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Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy slammed CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins as a “petulant teenager” on Tuesday after a contentious interview over comments the former biotech executive made about the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
“Hilarious interview with @CNN last night,” the 38-year-old GOP hopeful wrote on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. “Felt like I was talking to a petulant teenager.”
The Post has sought comment from CNN.
Ramaswamy took issue with Collins pressing him over remarks that he made to The Atlantic magazine suggesting that federal agents were on board the hijacked airliners that were flown into the World Trade Center nearly 22 years ago.
During Monday’s interview with Collins on her new show “The Source,” Ramaswamy insisted that he was misquoted — prompting the Atlantic journalist who conducted the interview, John Hendrickson, to release audio which appears to refute his claim.
Ramaswamy drew parallels between the US Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021, and the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
“What I said is on Jan. 6, I do believe that there were many federal agents in the field and we deserve to know who they are,” Ramaswamy told Collins on Monday.
“On 9/11, what I’ve said is that the government lied and this is incontrovertible evidence, Kaitlan, the government lied about Saudi Arabia’s involvement.”
Ramaswamy added: “Again, I asked that reporter to send a recording because it was on the record.”
“He refused to do it, but we had a free-flowing conversation,” he told Collins.
“The truth is there are lies the government has told about 9/11, but it’s not the ones that somebody put in my mouth,” the candidate added.
“It’s the one that I articulated, which is that Saudi Arabia, absolutely their intelligence was involved in 9/11.”
The Post has sought comment from the Saudi government.
Ramaswamy was criticized for pushing back against Collins, at one point admonishing her by repeating her name in response to a question about his strategy for deterring a potential Chinese invasion of US ally Taiwan.
“Kaitlan, Kaitlan, Kaitlan, Kaitlan,” Ramaswamy said while smiling and shaking his head.
Ramaswamy then accused the anchor of “putting words into my mouth” by suggesting that his proposal to arm Taiwanese citizens was “sufficient” to repel an invasion by China.
Ramaswamy was accused of “mansplaining,” which refers to the act of a man condescendingly correcting a woman’s claim that he finds to be inaccurate.
“Speaking the hard TRUTH to a female anchor isn’t ‘mansplaining,’ it’s the exact same treatment I gave to Don Lemon a few months back,” Ramaswamy wrote on X, adding: “I believe in equal opportunity for all media dishonesty.”
On Tuesday’s edition of “The Source,” Collins played audio of Ramaswamy’s interview with The Atlantic.
“About last night. Vivek Ramaswamy said something that it turns out wasn’t true,” Collins said on the air on Tuesday.
The Atlantic audio captures Ramaswamy as saying: “How many federal agents were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers?”
“You just heard it yourself. He was, in fact, quoted accurately,” Collins continued. “Well, the truth is he did say it, the quote was accurate, and it is on tape.”
Collins received support from an unlikely corner — former Fox News star Megyn Kelly.
“Kaitlin Collins was right,” Kelly, the host of the SiriusXM podcast “The Megyn Kelly Show,” wrote on her X account on Tuesday.
“Vivek was not misquoted by The Atlantic. And his attempt to say this controversy is all the dishonest media’s fault is itself dishonest.”
The Post has sought comment from Ramaswamy.