Trump Tells CNN Reporter Kaitlan Collins You Should Not Be Here Outside UN President Donald Trump had a tense exchange with CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins outside the United Nations, telling her she should not be covering him before defending the Iran war in his UN address. President Donald Trump had a tense encounter with CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins outside the United Nations on Tuesday morning, telling the reporter she should not be there covering him. The exchange took place as Trump entered the UN headquarters in New York City accompanied by first lady Melania Trump, according to footage of the incident. Collins, who was off-camera, could be heard shouting a question about the Iran war as the president arrived. Upon hearing Collins voice, Trump approached the group of reporters, raised his hands to silence the chatter, and said, It is an honor to be here. He then immediately appeared to address Collins directly.Trump Clashes with CNN Reporter at UN EntranceYou should not be here covering me, Trump continued. You said you were not going to cover me; you should not be covering me. Collins replied, The United Nations allowed us in, sir. Collins then pressed the president with a question, asking, Two-thirds of Americans do not think the U.S. is winning the war with Iran.When will it end? Trump seemed to adjust his face and body in the direction of CNN camera to vaguely reply. We are making a lot of progress, the president said. Our country is doing really, really well.The encounter came shortly before Trump delivered an address to the UN General Assembly in which he defended the Iran war. After CNN aired the tense exchange, Collins set the record straight with CNN anchor Kate Bolduan regarding the network stance on coverage of the president. Now I should note, Kate, CNN, of course, never said we were not going to cover the president, Collins said.CNN Reporter Rejects Trump's Coverage ClaimsIt was actually the president who tried to stop us from being able to cover him. Former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter criticized Trump remarks. The president comment shows total ignorance about how the American news media actually operates, Stelter said. About how journalists are able to move about freely in the United States, about how, in a democracy, journalists are going to find ways to ask questions, even if the president does not like it.The confrontation follows the Trump administration prohibiting news outlets CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House as a result of their constant reporting FAKE NEWS, according to the current article. A lawsuit states that the president acted in disregard of the most basic guarantees of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause.The incident occurred on September 22, 2026, at 5:58 p.m. EDT, as Trump arrived at the UN to deliver remarks defending the Iran war before world leaders. The exchange underscored ongoing tensions between the White House and major news organizations over press access and coverage.