President Donald Trump intensified his criticism of the news media over the weekend following his speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, further straining an already contentious relationship with the press. On Sunday, Trump posted an altered image on his social media platform Truth Social that replaced transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney’s face in a mock Bud Light advertisement with that of CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, drawing on a previous controversial advertising campaign involving Mulvaney that had sparked a right-wing boycott.
Trump’s pointed criticisms came after his address at the dinner, held on Friday night in Washington, D.C., which served as a rescheduled event after the original April dinner was disrupted by a gunman. In his remarks, Trump targeted several journalists, including CNN anchors Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, but particularly focused on Collins. He told Collins to “just smile,” a phrase critics highlighted as perpetuating a common misogynistic trope, and compared her appearance to Mulvaney, a figure prominent in recent culture wars.
The president’s harsh tone during the speech and the subsequent social media post prompted renewed calls from media critics and journalism advocates to reconsider the future of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner. Some argued that the event, intended to honor journalistic coverage of the executive branch, was increasingly incompatible with Trump’s public antagonism toward the press.
Critics described the dinner as an embarrassment. Jem Bartholomew of the Columbia Journalism Review called it such, while Tom Jones of the Poynter Institute voiced similar disappointment. Jon Passantino of the newsletter Status characterized Trump’s remarks as “laced with vile invective,” suggesting they undermined the event’s role in celebrating First Amendment principles. Margaret Sullivan, a former Washington Post columnist, called the dinner a “predictable disgrace” and said reporters should have collectively protested by walking out.
Peter Baker, chief White House correspondent for The New York Times, weighed in on social media, stating the evening failed to advance the mission of protecting the First Amendment rights of journalists covering the presidency and said it was time to reconsider the dinner’s relevance. The Times traditionally covers the event but does not send guests to attend.
CNN defended Collins in a statement, praising her as an “exceptional, trusted journalist” recognized for her knowledge and depth of reporting. The network’s CEO, Mark Thompson, reaffirmed support for staff and their constitutional right to report without government interference. Meanwhile, White House spokesman Davis Ingle criticized what he called the “liberal media” for being unwilling to accept criticism.
Mulvaney responded to Trump’s social media post with a TikTok video congratulating Collins and expressing that being publicly mocked by the administration may be a form of recognition.
The dinner marks the first time Trump attended the event as president, after years of boycotting it. However, the original gathering in April was cut short when Cole Tomas Allen, who was later federally indicted on multiple felony counts, disrupted the proceedings with a firearm. The incident raised questions about the propriety of holding a subsequent dinner and inviting a president whose public statements have often challenged press freedom. Kathy Kiely, a journalism professor at the University of Missouri, questioned the wisdom of hosting the dinner given Trump’s overt threats toward the media.
Adding complexity to the coverage environment, CNN is currently at the center of a pending merger between its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Skydance, owned by Trump ally David Ellison. The $110 billion transaction has been temporarily halted by a federal judge following legal challenges by several Democratic state attorneys general, leaving the network’s future uncertain.
As the administration’s relationship with major news outlets remains tense, some journalists voiced skepticism about Trump’s professed respect for the media during his speech. CNN co-anchor Laura Coates noted that the president’s rhetoric did not reflect respect for journalists in attendance. The episode underscored ongoing challenges in the dynamic between Trump and the news media amid broader debates over press freedom and political polarization.