CNN has announced that Kaitlan Collins will return to her previous role as Chief White House Correspondent while continuing to host her show, The Source. The move comes as the corporate news network continues to struggle to retain viewership under Mark Thompson’s leadership. Collins will divide her time between New York City and Washington D.C., re-entering the White House briefing room where she also previously served as a correspondent for The Daily Caller.
Collins, known for her hostility to then-President and now-President-elect Donald J. Trump, often found herself barred from White House events over her media stunts. Concerningly, on multiple occasions, Collins has exposed her own lack of knowledge of basic political history. The National Pulse reported last year that the CNN anchor appeared utterly oblivious that alternative electors had been used in past U.S. elections.
CNN’s primetime lineup, which is comprised of AC360 with Anderson Cooper at 8 PM, The Source with Kaitlan Collins at 9 PM, and CNN NewsNight hosted by Abby Phillip at 10 PM, has notably lacked significant programming and direction under Thompson’s leadership. It remains unclear what additional value having Collins continue to host The Source and cover the White House brings the network other than perhaps a degree of cost savings, as Collins commands a salary of $3 million, similar to prominent figures like Jake Tapper.
As Collins resumes her White House duties, CNN’s D.C. bureau also sees a leadership shift. David Chalian, former Yahoo! News bureau chief, now oversees CNN’s Washington operations.
