A public spat has erupted between former US President Donald Trump and CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins over the ballooning budget for a new White House ballroom, funded by private donors including tech giants.
The Social Media Salvo
On Saturday morning, Donald Trump took to his Truth Social platform to launch a tirade against the 33-year-old CNN anchor. He criticised Collins for a question about why the new White House ballroom was costing more than originally estimated a year ago.
In his post, Trump mistakenly referred to her as 'Caitlin Collin’s of Fake News CNN, always Stupid and Nasty'. He defended the project, stating the increased $300 million cost – up from an initial $200 million – was due to the ballroom being 'double the size' with the 'highest level' of finishes. He claimed the project was 'actually under budget and ahead of schedule'.
Trump also pointed out that the construction is privately funded by 37 donors, a list that includes major corporations like Amazon and Google, as well as cryptocurrency investors. He accused CNN of failing to report this detail.
Collins's Concise Counter
Kaitlan Collins responded swiftly on her Instagram account. Sharing a screenshot of Trump's rant, she posted a succinct, six-word rebuttal: 'Technically my question was about Venezuela.'
It remains unclear precisely when Collins posed the initial question to the president about the budget increase. However, she did discuss the ongoing construction on her CNN programme, The Source with Kaitlan Collins, on Friday. During the broadcast, she highlighted the 'giant crane' at the White House construction site where the ballroom will eventually stand.
Behind the Budget and Design Changes
The controversy follows a significant change in the project's leadership. In late October, Trump replaced architect James McCrery II and his firm. Sources told The Washington Post that Trump and McCrery had clashed over the president's desire to continually increase the size of the new building.
Another source suggested the switch was due to missed deadlines and slow progress from McCrery's small team. Despite the change, it is understood Trump and McCrery remain on good terms.
Official announcements describe Trump's ballroom as a vast 90,000 square foot space. For context, this is significantly larger than the 55,000 square foot residential section of the White House complex itself.
When approached for comment, a CNN spokesperson praised Collins as 'an exceptional journalist' who reports 'with real depth and tenacity', but the network declined to comment directly on Trump's post.
