Kaitlan Collins Says Trump Is More ‘Accessible’ To Reporters Than Previous Presidents

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What to Know

01 CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins says Donald Trump is more "accessible" to the media compared to other presidents.
02 The comments have sparked backlash online, largely because of what Trump says to journalists when he does speak to them.
03 Earlier this year, Trump called Collins out for not smiling when asking a question related to the Epstein files.

Comments CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins made about President Donald Trump and how he interacts with reporters are raising eyebrows. The journalist, who Trump recently criticized for not smiling enough, said “Trump is such an accessible president,” and people have questions. Because does being “accessible” to the media really matter when you’re evading questions and attacking reporters for doing their jobs? Given how often he talks about “fake news,” Trump is definitely not known for being friendly toward the press.

But according to Collins, Trump “embraced the media.”

During an appearance on Jason Tartick’s Trading Secrets podcast, Collins compared Trump to Former President Barack Obama and other former presidents. “When you speak to reporters who covered President Obama, he almost never responded to shouted questions,” she said. “It wasn’t his thing. He would have his moments with world leaders, and then you would leave the Oval. Trump kind of upended that when he came into the White House.”

She continued, “Sometimes presidents are press-averse. Trump embraced the media. He did it for decades as like this New York mogul, and so he just had a different approach to the press, and always has.”

The podcast episode came out in October 2025, but recently resurfaced online. A Joe Rogan fan account shared a clip from the podcast on X on March 14.

Collins said any moment with Trump “can turn into a press conference.”

She first started covering the White House in 2017, during Trump’s first presidency. That means she has only covered Trump and Former President Joe Biden. Still, she thinks Trump is very different from a “typical” president (and most people would agree, though maybe not for the same reason).

“Trump is such an accessible president that, like, if he’s just swearing in the ambassador to Greece, that typically wouldn’t be a newsworthy event if President Biden or any typical president was doing it,” she explained. “But Trump’s moments — anytime the camera is around, [and] reporters are around, it could turn into a press conference.”

She added, “Trump will swear someone in, and then he’ll turn to you and say, you know, ‘Any questions?’ And he’ll take maybe questions for 45 minutes.”

But people questioned the actual value of being “accessible” and available.

Sure, maybe Trump invites reporters to ask questions, but that doesn’t mean he actually answers those questions or respects journalists. One critic on X wrote, “There is no value to be more accessible if he is lying 99.9% of the time.” And someone else pointed out that Trump is probably so available because he “lives for cameras and attention,” but added, “What difference does it make that he answers random shouted questions if they’re almost always nonsense answers or lies?”

Critics called Collins out for not “having standards” and for prioritizing the wrong things. “Accessible is not the same thing as transparent or honest,” someone argued. “He gives you ‘access’ to him so he can spread his lies & propaganda.” And a fourth critic said, “You get called an unhappy person, are criticized personally almost every time you try to speak to the president but hey at least he acknowledges you? Really that’s the standard…”

Collins’ positive, lighthearted tone also bothered people. “The way she laughs & fawns over how available he is vs taking about the damage he’s causing is disgusting,” another critic added.

She made these comments before he told her to smile more.

Since the podcast came out in October, Trump had not yet called Collins “the worst reporter” who never smiles. That happened in February. At the time, Collins had asked Trump about the documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and what he would say to “the survivors who feel like they haven’t gotten justice.”

In response, Trump said, “You know, she’s a young woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for ten years. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.” He went on to say, “‘Cause you know you’re not telling the truth, and you’re a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.”

Collins addressed this interaction during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. “I think it was actually the question that generated so many headlines out of that, because my question was about sexual assault survivors and it wasn’t even accusatory of the president,” she said. “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 victims.”

When the podcast in which she described Trump as “accessible” resurfaced, people brought this moment up. “how’s this accessibility working for you now?” someone questioned. “His only acknowledgement of you is filled with disrespect.”

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Paige Sheffield (she/her)