Trump calls Kaitlan Collins and CNN "SLEAZEBAGS" and "sick, treasonous, and demented"
Donald TrumpPresident of the United States, posting on Truth Social
Hours after confronting CNN's Kaitlan Collins at the United Nations and telling her "You shouldn't be here," Trump posted on Truth Social calling her a "SLEAZEBAG" and a "Third Rate 'Reporter,'" saying she and CNN have a "TRUMP" addiction, and calling them "sick, treasonous, and demented." In the same post he described the judge set to hear the outlets' case the next day as "totally disloyal."
“All of the SLEAZEBAGS, like Third Rate "Reporter," Kaitlan Collins, of Fake News CNN, a truly unhappy person, said they weren't going to be covering me. Then why were they ranting and raving like Lunatics, in the Press Area, at the United Nations? Why was she there? She's got a "TRUMP" addiction, and so does CNN and MSDNC. They're all sick, treasonous, and demented!”
Original text
Where this statement fits
Should President Trump bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage?
On Friday, September 18, 2026, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that, "effective immediately, I am banning" CNN, MS NOW and Politico "from the White House as a result of their constant 'reporting' FAKE NEWS!" About an hour later, in the Oval Office, he said no particular story prompted the decision, that he does not want the outlets "in my office," and that "somebody has a right to keep them away" if outlets write false stories. The three outlets and press-freedom groups oppose the exclusion, citing constitutional protection for the press, and the White House Correspondents' Association said it "stands in defense of our colleagues at CNN, MSNOW, and POLITICO." On Saturday, September 19, MS NOW, CNN and Politico said their White House reporters were refused entry and had press passes confiscated; the White House referred questions to Trump's earlier remarks. The dispute is over whether President Trump should exclude named news organizations from White House access over what they report.
Source and context
Original text
About this source
Trump's own Truth Social post, posted hours after he confronted CNN's Kaitlan Collins at the United Nations and roughly a day before the TRO hearing in CNN v. Trump before Judge Timothy Kelly, whom Trump calls "disloyal" in the same post.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Earlier that day at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump told Collins, "I'm surprised that CNN is here covering me. You shouldn't be here!" Collins responded that the United Nations, not the White House, had credentialed her, and that CNN had never said it would stop covering him.
After the quotation
The next afternoon, Judge Timothy Kelly heard arguments on the outlets' request for a temporary restraining order and did not rule from the bench.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Trump continues to justify excluding CNN by attacking Collins's conduct and CNN's coverage directly, treating her presence and questions at the United Nations as further proof the outlets deserve exclusion, consistent with his earlier defenses of the ban rather than any softening or denial of the underlying dispute.
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- People and groups discussed
- Kaitlan Collins, CNN
More from this case
Read the full caseFreedom of the Press Foundation calls the ruling a "stinging defeat" for the press ban
Freedom of the Press Foundation
“This decision is a stinging defeat for Trump's assault on the free press and a powerful vindication of the First Amendment. As Judge Kelly recognized, presidents don't get to use their power to purge journalists because they don't like what they report.”Read statement
Reporters Committee says the injunction ends a "blatantly unconstitutional attempt" to punish news outlets
Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press
“The court has put an end to a blatantly unconstitutional attempt to punish news outlets for coverage the president doesn't like. The decision protects not only CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, but all the other holders of White House passes who continued to work under the threat of retaliation — and of course the public, which deserves timely and accurate information from a press corps free from government intimidation.”Read statement
CNN chief Mark Thompson says the network will fight the ban "to the end"
“To me, it's a vote of confidence in free speech and our right, not really so much for ourselves but on behalf of the public everywhere ... No matter how many court cases, investigations, court appearances, and all the expense that that entails, we will fight this one to the end”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Trump calls Kaitlan Collins and CNN "SLEAZEBAGS" and "sick, treasonous, and demented"". First published: 2026-09-23. Last updated: 2026-09-23. https://disputeindex.com/events/1684-hours-after-confronting-cnn-s-kaitlan-collins-at