the White House, and booted CNN off Air Force One.
After the ban was overturned by one of Trump’s own judicial appointees on First Amendment grounds, the president then kicked CNN off Air Force One and bluntly antagonized Collins, singling her out for criticism and telling her she “shouldn’t be here.”
Time published a lengthy interview with Trump this week in which he lashed out at Collins while ranting about how the media only covers negative stories.
“So at a certain point, you say, ‘What’s the purpose of, like, this crazy Kaitlan Collins?’ She’s a very average person. She’s the most unhappy young person I’ve ever seen,“ Trump said.
“If I did something spectacular by any standard, and they would write about it, they will only write badly.”
Collins showed off her mug while speaking with CNN’s data guru Harry Enten on The Source on Wednesday. She also had the mug on Friday night’s broadcast, with CNN contributor Jennifer Mascia pointing it out.
“Loving Kaitlan Collins’ mug on CNN tonight: “America needs nasty women” 🔥😈," she wrote.
CNN did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but has strongly backed Collins and the entire White House reporting team amid the president’s attacks.
The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
