Donald Trump lashed out at a reporter after being questioned about Jeffrey Epstein, urging the nation to shift focus ‘to something else’.
Trump seems to have accumulated a series of confrontations with journalists, with this latest incident adding to the collection.
During a round of questions from CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins at an Oval Office meeting on Tuesday (February 3), the US president displayed signs of irritation.
Collins inquired about the recent release of Epstein files, questioning Trump on Elon Musk and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick being mentioned, following his remarks about Democrats being included.
When asked if he had reviewed the new files, Trump responded: “I didn’t. I have a lot of things I am doing, I don’t know.
“You mentioned two names, I am sure they are fine otherwise there would have been major headlines.”
Collins proceeded to ask Trump if he had any thoughts regarding some of the victims of Epstein who were concerned about excessive redactions in the file release.
Trump responded by pointing out that other victims had previously complained about insufficient redactions.
He replied: “Well, they were also unhappy with the fact that they released too much. You know, I hear that.
“And you are telling me something else.”
Trump defended the frequent mention of his name throughout the files, which does not imply any wrongdoing, before criticizing the reporter.
He continued: “I think it’s really time for the country to get on to something else.
“Now that nothing came out about me, other than it was a conspiracy against me literally by Epstein and other people.
“I think it’s time now for the country to maybe get on to something else like healthcare or something that people care about.”
After prompting Collins to finish her question, Trump launched into a tirade about the reporter and her network.
He said: “You are so bad. You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN has no ratings because of people like you.
“You know she’s a young woman. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.
“You know why you’re not smiling because you know you’re not telling the truth and you are a very dishonest organization and they should be ashamed of you.”
At one point, Collins defended herself regarding her apparent lack of smiling by explaining she was questioning the president about Epstein’s abuse survivors.