Kaitlan Collins Defies Trump's Criticism Over Epstein Question

Unfortunately, many women can relate to being told to "smile more." Kaitlan Collins, the CNN reporter whoPresident Donald Trump criticizedfor "not smiling" when posing a question to sexual assault survivors, is understood. During a recent appearance onThe Late Show featuring Stephen Colbert, Collins responded to Trump's controversial assault anddeflection attempt.

Earlier this month, Collins questioned Trump regarding the newly disclosed materials connected to Jeffrey Epstein. She urged the president to address what he would tell "the survivors who believe they have not received justice."

In reply, Trump called her "the worst reporter."

He then asserted that CNN has poor ratings due to reporters such as Collins and remarked, "You know, she's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. I've known you for ten years. I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face." Collins interrupted to point out that she was questioning Trump about sexual assault survivors, which is why she wasn't smiling. However, Trump, for some reason, believed he could explain why Collins wasn't smiling. "Because you know you're not telling the truth, and you're a very dishonest network, and they should be embarrassed by you," he stated.

Clearly, this is offensive, but Collins believes it became popular for another explanation.

When Colbert questioned Collins about this encounter, she stated she wasn't particularly surprised, considering it isn't the first instance where Trump has attempted to mock her and shift the focus. However, what made this instance notable was the specific question he dodged and the manner in which he did so. Merely telling a woman to smile more is troubling enough, but instructing a woman to smile while discussing sexual abuse crosses a different threshold.

Collins stated that Trump is "often politically shrewd or connected to what his base wants," but when he told her she should smile more while discussing the Epstein files, it didn't go as he intended. "At that moment, I was thinking, you know, if he had said that in response to a different question, I think it would have received a different reaction," she explained to Colbert. "I believe many women can relate to that moment and that feeling, but I think it was actually the question that generated so much media attention, because my question was about sexual assault survivors and it wasn't even an accusation against the president."

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She believes she didn't do anything that could be considered controversial.

In the end, why would she smile while discussing such a serious subject? "I don't believe it's a controversial view to say you shouldn't smile when questioning someone about a sex trafficker and victims of sexual assault," she continued.

Due to Trump's attack gaining media attention, Collins has recently been flooded with photos that show her smiling, in an effort to demonstrate that Trump was incorrect about her. After all, she does smile occasionally — "when it's appropriate," at the very least. Although, she doesn't need to prove this to anyone.

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