Bulwark Takes: "Trump’s Gross Attack on CNN’s Kaitlan Collins After Epstein Question"

Date: February 4, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Sam Stein (Managing Editor, The Bulwark)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tim Miller and Sam Stein dissect Donald Trump’s disturbing interaction with CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins after a question about Jeffrey Epstein. The conversation expands to Trump’s pattern of demeaning female journalists, the complicity (or passivity) of the White House press corps, and rising concerns about attacks on election integrity from GOP leaders. The episode is sharp, candid, and frustrated in tone, mixing psychoanalysis of Trump with tactical debate about media responsibility and political accountability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Elon Musk, and Epstein Press Conference Exchanges

Timestamp: 01:30–06:24

• The episode kicks off with Tim and Sam reacting to Trump's recent contentious press avail at the White House, focusing first on his interactions about Elon Musk and Bill Clinton as revealed in new DOJ files.
• Trump downplays links to Elon Musk despite public spats and Musk previously insulting Trump:

  “I thought that clip was interesting mostly just because how cucked he was by Elon. I mean, Elon calls him a pedo. ... But maybe Trump feels like he needs the money. Maybe Trump feels like he needs the ex support. ... That's not the Trump I know.” (Tim Miller, 02:41)

• Trump refrains from attacking Musk or Clinton even when given the opening:

  "He could have easily just said, you're—not a petty like me is why. You know, I'm petty." (Tim Miller, 03:10)

• Sam highlights how Trump's responses are oddly sympathetic or neutral toward other powerful men, reflecting a solidarity within his social stratum.

2. Psychoanalyzing Trump’s Affiliations & Evasions

Timestamp: 04:05–06:24

• Tim and Sam theorize on Trump’s empathy (selectively granted to male peers accused of misconduct) and speculate he’s obfuscating due to his own proximity to wrongdoing:

  "I have this little sort of North Star here, which is that Trump, in his entire life has demonstrated no empathy for anyone. ... He has no ability to do empathy except for old men accused of sexual assault. And then all of a sudden, you do see him over and over again being like, ah, he's a good guy." (Tim Miller, 06:24)

• Sam notes how Trump speaks of Epstein on a first-name basis and downplays allegations:

  “He lived in this world. He knew these people. He cavorted with Epstein ... He has kind of like a weird affinity for him.” (Sam Stein, 05:09)

• The hosts agree Trump’s evasions and blanket defense of accused peers is both psychological and self-preserving.

3. Trump’s Gross Attack on Kaitlan Collins

Timestamp: 07:43–09:02

• Kaitlan Collins pushes Trump on the redactions in the Epstein documents and transparency for survivors.
• Trump abruptly pivots and attacks Collins personally:

  “You are the worst reporter ... CNN has no ratings because of people like you. You know, she's a young woman. I don't think I've ever seen you smile. I've known you for 10 years. I don't think I've ever seen a smile on your face. You know why you're not smiling? Because you know you're not telling the truth, and you're ... a very dishonest organization, and they should be ashamed of you.” (Donald Trump, 08:24)

• Tim responds with heavy sarcasm:

  "Smile, woman." (Tim Miller, 08:47)

4. Media Responsibility & Press Corps Failure

Timestamp: 09:02–13:52

• Sam is deeply frustrated with the lack of collective defense from other reporters:

  "When the President of the United States does that and when he insults one of your colleagues, you have an obligation ... to stand up for your colleague." (Sam Stein, 09:52) "It is a collective action problem that's hurting our press corps. And when you see that happen, you have to act in that moment collectively to hold the President accountable and ask those questions. And they just don't do it. Time and time again. It really pisses me off." (Sam Stein, 11:27)

• Tim draws analogies to youth sports and workplaces to say Trump’s conduct would not be tolerated in any other sphere:

  "If the other coach or the ref… starts saying, do you not ever smile ... you would stand up for a colleague ... Like, that is totally inappropriate. I'm sorry, I don't care that just because you're the President of the United States doesn't mean you get to be a bastard in front of everybody without any a program." (Tim Miller, 12:21)

• Both agree that demeaning attacks on women questioners repeatedly go unchecked.

5. Tactics for Collective Media Action

Timestamp: 13:14–14:58

• The hosts propose possible tactical responses:
  • Next reporter could “cede back the time” or refuse to move on until Collins’ question is answered.
  • Ask female GOP senators present (e.g., Susan Collins) to comment on Trump’s attack.
• Sam concedes the room is often stacked with sycophantic right-wing media, complicating solidarity but insists creativity is needed.
• Both frame the lack of courage and collaboration as a structural flaw that enables Trump.

6. The Broader Context: Undermining Election Integrity

Timestamp: 15:09–21:03

• The discussion shifts to Trump’s ongoing rhetoric about “nationalizing elections” and, crucially, House Speaker Mike Johnson echoing election fraud conspiracy theories:

  “We had three House Republican candidates who were ahead on election day ... every time a new tranche of ballots came in, they just magically whittled away until their leads were lost. It looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove that? No.” (Mike Johnson, 16:34) "Can I prove that? Nah, Nah. Just gonna throw it out there, though." (Sam Stein, 17:03)

• Tim and Sam detail how delayed ballot counts are easily explained by mail-in voting patterns, not fraud, but the narrative is weaponized anyway.
• The real threat is painted as post-election shenanigans: Speakers or partisan officials refusing to seat winners, citing manufactured “doubt”:

  "That risk is less than the risk of Mike Johnson on the back end deciding, I'm not going to seat these guys because we want to wait and see about these mail ballots." (Tim Miller, 17:08)

• Sam underscores the dangers:

  "He is directly undermining faith in the integrity of our elections, doing so while openly admitting he has no evidence, just that it feels funny to him. ... It's unbelievable that he would do something like that. And I am, I am worried." (Sam Stein, 19:39)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Empathy:

  "He has no ability to do empathy except for old men accused of sexual assault. And then all of a sudden, you do see him over and over again being like, ah, he's a good guy."
  — Tim Miller (06:24)

• On Press Corps Passivity:

  "It is a collective action problem that's hurting our press corps. And when you see that happen, you have to act in that moment collectively to hold the President accountable ... And they just don't do it. Time and time again. It really pisses me off."
  — Sam Stein (11:27)

• On the Election Threat:

  "He is directly undermining faith in the integrity of our elections, doing so while openly admitting he has no evidence, just that it feels funny to him."
  — Sam Stein (19:39)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Trump on Elon, Clinton, and Epstein Press Conference – 01:30–06:24
• Psychoanalysis of Trump’s Responses – 04:05–06:24
• Gross Attack on Kaitlan Collins – 07:43–09:02
• Media Responsibility and Press Corps Critique – 09:02–13:52
• Tactics for Media Resistance – 13:14–14:58
• Discussion of Election Integrity and Mike Johnson – 15:09–21:03

Tone & Takeaways

• Language: Direct, biting, exasperated, laced with gallows humor. Hosts do not mince words describing both Trump’s conduct (“appalling,” “gross,” “cucked”) and the shortcomings of the press.
• Atmosphere: Frustration with normalized outrage, combined with practical brainstorming for breaking out of the pattern.
• Overall Message: Trump’s behavior toward women, especially journalists, is egregious and enabled by a lack of collective resistance—both in the press and the Republican establishment. Meanwhile, attacks on election integrity by high-level GOP officials have entered a more worrisome, actionable phase. Both trends demand vigilance, unity, and creativity in response.