White House press briefings rarely produce moments of mutual praise. But CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins recently acknowledged one, and it involved one of her most frequent sparring partners, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Appearing on Heather McMahan’s Absolutely podcast, Collins recounted an incident during a presidential trip to Saudi Arabia when she was nearly barred from attending a press event after asking a question that unsettled local officials. Saudi authorities, she explained, are not accustomed to aggressive questioning from reporters.
According to Collins, after she posed a question, “the Saudi Royal Guard kind of freaked out.”
“They came up, and they said, ‘Okay, well you can’t come into the next event,’ which was like two minutes later, and I was like, ‘That’s not how this works, I belong to the U.S. press,’ and they were like, ‘Well, you’re not coming in,’” Collins said on the podcast.
She described the guards as “whispering and pointing” at her, while junior White House officials hesitated over how to respond. Ultimately, the matter was escalated to Leavitt.
“To her credit, she said, ‘No, Kaitlan’s coming in with the rest of the U.S. press,’ and we went in, and so it didn’t become this big issue,” Collins said, giving the press secretary rare public acknowledgment for intervening.
The moment of professional respect stands in contrast to the often-contentious exchanges between the two in the White House briefing room.
In December 2025, Collins challenged President Donald Trump’s claims about economic strength during a briefing. “If the economy is as strong as the president has said it is, then why is he telling parents two weeks before Christmas that they should only buy two or three dolls for their children?” she asked.
Leavitt pushed back forcefully. “Look, what the president is saying is that if we want products made right here in America, if we want them to be made from American small businesses, which is a large part of the reason the president has effectively implemented tariffs, then we’re going to have better quality products right here in the United States,” she responded.
She added, “Maybe you’ll pay a dollar or two more, but you will get better quality, and you’ll be supporting your fellow Americans by buying American.”
Collins continued pressing, raising concerns about rising grocery prices and what she described as “mixed signals.” Leavitt fired back sharply.
“My predecessor stood up at this podium, and she said inflation doesn’t exist. She said the border was secure and people like you just took her at her word, and that those were two utter lies,” Leavitt told Collins.
She also took aim at CNN directly. “Well, I think the president’s comments yesterday about the sale of CNN and new leadership are evidenced by my exchange with the CNN reporter in this room. Their viewership has gone down, their ratings have declined, and I think the president rightfully believes that network would benefit from new ownership. With respect to this deal, he has great respect for both companies that are bidding against one another.”
