Jake Tapper Defends Kaitlan Collins and CNN After Trump’s ‘Juvenile’ Social Tirade: ‘We Are Going to Keep Doing Our Jobs’

President Donald Trump directed harsh words at CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins during a press stop on Tuesday, subsequently escalating his attacks through a series of social media posts. Amidst the controversy, CNN's Jake Tapper came forward to defend his colleague and the network as a whole. In his statement, Trump not only targeted Collins but also criticized CNN employees, labeling them as "sick, treasonous, and demented," and suggested their presence at the United Nations event was unwarranted.

Tapper's response was succinct: "Not going to dignify the president’s juvenile social media post about our brilliant @kaitlancollins except to say she and we are going to keep doing our jobs, which is to ask and cover the questions voters care about — like those about the war in Iran and the economy." On Tuesday, during the United Nations General Assembly, Collins was seen asking Trump tough questions regarding the war in Iran and the economy.

Furthermore, she clarified that they had never promised not to cover the president, but rather pledged to do their best to do so daily. Collins added that they were already positioned in that spot last year when Trump visited the UN, long before the recent debates over White House access. CNN is one of three media outlets that the president barred from the White House following discontent over their coverage, alongside MSNBC and Politico.

This move led to a boycott by the rest of the White House media pool, making it difficult for Trump to deliver his speech as they were present but unable to be heard due to lack of microphones.