The View Explodes Over Trump’s Takedown of CNN Star Kaitlan Collins

The ladies of The View were at odds Thursday after President Donald Trump unleashed a blistering attack on CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins inside the Oval Office.

The tense moment quickly became the latest flashpoint in the long-running war between Trump and the press, with Sunny Hostin blasting other White House reporters for staying silent while Collins was singled out.

During the June 4 episode of The View, Hostin said she was disturbed not only by Trump’s comments, but by what she saw as a lack of backup from Collins’ fellow journalists.

Hostin, who worked as an attorney before becoming a TV host, said the attack reminded her of comments women in professional settings have heard for years.

She said she was “often told” to “smile more” during her legal career, a line Trump has also used with Collins more than once.

But Hostin saved some of her sharpest criticism for the reporters who were standing nearby.

“I also take a bit of umbrage at the other reporters there,” Hostin said. “Because, by the way, the other reporters weren’t smiling. The men weren’t smiling. He didn’t mention that.”

Then she made it clear she believed someone in the room should have stepped in.

“I do feel that when one of your colleagues is attacked in that way, a follow-up question or a statement — someone in the room, maybe one of the men — should have said, ‘Sir, you should not speak to her that way.’ I would have liked to have seen that.”

But guest co-host Kara Swisher wasn’t buying that argument.

Swisher, who was filling in for Joy Behar, pushed back and said reporters are not supposed to make themselves part of the story.

“I think the job of reporters is not to react to that kind of nonsense,” Swisher said. “The whole thing is, when you’re a reporter, the story shouldn’t be about you.”

Hostin conceded that point, replying, “That is true.”

Still, Swisher admitted it can be difficult for journalists to stay composed when they are being personally attacked in public. But she argued that reacting is exactly what Trump wants.

“That’s where you lose,” Swisher said.

She continued: “Because with these people, every accusation is a confession, so what he is saying is about him and not about her. And I thought she handled it well.”

Swisher added that once a reporter fires back, they risk becoming the center of the drama instead of the person they are covering.

“The minute you say something, you get dragged into it in a way that he benefits and you don’t,” she said.

The debate came after Trump, 79, went after Collins, 34, before she even had the chance to ask a question.

The president first slammed CNN as a “very corrupt organization” before turning his attention directly to Collins.

“Never smiles,” Trump said. “She’s a young, beautiful woman. Never smiles. I never see a smile off her face. I see her standing there with hatred in her eyes.”

Trump then claimed Collins had “hatred” because of his administration’s policies.

“She has hatred because we have borders, because we have a strong military, because we cut our taxes, because we do things that everybody wanted,” Trump said.

He also pointed to his election victory, saying, “And then we win our election in a massive landslide.”

The president then pivoted to Iran, saying his administration had “took a detour down to Iran” because the country could not be allowed to obtain a nuclear weapon.

“We can’t let Iran have a nuclear weapon under any circumstances,” Trump said. “We can’t let that happen.”

Trump ended his remarks by insisting reporters should be pleased with his administration’s work.

“So, the reporters should be happy,” he said. “They shouldn’t be unhappy. They should be very happy. Because you know what we’re doing? We’re saving our country.”

Collins, who has had several tense exchanges with Trump over the years, did not appear to take the bait during the Oval Office clash.

But on The View, the blowup opened a larger debate about how reporters should handle Trump’s personal attacks.

Hostin argued that silence in the room sent the wrong message.

Swisher argued that silence may have been the smartest move.

Either way, the latest Trump-Collins clash proved one thing: the president’s battles with the media are far from over.