Kaitlan Collins Says It Was 'So Quiet' During Donald Trump’s White House Correspondents' Dinner Speech

Discussing President Donald Trump's rambling speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart asked CNN star Kaitlan Collins if the president was "bombing as hard as it appeared on TV."

Collins replied that she wasn't surprised by the personal insults — noting it happens regularly in the Oval Office — but was struck by how muted the room full of his allies was.

“What was most surprising to me was that the room was filled with a lot of his staffers, his cabinet, his allies, and Republicans in Congress. It was so quiet in the room during the president's remarks,” she said.

According to media analysts and reports widely shared on social media platforms, Trump's hour-long routine struggled to connect.

Many of the prepared jokes failed to generate laughter or applause from the crowd.

Trump even openly complained during the event that he disliked the speech written for him.

He faced backlash for targeting journalists in attendance, including a controversial moment where he told Collins — who was seated in the front row — to "smile more.”

Collins, a frequent target of the president, said she thinks he was “bothered” by the fact she had won a journalism award earlier in the evening.

When Collins pointed out how eerie it was that Trump's own staffers, cabinet members and congressional allies sat in complete silence during his poorly received speech, Stewart jumped in, saying, "Because of how much they respect him?”

In response to his joke, Collins smirked and replied, "Who's to say?"

Earlier in The Daily Show segment covering the White House Correspondents' Dinner, Stewart also mocked the crowd's dead silence during Trump's routine by saying, "Normally I'd say, 'Don't quit your day job.' But in this case I will make an exception."

Critics bashed the president’s attempt at comedy, for which he actually hired speechwriters, with Politico saying, “Trump bombed because it was evident during his hour-plus remarks that he was winging it... With a rambling, zig-zag tour of his own pet obsessions and grievances, the president seemingly believed that just Trump being Trump was enough to get the job done.”

Former administration staffer and The View co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin stated on CNN that he "objectively bombed," while Variety described it as a bizarre ramble where few were laughing.

Journalist Jim Acosta criticized the address as "full of hate and spite" and divisive, targeting individual journalists and political figures rather than unifying the room.

Even the president, who is not one to admit any wrongdoing, said, “That was a freaking stupid speech . . .It's been an interesting evening. I really didn't know what to expect. And it's far worse than I actually thought.”