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Kaitlan Collins talks ‘big’ moment between she and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt during Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia early in second term
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In a new podcast interview, Collins said Levitt stepped in after the Saudi Royal Guards became “alarmed” by her shouting questions during a public appearance.
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While Collins praised Levitt for supporting her at the time, the White House correspondent has recently found herself under attack from the Trump administration
Kaitlan Collins talks with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt about the positive moments from the early days of President Donald Trump’s second term.
In new interview with Heather McMahan Absolutely not In the podcast, CNN’s chief White House correspondent revealed that Levitt defended her during the trip to Saudi Arabia.
Collins, who was recently called “stupid and dirty” by Trump, recalled a moment during a May 2025 visit when she shouted a question to the president, who was standing with other world leaders including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
“It’s no secret that they don’t like the media there,” Collins, 33, told McMahan. “To put it mildly.”
Trump did not answer Collins’ loud questions, and after the Saudi leader left the room, Collins said the Saudi Royal Guards were “freaking out” at her because she “had the audacity to ask questions, which they are not used to doing because they don’t have a free press.”
“They came over and said, ‘Well, you can’t play the next game,’ about two minutes later,” Collins recalled. “I was like, ‘That’s not what happened. I went to American Press,’ and they said, ‘Well, you can’t come in.'”
Collins went on to explain that White House staff were unsure how to handle the situation, so they turned to Levitt, 28, for help.
“To her credit, she said, ‘No, Caitlan comes in with the rest of the American press,’ and we went in,” Collins said of Leavitt. “So it hasn’t become a big issue.”
Collins went on to say Levitt’s response was “significant,” noting, “especially when you’re an American contingent overseas, we don’t do things like they do in Saudi Arabia.”
While Levitt supported Collins when she was nearly shut out of Saudi security agencies on international travel, the CNN reporter faced tensions at home with the Trump White House as the administration sought to erode trust in the media.
Trump and Levitt have lashed out at reporters when they asked questions the White House deemed unfavorable, and Collins has faced hostility on several occasions.
During a CNN town hall during the 2023 Republican presidential primaries, Trump called Collins a “nasty person” for asking about a federal investigation into his handling of classified documents. (A few weeks after the town hall meeting, the Justice Department indicted him on seven criminal counts, including violations of the Espionage Act, although the case was dismissed by a Trump-appointed judge before trial.)
In December, Trump went on a tirade on Truth Social, calling Collins “stupid and obnoxious” for asking about his controversial White House ballroom renovations — though Collins responded to his attack by saying her question was “technically” about his threats to Venezuela.
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On February 3, Trump showed the White House press corps a new red and white baseball cap that read “America is Back,” and then lashed out at Collins in person.
“Look, CNN is excited,” Trump said, before adding, “She never smiles. One day I’m going to see her smile,” referring to Collins.
Shortly after, Collins can be heard asking the president a question while speaking to another reporter. “What did you say? Go ahead, CNN,” Trump said.
“What would you say to survivors…” Collins asked, referring to survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
“You are the worst reporter. No wonder CNN…CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know she’s a young woman,” Trump interjected, referring to Collins. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face.”
“Well, let me ask you about Survivor,” Collins replied.
“You know why you’re not smiling? Because you know you’re not telling the truth,” Trump added. “You are a deeply dishonest organization and they should be ashamed of you.”
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