Kaitlan Collins is speaking candidly for the first time since she moderated at CNN town hall event with former President Donald Trump.
During an appearance on The Axe Files podcast with CNN colleague David Axelrod, Collins said she was mostly unbothered by the reception she received for her performance during the event.
“I think that I did the best job that I could do. I spent weeks preparing for that, watched past town halls, past debates, I did my homework,” Collins said after being asked about the “unflattering” coverage surrounding her performance. “And I think when you come out of something like that…people are entitled to their own reaction to it. And we certainly saw that.”
Axelrod then asked if she had felt any of the critiques were personal in nature and whether or not they were difficult to absorb.
“My question for me at the end of the day is: Do I think that I did the best job that I can do? And how do I feel about my performance in that? And I felt like I did the best job that I could do. I went into it fully prepared. I was prepared for how he was going to respond to that and what that was going to look like. And I think that was the best that I could do. My job was to press him on those really important issues that he hasn’t been pressed on.”
The Axe Files host also asked Collins about her reaction to Trump calling her a “nasty” person, which she said she was prepared for.
“Always to women. I mean, not that he doesn’t criticize men or give them unflattering nicknames,” Collins said. “I’m very well aware of what his reactions to tough questioning often are. And I think my job is to not be deterred by that. It is really important for any reporter, but especially if you’re covering Trump, to be unflappable in that way.”
Collins was the subject of much criticism for her performance in the event. Reaction was mostly mixed along party affiliation, with conservatives lambasting the combative nature she showed with the former President, while liberals pointed to the difficult position the 31-year-old was placed in by now former CNN CEO Chris Licht.
