Trump Lashes Out at CNN Reporter Over Russia Sanctions Before South Carolina Rally
The confrontation occurred as Trump was departing for South Carolina to campaign for Republican Senate nominee Darline Graham, who was appointed to fill the seat following the death of her brother, longtime Senator Lindsey Graham.
Collins pressed Trump on whether he had discussed his recent sanctions waiver with Darline Graham, noting that the economic penalties were part of bipartisan legislation named in honor of her late brother’s foreign policy work.
Trump refused to answer, cutting Collins off with personal insults.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Trump said. “You’re a dummy. You’re a low-IQ person. You’re a dummy, and you work for CNN.” Trump also directed verbal barbs at ABC News correspondent Karen Travers, dismissing her as a “stupid person” after she pursued a similar line of questioning regarding the administration’s policy toward Moscow.
Hours later, Collins responded during her primetime program The Source, broadcasting previously recorded remarks from Darline Graham that appeared at odds with the administration’s recent maneuvers.
“Personally, I would choose to keep the pressure on Russia to end the war and get the gas prices down, because I don’t trust Putin and I don’t trust Russia,” Graham said in the clip.
Collins highlighted the contrast, noting that Trump had strongly backed Graham’s candidacy to honor her brother’s memory. She played past audio statements from Lindsey Graham condemning foreign leaders and nations that purchase Russian energy.
“I understand wanting to buy cheap Russian oil, but I don’t understand a country that buys cheap Russian oil, knowing it’s gonna be used to kill innocent people, and acquire land from others by force of arms,” the late senator said in October 2025. In May 2025, he added: “Don’t buy cheap oil from a despot, because you can with impunity.”
The controversy stems from the administration’s move last Friday to waive several sanctions included in the Lindsey Graham-backed legislation, a concession Trump said was necessary to secure the release of detained American Stephen Hubbard from Russian custody. The administration’s broader actionsโincluding plans to import Russian dieselโhave sparked debate among lawmakers and allies over U.S. leverage in the region.
