Is Trump Wrong To Call CNN’s Kaitlan Collins A ‘Sleazebag’?

The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

President Donald Trump’s long-running battle with CNN has entered another highly personal chapter following an exchange with CNN anchor and White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.

The latest dispute unfolded during Trump’s September 22 appearance at the United Nations.

Collins attempted to question the president about the Iran conflict. Trump responded by telling her that CNN should not be covering him and that she “should not be here.” CNN’s presence at the United Nations was permitted through the U.N.’s own credentialing system rather than White House press access.

The confrontation came shortly after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from White House access. Trump has accused the organizations of unfair and inaccurate coverage, while the affected news organizations have challenged the administration’s decision and raised First Amendment objections.

Hours after the United Nations encounter, Trump escalated his criticism on Truth Social.

In the post, the president referred to Collins as a “SLEAZEBAG” and a “Third Rate ‘Reporter,’” while also attacking CNN and other media organizations.

The episode has renewed a familiar argument surrounding Trump’s relationship with the national media.

Supporters of Trump have frequently argued that conventional news organizations treat him unfairly and that the president has every right to aggressively challenge journalists he believes are presenting misleading coverage. Critics counter that personal insults directed at individual reporters are inappropriate for a president and risk shifting attention away from legitimate disagreements about journalism and policy.

There is an important distinction between those two debates.

Americans can disagree about whether CNN’s reporting is fair, whether Collins asks appropriate questions, and whether the White House should challenge particular stories. A separate question is whether a president should use personal insults when responding to journalists.

Trump has never been known for adopting the restrained language traditionally associated with American presidents. His confrontational communication style has been an important part of his political identity for years, attracting strong support from some voters while drawing equally strong criticism from others.

So where should the line be drawn between forcefully confronting the media and making the disagreement personal?