CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who recently hosted Donald Trump's fiery town hall, has been the subject of criticism on social media for past comments she made about George Soros, articles she authored for The Daily Caller, and anti-gay tweets she posted during her college years.
Collins, 31, worked at The Daily Caller, a news site founded by Tucker Carlson, from 2014 to 2017 before joining CNN and later co-hosting "CNN This Morning." Following her moderation of Trump's town hall, an old clip of Collins on Fox criticizing George Soros for supporting open border policies resurfaced on Twitter.
In the 2016 interview, Collins described Soros as "a foreign-born, left-wing guy who essentially wants to change the nature of our country." She continued, "He is a staunch advocate for open borders. He wants people to be able to go wherever they want, whenever they want, for whatever reason. For him, he sees this immigration policy — this crisis — to further his immigration agenda."
Collins also mentioned in the interview that Soros's money had backed Hillary Clinton and Black Lives Matter, calling it "a problem" that "Americans should be aware of."
Twitter users reacted to the resurfaced clip, with some suggesting that Collins seemed comfortable at the town hall with Trump. One user questioned CNN's decision to make her the moderator, while another argued that it showed the network's shift in direction after Don Lemon's firing.
Another point of contention was Collins addressing Trump as "Mr. President" throughout the town hall, with some users attributing this to her Republican background and time at The Daily Caller.
Former MSNBC anchor Keith Olbermann highlighted a Daily Caller article penned by Collins that appeared to mock both torture and ALS charity fundraising, drawing further criticism.
Moreover, a Twitter user shared an AOL article in which Collins apologized for anti-gay slurs she had made on social media during her college years. In 2018, Collins publicly apologized for the tweets, stating, "It was immature but it doesn't represent the way I feel at all. I regret it and apologize."
Collins joined CNN in 2017 and became the network's youngest chief White House correspondent. She is a favorite of CNN CEO Chris Licht and is reportedly in talks for a primetime slot and new contract with the network, potentially filling the role previously held by Chris Cuomo.
A source close to the network's leadership told The Post, "I think it's fair to say Chris Licht and leadership have been impressed" with Collins' performance.