Crowd Erupts at Kaitlan Collins Clap-Back to Trump Meltdown Over Epstein Question

The Late Show crowd erupted in cheers when CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins clapped back at President Donald Trump‘s attack on her over a question about Epstein survivors, in which he accused her of never smiling.

The president famously flipped out on Collins as he took questions during a signing ceremony, raging at her for asking about concerns from survivors over the rollout of the newest Epstein files dump.

Collins asked Trump about survivors’ concerns about redactions and feeling like “they haven’t gotten justice.”

Trump responded by attacking Collins and claiming she never “smiles,” considered a misogynist trope by many.

On Wednesday night’s edition of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, host Stephen Colbert played the exchange and asked Collins about it.

Collins hit Trump with several quips and observations, including a crowd-pleaser about why she didn’t smile as she asked about survivors of sexual abuse and violence:

STEPHEN COLBERT: Now, you have covered the (JEERS) You’ve covered the president for 10 years, as you said.

CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS: He did get that right, yeah.

STEPHEN COLBERT: So you expect what he’s like, you know. Did that one surprise you?

CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS: I don’t think it surprised me in the moment of the attack. I mean, the president has called me a lot of names. He’s gone after me and tried to deflect from the questions that we’re asking.

But in that moment, you know, he is someone who is often politically savvy or tied in with what his base wants.

In that moment, I was thinking, you know, if he had said that to, in response to a different question, I think it would have had a different reaction.

I mean, I don’t think any woman, I mean a lot of women can identify with that moment and that feeling. But I think that it was actually the question that is what generated so many headlines out of that.

Because my question was about sexual assault survivors, and it wasn’t even accusatory of the president. It was what these women, many of whom I’ve interviewed and had on my show, often have said to me.

And I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion that you shouldn’t smile when you’re asking questions about a sex trafficker and sexual assault victim.

CROWD: (ERUPTS IN CHEERS)

STEPHEN COLBERT: That’s reasonable. That’s reasonable. But why, I’m just curious.

CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS: I will say, though, that ever since that, everyone has been sending me pictures of me smiling. Like, if it’s selfies I’ve taken with someone or, like, my dad was sending me pictures of be smiling as, like a 10-year-old, like it’s like I’ve been inundated with photos showing that I do indeed smile. When it’s appropriate!

STEPHEN COLBERT: Yes, lovely smile, lovely smile.

Watch above via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

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