Why did Trump Call Kaitlan Collins “Stupid and Nasty” Over a Ballroom Question? Reasons explored

President Donald Trump took aim at CNN Chief White House Correspondent Kaitlan Collins in a weekend Truth Social post, calling her “stupid and nasty” after she pressed him on the increasing prices of his proposed White House ballroom addition. The comment is the most recent in a pattern of Trump publicly attacking female journalists who confront him.

Trump, 79, shared the post on December 6, attacking against Collins, whose last name he misspelled, who had questioned why it was going to cost heaps of money more than planned for the new East Wing ballroom.

"Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty, asked me why the new Ballroom was costing more money than originally thought one year ago... It is actually under budget and ahead of schedule, as my jobs always are. It’s just much bigger and more beautiful than originally planned," Donald Trump remarked.

Trump stated that the price hike was due to the project’s increased size and enhanced finishes, but recent reports have claimed that renovations are now expected to rise as high as $300 million, a figure well above the $200 million initial estimate from July.

In his post on Truth Social, Trump claimed that the ballroom project is “under budget and ahead of schedule,” and blamed the escalating price tag on an upgraded design rather than mismanagement.

A look into Kaitlan Collins' journalistic achievements and Donald Trump’s growing hostility

Kaitlan Collins has long covered the administration’s spending, policy changes and internal workings, and is currently the anchor of The Source with Kaitlan Collins on CNN.

Prior to that, she was the network’s youngest ever White House correspondent and developed a reputation for tough questioning and robust political coverage. Collins was recently named to the TIME100 Next list, which celebrates emerging leaders who are influencing public life.

Trump’s comments about Collins are part of a wider pattern of hostility toward women members of the media. Just days earlier, the president had berated CBS News correspondent Nancy Cordes at Mar-a-Lago, calling her “stupid” over and over again after she questioned him about growing concerns involving an Afghan suspect in a Washington D.C. shooting.

Donald Trump has also taken aim at New York Times reporter Katie Rogers on social media, calling her “ugly, inside and out,” and dismissed Bloomberg journalist Catherine Lucey with the remark “Quiet. Quiet, Piggy,” when she asked a question about the Epstein emails.

Collins has come to the defense of other reporters in past encounters like these. After Trump’s remarks about Lucey, Collins publicly commended her colleague’s professionalism and said she “does a great job.”

Collins has made no public response to the president’s heckling. On the other hand, CNN has also not responded to the incident with an official statement yet.