President Donald Trump targeted CNN’s Kaitlan Collins at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday night, reprising a sexist attack by claiming she does not smile, according to CNN’s live coverage of the event at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington.
Collins was among journalists honored with awards earlier in the evening for their reporting, a moment Trump said had made for “not an easy evening.” When he took the podium, he shifted from lighthearted jokes to personal attacks on journalists by name, including Collins, Anderson Cooper, Jake Tapper, and Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey.
The attack on Collins was not new territory for Trump. In June, he had lashed out at her during an Oval Office press briefing, accusing her of having “hatred in her eyes,” according to reporting from The Hill. That incident drew swift defense from her CNN colleagues, including Anderson Cooper, who highlighted the personal nature of the criticism. Trump had also previously told Collins to smile, a comment that drew particular scrutiny for its sexist framing.
Trump’s pattern of targeting Collins reflects a broader dynamic documented by NPR in June 2026. According to reporting on his attacks on the press, Trump has repeatedly gone after Collins “personally and directly,” but the pattern extends beyond her. As NPR reported, Trump’s attacks on journalists “often focus on women reporters who challenge him.”
The dinner itself marked a historic moment: Trump’s first attendance at the annual White House Correspondents’ Association event as president. During his first term, he skipped every dinner, breaking with precedent dating back to Calvin Coolidge in 1924, according to USA Today. The April 2026 dinner had been disrupted by a shooting, forcing a reschedule to July.
CNN’s statement in response to Trump’s remarks at the dinner defended Collins as “an exceptional, trusted journalist” who “reports every day from the White House and the field with real strength and tenacity.” The network highlighted her award recognition as validation of her journalism, noting she provides “depth of knowledge and context” to audiences globally.
Trump’s speech lasted over an hour and drew mixed reactions from the assembled journalists. According to CNN’s live coverage, many of his jokes fell flat, with attendees on their phones, talking amongst themselves, or leaving the room. The president acknowledged the poor reception himself, saying at one point that he thought “that was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole, frickin, stupid speech they wrote.”
Despite the criticism, Trump said he planned to return to the dinner next year, adding a caveat: “Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. But we’re going to be back.”
Sources
- CNN — Live coverage of Trump’s speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, including his attacks on Collins and other journalists; CNN’s statement defending Collins
- NPR — Reporting on Trump’s pattern of attacks on women journalists, including Collins, from June 4, 2026
- The Hill — Coverage of Trump’s June 3, 2026 attack on Collins in the Oval Office
- USA Today — Reporting on Trump’s first attendance at the dinner as president and the historical context of his absence during his first term
