What started as a tense back-and-forth in the Oval Office on Monday quickly turned into a national headline after CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins clashed with President Donald Trump over the deportation of a Salvadoran man.
The situation escalated when Trump lashed out at Collins for pressing him on why Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who had been granted legal protection, was deported anyway.
A Deportation Case That Sparked Fireworks
Kilmar Abrego Garcia, 29, was deported in March despite having a court-ordered legal safeguard against it dating back to 2019.
The incident raised immediate red flags among immigration advocates, but it really grabbed public attention after Collins pushed for answers during Trump’s meeting with El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele.
Rather than addressing the legal complexities head-on, Trump turned defensive.
“How long do we have to answer this question from you?” he snapped, accusing Collins of being obsessed with the case.
“Why don’t you just say, ‘Isn’t it wonderful that we’re keeping criminals out of our country?’” he continued, brushing off her persistence.
Trump Deflects, His Team Steps In
Not stopping there, Trump passed the mic—literally and figuratively—to his top officials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi, Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio all took turns defending the administration’s stance.
They claimed Garcia had ties to MS-13 and shouldn’t have been in the country at all.
But Collins wasn’t having it. On her show later that evening, she replayed the Oval Office encounter, reminding viewers that Garcia was facing serious threats back home in El Salvador, which is exactly why a judge had blocked his deportation in the first place.
His lawyers, she added, strongly denied any gang affiliations.
Conflicting Messages From the White House
Collins called out what she saw as a mixed message coming from the Trump team.
“Is it a mistake, an administrative error, or was it the right person sent to the right place?” she asked.
“The Trump administration has now made both arguments—one in court and another in front of the cameras.”
Meanwhile, there seemed to be no appetite in the room to reverse course.
Trump and Bukele gave no indication that Garcia would be returned to the U.S., even though the Supreme Court had ruled that he should be.
Trump Doubles Down and Slams CNN
As the exchange continued, Trump went on the offensive again.
When Collins asked whether he would follow the Supreme Court’s ruling, he took another swipe:
“Why do you go over and over? That’s why no one watches you anymore—you have no credibility.”
President Bukele, for his part, praised Trump’s approach to border enforcement and seemed surprised that the U.S. media wasn’t celebrating the administration’s immigration numbers more.
Trump agreed, boasting about “99.1 percent” enforcement at the southern border and accusing CNN of refusing to report the good news.
“They don’t like putting out good numbers because I think they hate our country, actually,” Trump added, turning the conversation into another media critique.
CNN Fires Back with Calm Resolve
CNN’s Dana Bash quickly responded on her own show, saying, “CNN does not hate our country, that should go without saying.”
She dismissed Trump’s comment as a tired rhetorical trick.
As for Collins, she seemed unfazed. In a recent Vanity Fair profile, she called herself a “joyful warrior,” acknowledging that the job is anything but easy.
“There are no days off,” she said. “If you ever think it’s going to be chill, it’s guaranteed to not be.”
A Brief Break from the Spotlight
Even so, Collins did manage to carve out a quiet moment for herself after the storm.
On Sunday, she enjoyed a well-earned break at the Hudson Hound bar in New York, sipping a drink as she celebrated the end of the Masters Golf Tournament.
She posted a relaxed selfie with the caption: “Green jacket Sunday.”
It was a brief moment of peace before another Monday in Washington, D.C., where the battles between the press and the presidency continue to play out, one tense question at a time.