“Your Ratings Are a Loser”: Trump Mocks CNN’s Kaitlan Collins VIDEO

The president lashed out at the CNN correspondent after she asked whether he would keep Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth if the House impeached him. The confrontation came as Republican Rep. Thomas Massie advanced an eight-article impeachment resolution

President Donald Trump called CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins a “loser” and attacked the network’s ratings after she challenged him over his support for Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who is facing an impeachment drive led by a Republican member of Congress.

The confrontation unfolded Monday, November 9, during an impromptu news conference at the White House, where Trump was accompanied by UFC chief executive Dana White. Collins asked whether the president would stand by Hegseth if the House voted to impeach him, and then pressed him on whether the defense secretary would keep his job even in that event.

“I’ll stand by him,” Trump replied, before praising Hegseth’s record. “He won two wars. He was in charge. We all won. I had great people.”

When Collins pointed out that Massie had accused Hegseth of carrying out illegal acts, Trump turned his criticism toward the reporter.

“Massie’s a loser, just like you’re a loser at CNN. Just like your ratings are a loser,” he said. Trump then repeated his attack on the Kentucky congressman, calling him a “stone-cold loser.”

The exchange was more than a personal clash between the president and a journalist. It came as Hegseth faces an unusual challenge from within his own party, with Massie seeking to use the House impeachment process against a member of Trump’s Cabinet. Trump made clear that he would not distance himself from the defense secretary, instead presenting the administration’s military record as the strongest argument for keeping him in office.

Eight articles against the defense secretary

Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth on Monday, November 9. The 34-page resolution accuses the Pentagon chief of high crimes and misdemeanors involving military operations in Iran, Venezuela and Yemen, as well as alleged retaliation against a Democratic senator.

Four of the articles concern Iran. Three accuse Hegseth of directing or sustaining military operations beyond the 60-day limit established by the War Powers Resolution without a formal declaration of war or congressional authorization. A fourth alleges that he failed to comply with civilian-protection requirements in connection with the February 28 strike on a girls’ school in Minab, which killed scores of children.

Two other articles concern Venezuela, accusing Hegseth of directing the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and authorizing extrajudicial strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific that resulted in more than 220 deaths. Another focuses on the 2025 U.S.-British military campaign against Houthi forces in Yemen. The final article alleges retaliation against Democratic Sen. Mark Kelly after he and other lawmakers with military and intelligence backgrounds urged service members not to obey unlawful orders.

The accusations are contained in Massie’s impeachment resolution and have not been established as findings of wrongdoing. Hegseth has denied wrongdoing and rejected the impeachment effort. The House could consider the measure by midweek.

CNN colleague Jake Tapper defends Collins

Trump’s remarks also prompted a response from CNN anchor Jake Tapper, who defended Collins on air and on social media. Referring to the recent midterm election results, Tapper argued that voters had rejected the president’s conduct, candidates and policies — not the CNN correspondent.

“There’s one person in this exchange whose behavior, hand-picked candidates, and policies were repudiated handily by voters with historical election losses coast to coast — and it ain’t Kaitlan,” Tapper wrote on X.

Collins has previously been targeted by Trump. In a recent interview with Time, the president described her as a “very average person” and said she was “the most unhappy young person” he had ever seen. Days earlier, he had used Truth Social to call her a “Third Rate ‘Reporter.’”