Trump is taking no prisoners. He’s not going to allow a the Left to get away with their usual tactics.
And Donald Trump utterly embarrassed this CNN host in a must-see exchange.
Trump Clashes with CNN Anchor Over Deportation Dispute in Oval Office Showdown
In a heated Oval Office exchange on Monday, President Donald Trump sparred with CNN’s primetime anchor Kaitlan Collins during a discussion about Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an El Salvadoran national mistakenly deported from the United States. The encounter unfolded as Trump hosted El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele at the White House, turning a diplomatic visit into a pointed confrontation with the press.
As Collins attempted to interject, Trump cut in, referring to her as the “very low-rated anchor” before inviting her question. Unfazed, Collins pressed Trump on whether he would urge Bukele to help secure Abrego Garcia’s return to the U.S. Trump deflected, passing the question to Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Bondi explained that Abrego Garcia, deemed a member of the MS-13 gang—a group labeled a transnational terrorist organization by immigration courts—had been illegally in the U.S. She noted that any decision on his return rested solely with El Salvador, saying it was “up to El Salvador” to decide.
Trump jumped back in, accusing CNN of framing the issue “with a slant, because they are totally slanted.” He went on, claiming, “They don’t know what’s happening, that’s why nobody is watching them,” doubling down on his criticism of the network’s coverage.
White House advisor Stephen Miller also weighed in at Trump’s direction, calling it “very arrogant even for American media to suggest that we would even tell El Salvador how to handle their own citizens.” Miller emphasized that Trump’s designation of MS-13 as a foreign terrorist group rendered Abrego Garcia ineligible for any U.S. immigration relief.
The dispute traces back to a court ruling ordering the U.S. government to take “steps to facilitate the return” of Abrego Garcia, who was deported last month in what the administration later admitted was an “administrative error.”
The Justice Department, however, argued that federal courts lack the power to dictate foreign policy, asserting that the order only requires clearing “domestic obstacles” to Abrego Garcia’s potential return, not direct negotiations with El Salvador.
The Supreme Court upheld a decision by U.S. District Judge Paula Xinis, affirming that the government must “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s release from custody in El Salvador and ensure his case is processed as it would have been had the deportation not occurred.
Yet, the Trump administration has spun the ruling as a win, with Miller declaring, “We won a case 9-0,” while slamming CNN for portraying it as a loss. He added, “And people like CNN are portraying it as a loss, as usual, because they want foreign terrorists in the country who kidnap women and children.”
Collins, who anchors “The Source” on weeknights while serving as CNN’s White House correspondent, pushed back, noting Trump’s earlier pledge to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling.
Trump fired back, “Why don’t you just say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’ Why can’t you just say that? Why do you go over and over — and that’s why nobody watches you anymore. You have no credibility.”
The tension didn’t stop there. Earlier in the meeting with Bukele, Trump took aim at CNN, saying, “I think they hate our country,” and accused the outlet of downplaying his administration’s success in reducing illegal border crossings.
In a court filing submitted Sunday night, Justice Department lawyers doubled down, arguing they are not obligated to follow the judge’s order to “facilitate” Abrego Garcia’s return.
Now held in an El Salvadoran prison, Abrego Garcia’s deportation was acknowledged as a mistake, but the administration maintains that courts “have no authority to direct the Executive Branch to conduct foreign relations in a particular way, or engage with a foreign sovereign in a given manner.”
The fiery exchange highlights the ongoing friction between Trump and the media, specifically between him and CNN.
But as the administration navigates the legal and diplomatic fallout of Abrego Garcia’s case, the Oval Office clash serves as a vivid reminder of Trump’s combative approach to both policy and press.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
