President Trump spent nearly an hour mocking journalists at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, singling out CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins by comparing her to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney in front of the room she works to cover fairly.
Quick Take
- Trump gave a roughly hour-long speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington.
- He compared CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney and mocked other reporters by name.
- CNN and several outlets called the jokes a flop, saying the room reacted with awkward silence.
- About 500 journalists had already signed a letter demanding a forceful response before Trump even spoke.
- The dinner was postponed from April after gunfire forced an evacuation of the first event.
A Rescheduled Dinner Returns Under Tension
The White House Correspondents’ Association held its annual dinner on July 24, three months late. Gunfire had cut short the original April event, forcing Trump and other guests to evacuate mid-program. Association president Weijia Jiang welcomed Trump back and called the rescheduled gathering a moment of unity, even as tension between the president and the press corps he addressed had only grown since the spring.
Trump used the return trip to the podium for a speech that outlets described as blending campaign-style material with jabs at the media. The Independent called it a “rambling, roughly hour-long speech” that “savaged members of the media” with jokes described as crude and often poorly received by the crowd in the room.
Trump Turns the Spotlight on Kaitlan Collins
Trump zeroed in on CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins during his remarks, criticizing her coverage and appearance while renewing his broader complaints about what he calls “fake news.” He compared her to trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney, telling the crowd “she never smiles,” a line that drew notice from multiple outlets covering the dinner as one of the night’s sharpest personal attacks.
Video of the moment quickly spread online, with clips showing Trump directing comments at Collins as she sat in the audience. NBC News described the president as taking “swipes at some of the journalists in the room” while also touting his administration’s accomplishments during the same speech.
Mixed Reviews From the Room and the Press
CNN’s own writeup of the night said Trump “delivered a performance that many deemed unsuccessful,” noting his self-referential humor “did not resonate” and led to what the network called widespread mockery. The report suggested Trump appeared aware of his lackluster reception and tried to talk his way through the awkwardness rather than move past it.
Other outlets framed the speech less as a comedy failure and more as a return to Trump’s familiar rally style. Deadline described “an hour-long speech blending shopworn rally material with a string of leaden one-liners,” while the Guardian noted he praised journalists for doing an “amazing job” even as he mixed in insults and potshots throughout the address.
The dinner also became a moment of recognition for the press corps itself. Wall Street Journal reporters received an award for their coverage of Trump’s relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, and Trump reacted to the honor during the event, a detail that underscored how the night mixed celebration of journalism with open hostility toward it.
Journalists Had Already Vowed to Push Back
The friction wasn’t new by the time Trump reached the podium. Hundreds of former and current journalists, along with eight press freedom groups, had signed a letter before the dinner urging the Correspondents’ Association to stand up against what they called the administration’s ongoing attacks on the press. The Associated Press reported roughly 500 signatures on that letter.
Freedom of the Press? 500 journalists sign letter calling for action amid attacks by Trump
MS NOW
24JUL2026https://t.co/QaLZ854ev8#trump #WHCD #pressfreedom
Tonight, the White House Correspondents Dinner will take place after the original event was derailed by an armed…— fj (@gecko39) July 25, 2026
That backdrop matters for readers on both sides of the aisle. Whether one sees Trump’s routine as sharp political comedy or as crossing a line, the underlying story is a White House and a press corps locked in an increasingly public standoff, playing out not behind closed doors but on a stage built to celebrate the very freedoms both sides say they’re defending.
Sources:
mediaite.com, cnn.com, youtube.com, unn.ua, reuters.com
