Overview
- On Feb. 3 in the Oval Office, President Trump told CNN's Kaitlan Collins he had never seen her smile as she asked about the Jeffrey Epstein files.
- Speaking on CBS’s The Late Show, Collins said the comment did not surprise her yet felt patronizing in the context of her question.
- She emphasized that her question focused on sexual-assault survivors and was not accusatory of the president.
- Collins reiterated on the Absolutely Not podcast that discussing sex-trafficking victims is not a laughing matter and cited interviews she has conducted with survivors.
- Coverage notes the episode fits a pattern of Trump belittling female reporters, referencing past insults directed at women in the press corps.