CNN top brass is considering naming primetime anchor Kaitlan Collins to the role of chief White House correspondent, as it grapples with how to cover the incoming Trump administration, according to a report.
Collins, who hosts “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” weekdays at 9 pm, would relocate with her New York-based show to Washington, D.C., at least part of the time, Semafor reported Sunday.
Although CNN has been adamant that it doesn’t want to go back to its frenzied 24-hour coverage of Donald Trump when he returns to the White House in January, it is considering shifting its lineup to better cover the new administration.
The move, which has not yet been finalized, is currently being discused by CNN CEO Mark Thompson and his lieutentants, in the hope that it would allow Collins to fully tap into her network of sourcing within Trump’s White House.
CNN did not return requests for comment.
The reporter covered Trump’s first administration for CNN, as well as for her previous employer, conservative news site the Daily Caller.
In recent weeks, Collins has been reporting from West Palm Beach, Fla., near the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago compound, hosting her show from a set up nearby and breaking news about the president’s transition efforts.
The 32-year-old star has climbed the ranks at the struggling news network, moving from the role of White House reporter to co-host of “CNN This Morning,” the ill-fated morning show co-hosted by Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow, both of whom were axed.
Collins managed to sidestep that disaster and find a plum gig, anchoring the network’s important 9 pm-hour, and cementing herself as CNN’s “It girl.”
Even with her Trump connections, Collins could find it hard to walk a tightrope at CNN, which has grappled with how to cover the incoming president.
Thompson said in an internal meeting with staffers earlier this month that he did not want the network to default to leaning into too much anti-Trump coverage ahead of another four years of Trump in power, the Status newsletter first reported.
He also stressed that there would be a plethora of important stories outside of the D.C. bubble that should not be pushed aside and that the network should strike a balance.
