Feud Explodes: Karoline Leavitt Tears Into CNN's Kaitlan Collins as She Claims Network's 'Viewership Has Gone Down'

Karoline Leavitt and Kaitlan Collins had a tense moment during a White House press conference.

The clash went down on Thursday, December 11, as the White House Press Secretary discussed fresh inflation numbers, noting the drop from 2.9 to 2.5 percent since Donald Trump took office in January. The CNN journalist then jumped in with a pointed question.

“First, on affordability. Since we were talking about the economy at the beginning, if the economy is as strong as the president has said it is, then why is he telling parents two weeks before Christmas that they should only buy two or three dolls for their children?” Collins asked.

Leavitt quickly pushed back about the president’s message.

“Look, what the president is saying is that if we want products made right here in America. If we want them to be made from American small businesses, which is a large part of the reason the president has effectively implemented tariffs, then we're going to have better quality products right here in the United States. Maybe you'll pay a dollar or two more, but you will get better quality, and you'll be supporting your fellow Americans by buying American. And that's what the president was saying,” she said.

But the exchange heated up even more when Leavitt turned her focus directly to Collins.

“With respect to affordability, every economic metric, Kaitlan, and I wish you would report more on it, does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration,” she said. “I will repeat, inflation as measured by the overall CPI has slowed to an average 2.5 percent pace. Real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 for the average worker. Gas prices are down in almost every single state across the country. There’s a lot more scrutiny on this issue from this press than there was. My predecessor stood up at this podium and she said inflation doesn’t exist.”

Later, when a reporter asked about Trump urging a potential forced sell-off of CNN, Leavitt doubled down.

“I think the president’s comments yesterday about the sale of CNN and new leadership is evidenced by my exchange with a CNN reporter in this room,” she said. “Their viewership has gone down. Their ratings have declined, and I think the president rightfully believes that the network would benefit from new ownership with respect to this deal. He has great respect for both companies who are bidding against one another, and I won’t weigh in any further.”

Trump already made his stance clear the day before, inserting himself into the U.S. government’s review of a potential Warner Bros. Discovery deal. He said it was “imperative” that CNN be sold as part of “any deal” the company enters into — insisting the network shouldn’t remain under its current management.

During his White House remarks, Trump made his stance clear.

He said any transaction “should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately,” adding, “I think I think CNN should be sold because I think the people that are running CNN right now” are “either corrupt or incompetent.”

He argued that the existing leadership shouldn’t be rewarded by continuing to run the outlet “with money” from a major deal.

“I don’t think the people that are running that company right now and running CNN, which is a very dishonest group of people, I don’t think that should be allowed to continue,” Trump said. “I think CNN should be sold along with everything else.”

He ended his remarks with another jab, stating, “I think the people that have run CNN for the last, long period of time are a disgrace. I think it’s imperative that CNN be sold, because you certainly wouldn’t want to put people, just leave those people with some money, good money, and CNN, so that they can spend even more money spreading poison, because it’s lies. It’s a disgrace.”