President Donald Trump clashed with CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins on Tuesday as he arrived at the United Nations with first lady Melania Trump, reigniting his feud with the network just days after barring CNN reporters from the White House.
Collins questioned Trump about the war with Iran as the president stopped briefly to speak with reporters ahead of his address to the U.N. General Assembly.
‘You shouldn’t be here,’ the president told the journalist.
‘It’s an honor to be here, I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me,’ Trump said as Collins questioned him on the Iran war. ‘You said you weren’t gonna cover me, you shouldn’t be covering me.’
Trump then turned to the state of the country before heading inside with the first lady.
The president said ‘we’re making a lot of progress, our country is doing really, really well’ before he walked off with Melania.
Another reporter called after Trump with a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Trump turned around and delivered a short message: ‘Settle the war.’
The exchange came four days after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the outlets of years of unfair coverage.
Trump spots Kaitlan Collins at the UN:
“I’m surprised that CNN is here covering me… you said you weren’t going to cover me.”pic.twitter.com/bddUUeOTJc
— johnny maga (@johnnymaga) September 22, 2026
Reporters from the three organizations were denied access to the White House over the weekend, and the outlets filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging that the administration violated their First Amendment and due process rights.
The dispute also spread to the television press pool. ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC halted participation in White House television pool coverage after CNN was prevented from carrying out its scheduled pool duties.
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Trump’s appearance at the U.N. was not affected by the White House restriction because access to the international gathering is governed separately.
The confrontation with Collins came at the start of a packed diplomatic day for Trump, who was scheduled to address the General Assembly and meet with foreign leaders as the wars in Iran and Ukraine continue to dominate the international agenda.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that Trump remained open to meeting Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian while both leaders were in New York.
‘This is a president that will meet with anybody for the most part, because he believes that engaging with people is important if you’re going to solve problems,’ Rubio said on NBC’s Today show.
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‘It doesn’t mean you’re going to end up agreeing with them, but it’s important.’
The White House said Donald Trump planned to use his U.N. speech to make the case that his administration has used American military and economic power to confront global threats.
‘We expect the president will highlight how he has and his administration have confronted complex problems head-on around the world,’ Mike Waltz, Trump’s ambassador to the UN, told reporters.
Trump was also expected to discuss the Iran conflict, Russia’s war against Ukraine and a series of meetings with European and Middle Eastern leaders.
The president’s latest clash with Collins adds another chapter to a long-running relationship between Trump and the CNN journalist, who has repeatedly pressed him during White House appearances and other public events.
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[ H/T Trending Politics ]
