CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins offered rare public praise for White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt this week, crediting her with stepping in after Saudi officials tried to block the reporter from a press event during President Donald Trump’s trip to Riyadh.
Speaking on Heather McMahan’s “Absolutely Not” podcast, Collins recounted the moment she shouted a question at Trump during a media availability in Saudi Arabia, where press access is tightly controlled.
“I asked a shouted question to President Trump, who had seen me when the U.S. press came in,” Collins said. “He didn’t answer, which is, I mean, that’s how it works. You shout questions. They either answer or they don’t — it’s their prerogative. And then the world leaders left the room.
“The Saudi Royal Guard kind of freaked out because I dared to ask a question, and they’re not used to that there because they don’t have a free press.”
Collins said Saudi officials then attempted to prevent her from entering the next press event. She described seeing them whispering and pointing in her direction while younger White House staffers appeared uncertain how to respond.
NEW: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reveals that Press Sec. Leavitt defended her as a reporter.
“The Saudi Royal Guard freaked out because I dared to ask a question… and said you can’t come into the next event… Karoline, to her credit said no Kaitlan’s coming.”pic.twitter.com/ovQUBBV09w
— Resist the Mainstream (@ResisttheMS) February 12, 2026
“I could see them like, whispering, and pointing about me,” Collins said. “And some of the younger White House staff, they are with the press, weren’t really sure what to do, and they went to Karoline and, 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 huge issue.
“So, to her credit, she, without a doubt, was like, ‘No, you’re coming in,’” Collins said of Leavitt. “Which I do think is important in that moment, especially when you’re kind of the U.S. contingent abroad, and we don’t do things like they do in Saudi Arabia.”
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The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Collins noted that a similar situation unfolded during Trump’s first term when he visited the Korean Demilitarized Zone, another highly controlled setting for reporters.
The exchange comes despite Collins’ often tense history with Trump. The president has previously called her “stupid and nasty” and recently needled her during an Oval Office back-and-forth.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a smile on your face,” he told her earlier this month.
Trump has frequently sparred with members of the press and threatened legal action against media outlets he accuses of unfair coverage. Still, Collins acknowledged in an earlier podcast appearance that Trump changed how presidents interact with reporters.
“When you speak to reporters who covered President Obama, he almost never responded to shouted questions,” Collins said. “It wasn’t his thing. He would have his moments with world leaders, and then you would leave the Oval.
“Trump kind of upended that when he came into the White House,” she said. “Sometimes presidents are press averse. Trump embraced the media.”
Even amid clashes, the moment in Saudi Arabia underscored an unusual show of unity between a CNN correspondent and a Trump administration official.
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