CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins responded to criticism from President Donald Trump at Friday’s rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner by sharing a message from Eleanor Roosevelt on social media.
Collins, an Alabama native who received the 2026 WHCA award for broadcast coverage, posted on Instagram Saturday afternoon with the former first lady’s famous quote:
“No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
The award recognized her reporting on Trump’s contentious meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in February 2025, according to Variety.
During his dinner speech Friday, Trump singled out Collins after congratulating her on the award.
“It was all about me. It’s a fake. She shouldn’t get the award. It was a fake, but I didn’t mind,” Trump said.
The president then criticized her demeanor, telling the gathering, “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 also made a reference to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, saying Collins had signed “a major new sponsorship. But then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can. It was Dylan Mulvaney.”
Mulvaney endorsed the beer in 2023 in a campaign that resulted in backlash and declining sales.
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, who presented Collins with the award, could be seen on video watching the exchange from across the table.
In her Instagram post, Collins wrote that “the second best part of last night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner was receiving an award from my friend and mentor, [Wolf Blitzer.]”
She added that “the first was reminding everyone why the First Amendment—and asking uncomfortable questions that people in power don’t like—matters.”
CNN CEO Mark Thompson issued a statement late Friday defending Collins and other reporters Trump mentioned.
“We stand by our journalists and the integrity and fair-mindedness with which the CNN team reports the news,” Thompson said on X.
“Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution.”
Collins’ Instagram post received more than 100,000 likes and 4,000 comments within hours, with the overwhelming majority supporting the journalist.
Collins told The New York Times’ Shawn McCreesh that observers have acknowledged differences in Trump’s treatment of male and female journalists.
She has previously said she believes she draws the president’s attention because he doesn’t like her questions.
“Well, I don’t think the president likes tough questions from anyone, and he’s threatened a lot of our colleagues who are men, like Jonathan Karl and Peter Alexander,” Collins told McCreesh.
Heather Gann; al.com; (TNS) || ©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit al.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
