Donald Trump attacks CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at White House Dinner

President Donald Trump delivered a rambling speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner on July 24, 2026, after the event had been postponed due to a shooting incident in April. During the address he singled out CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who was receiving a White House Correspondents' Association award for her coverage of Trump’s February 2025 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump called Collins a “young, attractive woman” who “never smiles,” told her to smile, labeled CNN “fake news,” and then compared her to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, invoking the 2023 Bud Light advertising campaign. Days later, Trump posted an AI‑generated image that merged Collins’ face with Mulvaney’s body on his Truth Social account. Collins responded indirectly on Instagram, sharing an Eleanor Roosevelt quote, “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent,” and a statement of support from CNN. The episode drew widespread media coverage and commentary about press freedom and the use of AI‑edited imagery in political rhetoric.