WATCH: Tom Cotton Flips The Script On CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, Leaves Her Speechless

Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) wasn’t about to let CNN’s Kaitlan Collins box him in on apologizing for remarks by former President Donald Trump on Wednesday questioning Vice President Kamala Harris’s connection to her Black ancestry after a long history of promoting her Indian heritage earlier in life.

The Arkansas conservative, who endorsed Trump back in January, challenged Collins to ask the Democratic presidential candidate about her wavering policy positions instead of focusing on Trump’s controversial take during an interview before the National Association of Black Journalists. Much of the mainstream media has focused on the former president’s assertion that Harris recently “became Black” in an attempt to ingratiate herself with minority voters who polls show have supported Trump at historic levels.

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“How does [Harris] changing her views on her policy justify having the Republican nominee questioning her race? Does that increase or decrease your party’s chances of winning in November?” the CNN reporter asked Cotton before he flipped the script on her. “Well, Kaitlan you haven’t been having that conversation with Kamala Harris because she’s been hiding out, just like Joe Biden hid out before her. My point is when are you and the rest of the media going to demand that Kamala Harris come out and answer questions in an unscripted format about where she stands for this country, instead of continuing to focus on what Donald Trump said today?”

Reminding Collins of President Biden’s infamous 2020 comment, “You ain’t Black,” the senator asked her if she could “imagine a more insulting comment” especially compared to Trump’s take on Harris today. “Joe Biden is presuming to judge the political views of one-eighth of our fellow citizens based on their skin color. Did you ever ask Kamala Harris to condemn his remarks?”

The 32-year-old reporter fought to regain the ground, attempting to speak over Cotton as he continued to turn the table on her. “Did you ever ask Kamala Harris why she was willing to serve as vice president for a man she essentially called racist and a segregationist? Have you or anyone else in the media asked those questions, Kaitlan?”

Collins offered a milquetoast excuse that she has asked “Harris to come on” the show so she could ostensibly be asked those questions, a far-fetched scenario to say the least.

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Even at the NABJ reception, reactions from the room to President Trump’s statements were far from one-sided. Audible laughter, clapping, and cheering could be heard from some corners of the room while the Republican questioned whether Harris, who recently adopted a Southern accent during a rally in Atlanta, was sincere about her roots. “I didn’t know she was black… until a number of years ago when she happened to turn black. Now she wants to be known as black,” said Trump, prompting some giggling in the room.

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