Washington, D.C, 05 February (H.S.): U.S. President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering personal attack on CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins during a tense Oval Office press interaction on Tuesday, February 3, branding her the worst reporter and mocking her perpetual somber demeanor amid pointed questions about redactions in the latest Jeffrey Epstein case documents.

Collins pressed Trump on grievances voiced by Epstein survivors regarding extensive U.S. Justice Department redactions—including fully blacked-out FBI witness interviews—that have obscured critical details from the financier's sex-trafficking network files, recently spotlighting figures like Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

Admitting he had not perused the documents, Trump dismissed their import, insisting no major headlines implicated associates and declaring it time for the country to get on to something else.

As Collins persisted, querying what he would tell aggrieved victims denied full justice, Trump pivoted acerbically: I've known you for ten years. I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you're not smiling? Because you know you're not telling the truth. You're a very dishonest organization—and they should be ashamed of you.

Trump's Broader Media AnimusEven as reporters were ushered out, Trump gestured dismissively at Collins, reiterating to aides that she never smiles, a barb echoed in his prior Truth Social missives decrying her as always Stupid and Nasty.

This episode reprises Trump's pattern of excoriating female journalists: last November, he silenced one with Quiet! Quiet, piggy during Afghan vetting queries at Mar-a-Lago; he has branded a New York Times scribe on his vitality ugly; and recently queried another's intellect with Are you stupid?

A seasoned anchor who transitioned from entertainment beats at The Daily Caller to CNN's White House corps in 2017, Collins has repeatedly sparred with Trump, previously rebutting his ballroom-cost fabrications on Instagram by clarifying her query concerned Venezuela.

CNN swiftly lauded her as an exceptional journalist who reports with real depth and tenacity, while survivor advocates underscored the redactions' hindrance to accountability.

Commentator Piers Morgan noted Collins smiles a LOT, underscoring the irrelevance of Trump's ad hominem aside to her probing reportage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar