Trump Scolds Kaitlan Collins for Asking Him About Controversial Pardon: ‘You Don’t Know Nothing About Nothing, You Fake News!’
President Donald Trump swiped at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday during a question-and-answer session with reporters at the White House.
Trump was gathered with some of his cabinet members — along with the FBI director — in the State Dining Room for a law enforcement roundtable on immigration-related crime, drug cartels, and human trafficking.
“Today you pardoned the founder of Binance,” Collins began. “Can you explain why you chose to pardon him, and did it have anything to do with his involvement in your famiy’s —
“Which one, who was that?” Trump asked.
“The founder of Binance,” Collins continued. “He has involvement in your own family’s crypto business.”
“The recent one? I believe we’re talking about the same person, because I do pardon a lot of people,” Trump said. “I don’t know. He was recommended by a lot of people. A lot of people say that — Are you talking about the crypto person? A lot of people say he wasn’t guilty of anything, he served four months in jail, and they say that he wasn’t guilty of anything.”
As Collins attempted to clarify, Trump jumped in, saying, “Well, you don’t know much about crypto — you know nothing about nothing, you fake news!”
Trump then continued answering the question.
“He was somebody, as I was told — I don’t believe I have ever met him — but I’ve been told he had a lot of support. And they said what he did is not even a crime. That he was persecuted by the Biden administration. And so I gave him a pardon at the request of some very good people.”
Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the crypto exchange. Zhao’s plea was part of a $4.3 billion settlement the company reached with the Biden DOJ.
According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the Trump family’s own crypto venture — World Liberty Finance, which has generated roughly $5 billion since the 2024 election — has a relationship with Binance which has been called out by critics.
“Critics of World Liberty say that it is a potential vehicle to influence the Trump family and that its growth is spurred by partners and investors who are seeking help from the White House,” wrote the Journal’s Angus Berwick on Sept. 1. “For instance, the market for a dollar-pegged stablecoin issued by World Liberty called USD1 has been largely propped up by Binance.”
Watch the clip above via Fox News.
