Kaitlan Collins Sounds Alarm on Mike Johnson’s ‘Telling’ Meltdown

CNN, Reuters CNN host Kaitlan Collins flagged a “telling” reaction from House Speaker Mike Johnson after he was grilled on Donald Trump’s war against Iran.

On The Source on Tuesday, Collins discussed how the president’s war, which has now lasted for six months, was negatively impacting his Republican voting base.

Trump started the war on Feb.

28, sending gas prices sharply higher.

The national average in the U.S. is now around $4.09 per gallon, according to data from AAA Gas Prices , up from $3.19 a year ago.

Collins aired a fiery exchange on Capitol Hill between Johnson and Manu Raju when CNN’s chief congressional correspondent tried to pin the speaker down on his previous statements about the war.

The moment Collins said was “so telling” came after Raju asked the Republican about “the timeline for this war” and “what the American people should expect” in the near future.

Raju pointed out to Johnson that he had “repeatedly” said that the war with Iran was going to be over soon, and that high gas prices would be a “temporary blip.” “It is more than six months, people are getting hurt still at the pump,” Raju pointed out.

“Should the American people not also judge you on your projections here that were fairly off-base?” Speaker Johnson defensive about his past projections about the Iran war, including repeatedly saying it’s just a skirmish that would be over in short order and cause just a “temporary blip” in gas prices.

More than six months in, asked him if the public should judge him on his… pic.twitter.com/0BpVaGy6xC — Manu Raju (@mkraju) September 1, 2026 “Manu, that is one of the stupidest questions you’ve ever asked,” Johnson snapped.

“I have nothing to do with the prosecution of the war across the globe.” Raju interjected, telling Johnson he was “responsible...you are selling this to the American public, are you not?” “So should the House speaker be held responsible for duration of a military conflict around the globe?,” Johnson responded, telling Raju, “You answer that question.” Raju continued to hold him to account, saying, “You called this a short-term skirmish,” and pointed out it was “costing billions of dollars,” before Johnson walked away.

CNN political commentator Maria Cardona was on The Source , and answered Johnson’s question for him.

“The answer is yes, because guess what, Speaker Johnson? You guys hold the purse,” she said.