For White House and political reporters in the public eye, doing your job can occasionally come with a side of commentary from President Donald Trump.
That's true for Kaitlan Collins
, White House Correspondent from CNN and host of "The Source," who has frequently been called out publicly by the president during press conferences. Collins and her fellow female reporters, have each other to lean on in these situations. But sometimes the best defense is humor."The president said … I 'used to be from Alabama,' and I responded in the moment, 'I'm still from Alabama and kind of laughed," Collins tells USA TODAY. "Dana Bash, who I'll be sitting next to on election night, sent me a t-shirt without telling me that said, 'I'm still from Alabama, sir.'"
For Collins, the gift highlight the absurdity in the situation. "It made it funny and made light of it," she says. "And I love that."
She also appreciates the "solidarity" and "collaboration" that her colleagues have shown. "Wolf [Blitzer] also reached out. Jake Tapper was great," Collins says. "You just have people who realize what it is. And I think that helps, you know?"
The camaraderie at CNN is something Bash also highlights, especially as they get ready to work overtime for the Nov. 3 midterm elections (coverage begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on the network).
"We're all going to be in the same room," Bash says, excited for the big night. "Jake is there and Katilan is there and Kasie [Hunt] is there. We're all talking and [saying], 'Did you see this? Did you see that?' ... It's pretty cool."
Collins has yet to wear the t-shirt, but it might make a cameo in the CNN studio come the big midterms day.
"I need to wear this shirt. Maybe I'll wear it on election night," she quips.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: CNN's Kaitlan Collins reveals hilarious gift Dana Bash gave her after Trump barb
