PoliticsDonald Trump Takes Swipe at CNN's Kaitlan Collins After She Receives 'Fake' WHCD Award: 'She Never Smiles'

Donald Trump slammed CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins for earning an award at the White House Correspondents Dinner on July 24.
July 27 2026, Updated 10:42 a.m. ET
Donald Trump bashed CNN Anchor Kaitlan Collins during his hour-long speech at the White House Correspondents Dinner on Friday, July 24.
Collins, 34, received the Excellence Under Deadline Pressure award during the lavish event and the president, 80, wasn't too thrilled about it.
Donald Trump called out Kaitlan Collins in his address on Friday.
“I want to personally congratulate CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award,” Trump said. “It was all about me. It was a fake, she shouldn’t get the award, it was a fake."
Donald Trump Skewered Kaitlan Collins in His Speech

Donald Trump claimed Kaitlan Collins never smiles.
"But I didn’t mind. I said, ‘Kaitlan, congratulations.’ But it was fake, there’s no question about it. But she’s a young, attractive woman. 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," the POTUS scoffed.
Trump then awkwardly compared the journalist to trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, and the controversial Bud Light advertisement she did in 2023.
Donald Trump Also Criticized Dylan Mulvaney
- CNN Star Kaitlan Collins Responds to Donald Trump's Brutal Attack: 'The Award I Got Really Bothered Him'
- Megyn Kelly Rips Into 'Nasty' Kaitlan Collins After Donald Trump's Scathing Speech About CNN Anchor: 'She's Never Nice to the President'
- Donald Trump Escalates Kaitlan Collins Feud With Bizarre AI Photo After Controversial Joke
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“I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship,” the businessman ranted on. “But then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney.”
But Trump didn't stop there and also went on to slam the social media influencer, 29, for the beer commercial. The controversy came about after conservative critics refused to buy the beer brand due to Mulvaney's involvement.
Donald Trump Slammed Dylan Mulvaney's Bud Light Commercial

Kaitlan Collins attended the White House Correspondents Dinner on July 24.
“Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap,” Trump 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. Think of it. They hired Dylan Mulvaney, and their market cap has gone down by $35 billion. Who wrote that commercial?" he wondered.
Wolf Blitzer Shared His Support for Kaitlan Collins
Wolf Blitzer shared a snap of himself with Kaitlan Collins at the glitzy event.
Despite Trump not being too happy with Collins' award at the dinner party, her pal and fellow CNN anchorman Wolf Blitzer shared his support for her on his social media.
Blitzer, 78, took to his X page on Saturday, July 25, to post a photo of himself posing with Collins on the red carpet before the bash began.
"I was honored to present my @cnn colleague @kaitlancollins with the White House Correspondents Association 'Excellence Under Deadline Pressure' award last night. I pointed out the judges were 'awed' by the 'depth of knowledge, access and context' that she brought to the news," he gushed.
A CNN spokesperson also told OK! in a statement following the dinner: “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. 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.”


