Podcaster Straight-Up Asks Kaitlan Collins ‘How Do You Deal With’ Trump Spox Karoline Leavitt
Tommy Christopher
Sat, February 14, 2026 at 4:00 PM UTC
3 min read
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Podcast host Heather McMahan straight-up asked CNN anchor and senior White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins “how do you deal with” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Collins was a guest on Wednesday’s episode of Heather McMahan’s Absolutely Not podcast, during which she shared insights about the White House beat.
McMahan bluntly asked Collins how she “deals with” Leavitt after complaining about the administration’s penchant for falsehoods and contradictions:
HEATHER MCMAHAN: I mean, at some point, it’s like the joke is truly on us. And I think that’s how a lot of people feel. So as press, I really am, commend you for keeping your composure. Truly, I thank God I did not take up journalism. And again, I don’t know.
CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS: I don’t know, it’d be really, it would be kind of fun to have you in the picture.
HEATHER MCMAHAN: Like hot takes with me where I’m like, excuse me, let’s really break this shit down. I’d love to have you make like a guest appearance in the briefing room. Let me know, let me know. I will be in a full cheetah print suit and the questions will be popping off.
How do you deal with Karoline? I mean, because you have to obviously, there’s a fine balance because you are trying to do your job, you’re having to deal with this administration. Like, what is she really like?
CNN ANCHOR KAITLAN COLLINS: Well, I think, you know, I’ve dealt with probably four Trump press secretaries now at this point, two during Biden.
And so there’s always a naturally tense relationship between the press and the press secretary, because you’re covering things that they’re trying to spend in the best light for their boss.
You’re asking questions that maybe they don’t want to fully answer. And so that is something that always exists. I don’t think you should have an amazing relationship with whoever the press secretary is, because it’s just at odds with the nature of your job.
Reporters, you have to be a little antagonistic in terms of, you know, you’re making people uncomfortable with your questions. You’re not just asking things like, why are you so great? Or list all your favorite accomplishments, you’re, especially when it’s lawmakers.
And I think it’s really, I mean, it just, the level changes, I think, when it someone who’s funded by taxpayers.
So with Karoline Leavitt, I think it’s pretty similar to, you know, Kayleigh McEnany, Sean Spicer, other press secretaries that came before her for Trump.
Which is a difficult job in and of itself, because Trump thinks he’s his own best spokesperson. He is often the person you really wanna ask the question to because he will answer it in the way that he believes is, you know how he truly feels on a subject.
And so, you, I never went into the briefing room thinking like, oh, they’re going to love my questions.
I try to be fair. I want to be, I never am trying to, you know, kind of be super antagonistic or try to ask something. It’s genuinely a question that I have when I go in. It’s a good faith question.
And so obviously that leads to clashes sometimes when they don’t like my question. Sometimes I actually think my question is not as, you know confrontational as sometimes the responses.
Collins went on to praise Leavitt for standing up to foreign officials on behalf of the American press.
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Watch above via Heather McMahan’s Absolutely Not podcast and watch the full episode here.
The post Podcaster Straight-Up Asks Kaitlan Collins ‘How Do You Deal With’ Trump Spox Karoline Leavitt first appeared on Mediaite.