Donald Trump continued his blistering attack on American media personalities over the weekend following his controversial appearance at Friday’s White House Correspondents Dinner.
The president shared a doctored image of CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins alongside an original featuring transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
The move sparked swift backlash from journalists and media observers, with some even calling for the annual dinner to be scrapped.
Donald Trump is not prepared to take his foot off the gas when it comes to trolling and bashing the American news media, with his latest attack directed at CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
The billionaire politician took to Truth Social to share a doctored Bud Light advertisement, swapping transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s face with Collins’.
The controversy gained further traction after the image was amplified by an official White House account on X.
The post came just days after Trump’s unrestrained attacks on journalists during Friday’s White House Correspondents Dinner, where he mocked CNN’s Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper before turning his attention to Collins.
He told the veteran reporter to “just smile” before comparing her appearance to Mulvaney’s, drawing criticism for employing a common misogynistic trope.
Collins addressed Trump’s blistering attack during an appearance on Monday’s episode of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, insisting she was unbothered because similar exchanges have become commonplace inside the Oval Office.
“That happens pretty regularly inside the Oval Office. This is just a bigger venue where it was happening,” she said, per Variety. “What was most surprising to me was the room was filled with a lot of his staffers, his Cabinet, his allies, Republicans in Congress. It was so quiet in the room during the president’s remarks.”
Stewart praised Collins for maintaining her composure throughout the president’s onslaught.
“That’s why I ask the questions the way I do. It’s because I want anyone to be able to listen to what I’m asking, whether that’s at a briefing or during a moment with the president, and think, you know, ‘I want to know the answer to that too’ or ‘That is a good question,’” Collins replied.
Dylan Mulvaney And CNN Rally Behind Collins
Collins has received widespread support in the wake of Trump’s attacks.
Mulvaney addressed the controversy in a TikTok video, congratulating Collins and saying it was an honor to be compared to her.
The influencer also said she wasn’t bothered by appearing on Trump’s “diss track” during his White House Correspondents Dinner speech, where he likened the pair.
“Maybe, being publicly mocked and criticized by this administration is actually the greatest compliment of all,” Mulvaney said.
CNN also stood firmly behind its chief White House correspondent. Last Friday, a network spokesperson described Collins as “an exceptional, trusted journalist” who was honored “for her depth of knowledge and the context she provides to audiences all over the world.”
Trump’s attacks sparked strong reactions across the journalism industry, with several prominent media figures questioning whether the White House Correspondents Dinner should continue in its current form.
The annual event is traditionally intended to celebrate First Amendment reporting and raise money for journalism scholarships, but this year’s gathering quickly became overshadowed by the president’s remarks.
Columbia Journalism Review’s Jem Bartholomew called the dinner “an embarrassment,” while former Washington Post columnist Margaret Sullivan described it as a “predictable disgrace,” arguing journalists should have boycotted the event once the attacks began.
“Our mission is to defend the First Amendment rights of White House correspondents to report on the president without fear or favor,” New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker wrote on X Saturday. “Unfortunately, last night did not advance that cause. Time to rethink the dinner.”
Trump also used his White House Correspondents Dinner speech to predict financial ruin for the news industry once he leaves office.
“Your business model is going to be finished,” he told the audience. “When I’m not around, you’re gonna be broke. There’s not going to be anybody to report on. Nobody gives a damn about anybody else.”
The latest episode continues what has become a broader pattern of confrontations with media organizations during Trump’s second, non-consecutive term.
The president has filed lawsuits against several news outlets, with some agreeing to multimillion-dollar settlements. Meanwhile, several New York Times reporters were served subpoenas following reporting on the security issues that delayed Trump’s return from Turkey aboard the new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.