'Have Some Fun!': 'Tone-Deaf' J.D. Vance Eviscerated for Saying Kaitlan Collins Should Have Smiled When Asking Donald Trump About Epstein Survivors

J.D. Vance is under fire after weighing in on CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins and President Donald Trump's tense exchange.

The backlash erupted one day after Trump snapped at Collins for not smiling while she attempted to question him about the recently released Epstein files. During a separate conversation, Vance praised the president as “so perceptive” and suggested journalists like Collins should loosen up and “have some fun” while doing their jobs.

The comments came during a discussion with podcast host Megyn Kelly, who defended Trump’s remark and shared her own take on the situation.

“Well, I laughed because I saw online that everybody was calling him sexist for saying that, and I literally said the same thing about Kaitlan Collins a year ago on my show. She never smiles. Every once in a while, you have to smile. Roger Ailes used to tell us that every once in a while, you have to remember to smile, just to show the viewers that you have a heart…” Kelly said.

Vance then jumped in, saying, “Just have some fun. You can't always take yourself too seriously. You're gonna have a heart attack. And that's too much of the Washington press corps. And of course, they don't act like that when the other guys are in power. So there is a political bias angle to it….”

He continued by taking aim at the media as a whole.

“The media is one of the low, least trusted institutions in the United States of America. More people would trust them. More people would like them if they actually express the range of emotions. I'm not saying you have to agree with everything that me or President Trump do, but nobody is angry all the time, and when you come across as angry all the time, it’s just fake,” Vance added.

Social media users quickly reacted, blasting the vice president for what many viewed as a wildly inappropriate take.

“A tone-deaf J.D. Vance says that Kaitlan Collins should have smiled when asking Trump about survivors of rape and s-- trafficking,” one person wrote.

Another commenter asked, “Does Vance know how much he’s hated?”

“Two of the most atrocious people on the planet,” a third said, referring to Vance and Kelly.

“This idiot is worse than Trump. He’s just plain dumb,” a fourth fumed.

A fifth added, “Does he even hear himself?!?”

As OK! previously reported, the controversy traces back to Tuesday, February 3, when Trump lashed out at Collins during a press exchange. The CNN reporter had asked about the newly released — and heavily redacted — Jeffrey Epstein documents and what they could mean for survivors.

“You are the worst reporter,” Trump snapped at Collins. “No wonder CNN has no ratings, because of people like you.”

The president then made the moment personal.

“She’s a young woman — I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” he added, brushing off her question.

Collins had been attempting to raise concerns from survivors of the deceased s-- offender, particularly regarding how much information had been blacked out, including entire sections of interviews. Instead of addressing those concerns, Trump escalated his criticism.

“You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth,” Trump continued. “And you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”

Collins tried to redirect the conversation back to the documents and their impact, but Trump ignored her and moved on to another reporter.