U.S. President Donald Trump and CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins confronted each other during an exchange at the United Nations headquarters in New York. Collins asked Trump when the Iran war would end.
Trump told Collins that she should not follow him at the UN, saying that they had previously stated they would not follow him. Collins said CNN had been independently accredited by the United Nations and had been allowed to cover the high-level meetings of the 81st General Assembly.
Trump uses harsh language against CNN
After the exchange, Trump targeted Collins and CNN in a post on his social media account. Calling the CNN reporter “third-rate” and “fake news,” Trump questioned why journalists in the United Nations General Assembly press area had reacted.
Trump also argued that news organizations had developed an “addiction” to opposing the presidency. He accused CNN employees of being “sick, treacherous and mentally ill.”
White House access dispute reaches court
The confrontation came after the Trump administration barred journalists working for CNN, Politico and MS NOW from working at the White House complex and attending briefings.
The media companies challenged the cancellation of their press credentials in court. The lawsuits continue the legal debate in Washington over the executive branch’s powers and press freedom.