Five Men Arrested Over Alleged Terror Plot at U.S. Bomber Base

Their exchanges continued throughout the 2020 election year. In August, for example, Collins pressed Trump about his opposition to expanded mail-in voting and his statements connecting Postal Service funding to the expected surge in mailed ballots during the pandemic.

Collins eventually moved beyond the White House beat and became one of CNN’s leading anchors, but her confrontations with Trump reached another level when CNN selected her to moderate a May 2023 Republican presidential town hall in New Hampshire.

For roughly 70 minutes, Collins repeatedly challenged Trump on issues including his claims about the 2020 election, classified documents, the January 6 Capitol attack, abortion and the war in Ukraine. The two regularly interrupted one another as Collins attempted to press him for direct answers.

During one particularly heated exchange over classified documents, Collins continued questioning Trump as he objected to her interruptions. After Collins said she wanted him to answer the question she had asked, Trump called her a “nasty person.”

The town hall became one of the most widely discussed political television events of 2023, generating debate not only about Trump’s performance but also about how journalists should interview and fact-check him in a live setting.

Their professional paths crossed again after Trump returned to the White House. CNN announced that Collins would serve as its chief White House correspondent while continuing to anchor her prime-time program, putting her back in a position to regularly question the president she had covered during his first term.