KAROLINE LEAVITT’S FROSTY FEUD WITH KAITLAN COLLINS CLEARLY HASN’T THAWED (IF LOOKS COULD KILL)

Kaitlan Collins smiling on the red carpet

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has made it crystal clear she can’t stand CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. And Leavitt’s latest press briefing was yet another sign that this feud is uglier than it looks. It’s pretty rare for Leavitt to get through a press briefing without being at least a little shady toward at least one member of the press. When it came to her interaction with Collins, however, it was easy to see that this was particularly personal.

COLLINS: Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul say the bill will add to the deficit. Is the White House’s position that those Republicans are blatantly wrong?

LEAVITT: It is … there hasn’t been a single staffer in the entire CBO that has contributed to a Republican since 2000

On June 3, Leavitt took to her podium to hold her press briefing. When it was Collins’ turn to ask a question, she didn’t actually need to get the question out for Leavitt to appear visibly annoyed. When Collins began speaking, Leavitt pursed her lips and visibly took a deep breath. She maintained her scowl for the remainder of Collins’ question about Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” and at one point, she even quickly flashed what appeared to be a fake smile before returning to her scowl. While Leavitt was a bit aggressive with her response, it was her facial expression while Collins was speaking that really stuck out. It almost seemed as if Leavitt was more focused on fuming than actually fielding the question.

Karoline Leavitt’s question-dodging got attention

Karoline Leavitt scowling at the podium

The fact that Karoline Leavitt and Kaitlan Collins’ brutal feud shows no signs of slowing down was written all over the press secretary’s face. Yet, it also didn’t help that she dodged answering Collins’ question, and folks on X took note of this. Collins began her question by noting that Leavitt had previously called it “blatantly wrong” that the bill would add to the deficit (via X). She added, “Republicans like Ron Johnson and Rand Paul disagree.

They’re saying that it will add to the deficit… Is the White House’s position that those two Republican senators are ‘blatantly wrong?'” “It is!” Leavitt replied smugly, adding, “[I]t’s not news that they disagree with this president on policy, and the president has vocally called them out for it…” before veering into unrelated talking points. While this may not seem out of the ordinary for Leavitt’s usual style, it was clear she didn’t intend to fully answer Collins’ question.

“So… she’s just not going to answer the question? Her reply has nothing to do with anything,” one X user commented on a clip of the response. “What is the point in even asking her questions? Everyone lies and is wrong except Trump,” another added, pointing out Leavitt’s usual take on questions. One commenter tagged Leavitt, and simply urged, “Answer the question.” Evidently, at this point, Leavitt’s disdain for certain members of the press is affecting her ability to do her job.