CNN Journalist Responds to Trump's Controversial Remarks

CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins appeared to respond to President Donald Trump's public criticism by sharing a quote from former first lady Eleanor Roosevel on Saturday, July 25. The 34-year-old journalist posted the message to her Instagram Story one day after Trump's controversial remarks at the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The quote Collins shared read: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."

Trump, 80, made inflammatory comments about Collins during his speech at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C., on Friday, July 24. The president referenced that Collins was receiving recognition at the ceremony for her reporting on his meeting with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The award honored her work covering presidential news under tight deadlines.

"I want to personally congratulate CNN's Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It was all about me. It's a fake — she shouldn't get the award, it was a fake," Trump stated during his remarks. "But I don't mind, I said, 'Kaitlan, congratulations.' But it was fake, there's no question about it."

The president then drew a comparison between Collins and trans actress and activist Dylan Mulvaney, who participated in a 2023 advertising campaign with Bud Light that drew condemnation from right-wing politicians and influencers. Trump's comments have been widely criticized as transphobic.

"[Collins is] a young, attractive woman. She never smiles," Trump said. "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."

He continued: "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."

Mulvaney, 29, responded to the controversy on Saturday by re-sharing Collins' Eleanor Roosevel quote on her own Instagram Story.

Collins also posted a statement from CNN expressing support for her work. The network described her as "an exceptional, trusted journalist being honored tonight for her depth of knowledge and the context she provides to audiences all over the world." CNN added: "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."

The White House Correspondents Dinner took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel on Friday after being rescheduled from its original April 25 date. The initial ceremony at the Washington Hilton was disrupted by gunfire outside the main ballroom, prompting security to evacuate Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and other administration officials as a precautionary measure.

Cole Tomas Allen, the 31-year-old shooting suspect, was apprehended alive by the Secret Service. The Justice Department charged him with attempting to assassinate the President of the United States, transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines with intent to commit a felony, and discharging a firearm during a violent crime. Allen entered a not guilty plea to all federal charges at a May 11 hearing in Washington D.C.