Overview
- During a Feb. 3 press gaggle, the president called Collins “the worst reporter” and criticized her for “never” smiling as she asked what he would say to Epstein survivors seeking justice.
- Collins pressed him on whether he had read any of the roughly 3 million pages released and noted references in the files to Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- The president said he had not reviewed the new tranche, maintained those named were “fine,” and declared it was time for the country to “get on to something else.”
- Survivors and independent analysts reported numerous redaction failures in the DOJ release that exposed sensitive survivor information and fully blacked out entire witness interviews.
- CNN quickly issued a statement calling Collins an exceptional journalist as media figures criticized the exchange and pointed to a pattern of the president targeting female reporters.