Trump to CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “Nobody Watches CNN Anymore”; RFK Jr. Sworn In as HHS Secretary

A February 2025 White House exchange produced a series of memorable moments as President Trump sparred with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, delivered a pointed analysis of why the Ukraine war started, praised the impact of reciprocal tariffs on American farmers, offered pity for Senator Mitch McConnell, and presided over the swearing-in of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the 26th Secretary of Health and Human Services. The centerpiece was Trump’s rebuke of Collins, telling her that Biden was “a friend of CNN” and “that’s why nobody watches CNN anymore, because they have no credibility."

"He’s a Friend of CNN — That’s Why Nobody Watches”

The exchange with Collins began when Trump made the case that his reciprocal tariff policy should have been implemented years earlier. “And this should have been done by Biden years ago. This should have never been allowed to happen,” Trump said.

When Collins attempted to follow up with a question about Putin, Trump pivoted to a personal jab. “I know he’s a friend of yours,” Trump said of Biden. Then he broadened the attack: “He’s a friend of CNN. That’s why nobody watches CNN anymore, because they have no credibility.”

The remark drew reactions from the room and quickly became the most shared clip from the event. Trump’s willingness to attack a reporter’s network to her face — while on camera in the White House — was consistent with his combative media posture but was delivered with a casualness that suggested he viewed the critique as self-evident rather than controversial.

Collins, who had hosted a CNN town hall with Trump during the 2024 campaign and had become one of the network’s most prominent anchors, was a frequent target of Trump’s media commentary. The “friend of CNN” characterization positioned Collins not as an independent journalist but as an advocate for the previous administration — a framing that Trump applied broadly to outlets he considered hostile.

Why the Ukraine War Happened: A Trump Analysis

Trump then offered his most detailed public explanation of why Russia had invaded Ukraine, pointing to three specific triggers.

First, Biden’s comment about NATO membership. “I think Biden is incompetent,” Trump said. “And I think when he said that they could join NATO, I thought that was a very stupid thing to say.”

Second, Biden’s “minor incursion” remark. “I thought when he said, ‘Well, it depends if it’s a minor incursion’ — in other words, it’s okay if Russia does a minor incursion — I thought that was a very foolish thing to say,” Trump said. The reference was to Biden’s January 2022 press conference in which he appeared to suggest that a limited Russian military action might not trigger a full Western response, a statement that was immediately walked back by the White House but which critics argued emboldened Putin.

Third, the Afghanistan withdrawal. “The other thing that got it started was how badly Milley and these stupid people, the bad generals, how badly they did with Afghanistan,” Trump said. “I was going to pull out, but we were pulling out with dignity and strength. And we were going to take our equipment with us and everything else.”

Trump directly linked the chaos of the August 2021 withdrawal to Putin’s decision-making. “I think Putin looked at that mess and he said, ‘Wow, this is a great time. I’m going to go in,’” Trump said. “But what the Americans said — I’m not blaming Americans, but I will say what they said had a big influence on his deciding to go in.”

The three-factor analysis — NATO expansion rhetoric, the “minor incursion” signal, and the Afghanistan debacle — represented Trump’s most concise public argument for why the war was Biden’s fault. Each factor was a specific, documented event rather than an abstract claim, making the case difficult to dismiss outright.

Farmers, Manufacturers, and Zero-Tariff Domestic Production

Trump pivoted from foreign policy to the domestic economic impact of his tariff policy, specifically highlighting its benefits for farmers.

“I think the farmers are going to be helped by this very much, because product is being dumped into our country and our farmers are getting hurt very badly,” Trump said. “The last administration hated our farmers, like at a level that I’ve never seen before.”

The claim that Biden “hated our farmers” was characteristic Trump hyperbole, but it reflected real grievances among agricultural producers about trade policies, environmental regulations, and subsidy decisions that they viewed as hostile to their interests.

Trump extended the argument to manufacturing. “Our farmers are going to be helped. Jobs are going to be helped. Our manufacturers are going to be helped,” he said. “And again, if somebody wants to come in, including the car companies, if they want to come in and build car plants, they’ll do it without tariffs. And therefore prices won’t go up.”

The zero-tariff incentive for domestic manufacturing was a recurring theme of Trump’s trade messaging. By eliminating tariffs on goods produced within the United States, the policy was designed to make onshoring economically attractive. Trump acknowledged there could be “some short-term disturbance” but predicted that “long-term, it’s going to make our country a fortune."

"I Feel Sorry for Mitch”

When the subject of Senator Mitch McConnell arose, Trump offered an assessment that combined pity with criticism.

“Well, I feel sorry for Mitch,” Trump said. The note of compassion gave way quickly to a sharper evaluation: “He’s not equipped mentally. He wasn’t equipped 10 years ago mentally, in my opinion. He’d let the Republican Party go to hell.”

Trump then claimed credit for the party’s survival. “If I didn’t come along, the Republican Party wouldn’t even exist right now,” he said. “Mitch McConnell never really had it.”

The comments came at a time when McConnell, 82 years old and dealing with publicly visible health issues including episodes of freezing mid-sentence at press conferences, had stepped down from his role as Senate Republican leader. McConnell had been the only Republican senator to vote against Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation as DNI just days earlier, a vote that further strained his already tense relationship with the Trump wing of the party.

RFK Jr. Sworn In as 26th HHS Secretary

The event concluded with the swearing-in of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the 26th Secretary of Health and Human Services, administered by an officiating authority as Trump looked on.

Kennedy recited the oath: “I, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same, that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion, and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

Trump congratulated him: “Congratulations, Mr. Secretary.”

Kennedy’s confirmation had been nearly as contentious as Gabbard’s. His history of vaccine skepticism, his environmental litigation career, and his transition from Democratic presidential candidate to Trump administration cabinet member made him one of the most unusual HHS secretaries in the department’s history. His mandate from Trump was encapsulated in the campaign slogan “Make America Healthy Again,” with a focus on food safety, chronic disease, and transparency in pharmaceutical and agricultural policy.

Key Takeaways

• Trump told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that Biden was “a friend of CNN” and “that’s why nobody watches CNN anymore, because they have no credibility.”
• He attributed the Ukraine war to three Biden-era failures: promising NATO membership to Ukraine, the “minor incursion” remark, and the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal that made Putin think “this is a great time” to invade.
• Trump predicted farmers and manufacturers would benefit from reciprocal tariffs, noting the “last administration hated our farmers” and that companies building in the U.S. would face zero tariffs.
• He said “I feel sorry for Mitch” McConnell, adding that the senator “wasn’t equipped 10 years ago mentally” and had “let the Republican Party go to hell.”
• Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as the 26th Secretary of Health and Human Services, with a mandate focused on food safety and chronic disease.