Trump congratulated Kaitlan Collins on her award, then said: ‘It was a fake, she shouldn’t get the award’

President Donald Trump made remarks about CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins during his address at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday, according to Mediaite. Collins had just received an award from the White House Correspondents’ Association.

During the speech, Trump  congratulated Collins before also saying the award was “fake” and that she should not have received it. He also compared her appearance to that of trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The comments came roughly 10 minutes into the address.

Trump told the audience, “I want to personally congratulate CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award.” He then added, “It was all about me. It was a fake, she shouldn’t get the award, it was a fake. But I didn’t mind. I said, ‘Kaitlan, congratulations.’ But it was fake, there’s no question about it.”

Trump questioned why Collins does not smile more often

Trump went on to comment on Collins’ physical appearance and her demeanor. He was quoted by Mediaite as saying, “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.”

Trump then compared Collins to Dylan Mulvaney, a trans influencer who gained national attention after being featured in a promotional campaign for Bud Light. According to Mediaite, Trump said, “I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship. But then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney.”

The president also made separate remarks criticizing Mulvaney and the Bud Light campaign. He was quoted as saying, “Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap. 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?”

CNN responded to the remarks in a statement provided to Mediaite. A spokesperson for the network said, “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.”

The statement continued, “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,” according to Mediaite.

This year’s dinner had already drawn attention before Friday’s remarks, after the original April 25 event ended abruptly when gunfire near the venue led officials to evacuate Trump and other attendees. 

The dinner was subsequently rescheduled, with Trump confirming he would attend the event’s new July date at a different venue. As of writing, neither Collins nor Mulvaney had issued a personal statement responding to Trump’s remarks.