Anderson Cooper Slams Donald Trump for Degrading Kaitlin Collins' Appearance 

CNN host Anderson Cooper fiercely defended his colleague Kaitlan Collins after President Donald Trump launched a personal, misogynistic attack against her in the Oval Office.

During an impromptu press gathering in the Oval Office on Wednesday, June 3, Trump veered sharply from answering a question about a proposal to scrap a Department of Justice "anti-weaponization" slush fund.

Instead of answering, he zeroed in on the CNN Chief White House Correspondent, who was standing quietly in the press pack and had not even asked the question.

"CNN's a very corrupt organization, but with a corrupt reporter standing right there ... Never smiles. She's a young, beautiful woman. Never smiles. I never see a smile on her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes."

On his CNN show Anderson Cooper 360, Cooper called out the double standard on display and directly addressed the gendered nature of the attack.

Cooper stated plainly, "That doesn't happen to men." He emphasized that male journalists are never scrutinized or publicly berated by leadership for their facial expressions or physical appearance.

Cooper pointed out the absurdity of the scene, noting that Collins was standing in a crowd of entirely "non-smiling men" who were completely ignored by the president.

Cooper explained that he chose not to interview Collins on-air about the incident because she had "actual work to do" and shouldn't have to spend her time answering for the president's unprofessional behavior.

“I’m not asking Kaitlan about this because she’s got actual work to do, and she doesn’t need to be answering questions about this kind of behavior. That’s the president of the United States, a nearly 80-year-old man who has no problem commenting on her physical appearance and telling her she needs to smile,” Cooper said.

The journalist, who recently quit his gig on the much-maligned 60 Minutes, continued, saying, “That doesn’t happen to men. No one’s ever said that to me in an office setting. She was there, like every other journalist doing her job, standing around with a bunch of non-smiling men, by the way, all behind her. I don’t know if you saw that. She gets singled out. Now, this, of course, is not the first time the president has focused on professional female reporters, Kaitlan included.”

During the segment, political commentator Tara Palmeri joined Cooper, noting that Trump was utilizing a classic misogynistic trope to objectify and belittle a powerful woman.

“I don’t know why I’m surprised by this. I shouldn’t be, but I just – I don’t think guys, I don’t think any guy would – It’s just bizarre that this is something he does over and over and over again,” said Cooper. “I mean, and I think people do it to women all the time.”

“Yeah, absolutely. What you are seeing is a day in the life of a woman,” said Palmeri. “She’s a powerful woman, and he’s objectifying her, and he’s using a misogynistic comment about her appearance to belittle her.”

While Cooper was not present during this latest Oval Office outburst, he noted that the media who were present remained silent.

“It’s incredible to watch an entire press corps of men who are not smiling, standing around the president, asking him questions, looking very glum, and it’s the women he focuses on to belittle and besmirch,” he said.

This is not the first time Trump has targeted Collins using this specific rhetoric.

In February 2026, when Collins pressed him in the Oval Office regarding newly published Department of Justice files related to Jeffrey Epstein, Trump similarly snapped at her. During that exchange, he called her "the worst reporter," mocked her for not smiling, and claimed her lack of smiling meant she was "not telling the truth."

The confrontation has sparked swift condemnation from media critics and former political allies alike.

Sarah Matthews, who served as Trump’s White House deputy press secretary during his first administration, appeared on CNN's NewsNight to call the remarks "disgusting."

Matthews stated that during her time in the White House, Collins was the reporter who "scared Kayleigh McEnany and President Trump the most" because of her sharp, unrelenting journalism.