Karoline Leavitt rips CNN’s Kaitlan Collins over Biden-era coverage, says prez believes network would benefit from ‘new ownership’
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt clashed with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins during Thursday’s briefing, sharply criticizing the network for not challenging former President Joe Biden on negative economic trends during his time in office.
When Collins questioned her about President Trump’s economic record, Leavitt responded firmly, saying, “With respect to affordability, every economic metric, Kaitlan, and I wish you would report more on it, does in fact show that the economy is getting better and brighter than where it was under the previous administration.”
She emphasized her point, noting, “I will repeat, inflation as measured by the overall CPI has slowed to an average 2.5% pace. Real wages are increasing roughly $1,200 for the average worker. Gas prices are down in almost every single state across the country.”
Leavitt also accused the press of applying tougher scrutiny now than before, adding that her predecessor once stood at the same podium and dismissed inflation entirely.
Later, when asked about the possibility of President Trump pushing for new ownership at CNN, Leavitt didn’t hold back.
She pointed to her earlier exchange with Collins, saying the president’s comments on a potential CNN sale reflected the issues the network is facing. Leavitt noted, “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.”
She added that Trump respects both companies competing for the deal but declined to elaborate further.
On Wednesday, Trump told reporters that “any deal, it should be guaranteed and certain that CNN is part of it or sold separately,” arguing that the current leadership at CNN is “a very dishonest group of people” and shouldn’t remain in charge.
The Post’s Charles Gasparino reported that the president wants the network’s ownership change tied to the sale of its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery. Trump has long criticized CNN’s coverage and previously pushed for its bias to be “neutralized,” favoring Paramount Skydance as a better fit than Netflix in the race to acquire WBD.
Although Netflix struck a deal last week to buy Warner Bros. studio and HBO Max without conditions, Paramount Skydance—whose bid was sidelined—found the situation complicated by a “60 Minutes” interview with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who alleged that Republicans laugh at Trump in private.
Executives at Paramount Skydance were reportedly frustrated that the CBS News team didn’t alert them to the interview’s contents. Trump blasted the company afterward, saying its leadership was “NO BETTER THAN THE OLD OWNERSHIP.”
In response, Paramount Skydance has now launched a “hostile bid” to overturn Netflix’s agreement.
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