Donald Trump says his mistook CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins for trans influencer in brutal jibe at WHCD

By STEPHEN M. LEPORE, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 06:40, 25 July 2026 | Updated: 06:41, 25 July 2026 Donald Trump stunned the White House Correspondents' Dinner with a joke comparing CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.  The president has frequently sparred with Collins in Oval Office press conferences, and he took several shots at her during his remarks Friday night, including one comparing her to Mulvaney.  'I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship,' Trump said of Collins.  'But then I informed her that it wasn't her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney.'  Bud Light suffered a huge drop in sales in 2023 after Mulvaney shared images of herself with a custom beer can as part of a marketing campaign which also marked her first full year transitioning.  The promotion detonated a backlash that quickly grew into a full-scale boycott, fueled by conservative outrage which was amplified across social media and right-wing news outlets. Trump ripped into the campaign at the dinner Friday night.  'Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap,' he said. 'That was the worst commercial ever made, by the way, for those few people that want to hear that. Most people don't care, but I would. I wouldn't want to hire Dylan anytime soon.' Donald Trump stunned the White House Correspondents' Dinner with a joke comparing CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins to transgender actor Dylan Mulvaney The President has frequently sparred with Collins in Oval Office press conferences and took several shots at her during his remarks Friday night, including one comparing her to Mulvaney 'Think of it. They hired Dylan Mulvaney, and their market cap has gone down by $35 billion. Who wrote that commercial?' However, it wasn't Trump's only remark about the CNN host in his roast-laden speech at the Waldorf Astoria, especially after she received a journalism award from the WHCA.  'I want to personally congratulate CNN's Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It was all about me. It was a fake, she shouldn't get the award, it was a fake. But I didn't mind,' he riffed. Trump then repeated a previous criticism of Collins - that she allegedly does not smile. 'She's a young, attractive woman, but she never smiles. I said, ''Kaitlan do you ever smile? Smile!' You have a nice position, you're at CNN fake news. You should be a happy person.'' So smile, Kaitlan! Just smile.'  When approached for comment by The Daily Mail, a spokesperson for CNN defended Collins.  'Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional, trusted journalist being honored tonight for her depth of knowledge and the context she provides to audiences all over the world,' they said.  'She reports every day from the White House and the field with real strength and tenacity and skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day. We stand by her to the fullest extent.' Mulvaney created an uproar against the beer company in 2023 when she shared images of herself with a custom beer can featuring her face as part of a marketing campaign marking Mulvaney's first full year transitioning The promotion detonated a backlash that quickly grew into a full-scale boycott, fueled by conservative outrage and amplified across social media and conservative news outlets  However, it wasn't Trump's only remark about the CNN host in his roast-laden speech at the Waldorf Astoria, especially after she received a journalism award from the WHCA The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump's first-ever White House Correspondents' Dinner speech would be, in part, 'vicious.' And as the night wore on, it indeed lived up to that billing, as the commander-in-chief used his remarks both to praise, and at times, to excoriate some of the biggest names in Washington's press corps and beyond.  In addition to Collins, Trump leveled barbs towards California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Bruce Springsteen and Rosie O'Donnell, among many, many others. The dinner was rescheduled after the original event on April 25 was dramatically canceled when bullets rang out in the dining hall as a gunman opened fire outside.  The glitzy event took place with heightened airport-style security in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, a venue that holds about 700 people, instead of the larger Washington Hilton where the previous event was held.