Raw StoryFar Left
Kaitlan Collins fires back at Trump after being singled out at WHCD
CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins responded Saturday after President Donald Trump mocked her looks and demeanor during his White House Correspondents Dinner speech, posting a pointed message paired with an Eleanor Roosevelt quote on social media.Trump told the crowd, "I wanna personally congratulate CNN's Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award; was all about me, it's a fake, she shouldn't get the award." He then added that Collins is "a young, attractive woman" who "never smiles," telling the audience, "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. Just smile, Kaitlan.'" Trump then compared Collins to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, joking that he'd mistakenly thought she'd landed "a major new sponsorship" before realizing "it wasn't her on the Bud Light can."It wasn't the first time Trump has told Collins she doesn't smile enough, having made a similar remark earlier this year after she pressed him on what he would say to Jeffrey Epstein survivors. Collins won her WHCA award for her coverage of the 2025 Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.In response, Collins shared an image on Instagram Saturday featuring an Eleanor Roosevelt quote: "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."Alongside the image, Collins wrote that the second-best part of the night was receiving her award from "my friend and mentor," CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer. The first, she said, was "reminding everyone why the First Amendment – and asking uncomfortable questions that people in power don't like – matters." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins)
Read at Raw Story →US news | The GuardianCenter Left
Trump forced to play good sport at correspondents’ dinner – but it couldn’t last
President’s speech at Friday’s event started well enough but quickly moved to the usual insults, taunts, jokes and grievancesThis time, at least, everyone got to finish their dinner.And any urge to hide under the table was driven not by the barking commands of Secret Service agents on alert against a marauding gunman, but by a desire to escape the tedium of a meandering speech from Donald Trump that strayed quickly and wildly from the matter at hand into the weeds of his normal stump addresses. Continue reading...
Read at US news | The Guardian →NBC News PoliticsCenter Left
Trump touts his accomplishments and relationship with the press at Correspondents' Dinner
President Trump gave lengthy speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he insulted his political rivals and touted his accomplishments and relationship with the press.
Read at NBC News Politics →NYT > U.S. > PoliticsCenter Left
At Correspondents’ Dinner, a Rambling Trump Hurls Insults
President Trump gave the keynote speech as relations between his administration and the press continue to deteriorate.
Read at NYT > U.S. > Politics →AxiosCenter Left
Trump condemns violence, slams press at White House Correspondents' Dinner
President Trump used his speech at Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner to condemn the political violence that postponed the annual event — and in the next breath attack and insult the gathered press. The big picture: The president opened with jokes to the hundreds of assembled journalists and even made a little fun of himself, in a speech that started light — before descending into a litany of familiar complaints about reporters and prominent Democrats.Zoom out: "In America we do not yield to political violence," Trump told event attendees, referencing the gunman who opened fire outside the ballroom where he and hundreds of others were gathered for the previously scheduled dinner in April. "In this country we believe in freedom of speech, we settle our differences not with bullets but with open and vigorous debate, and no deranged loser with a gun will ever change that. We can't let that ever happen," Trump said.A Secret Service agent was wounded during the shooting, and the dinner was called off, though Trump insisted it be rescheduled. Zoom in: This year marked the first time that Trump has attended a White House Correspondents' Dinner as president, and he engaged in the long-standing tradition of poking fun at the media and his administration. "It's great to be back as a place (I) know very well because I built it," Trump said, referencing the Waldorf Astoria's former life as Trump International Hotel. "I'm very proud of it because I built it for $2.9 billion less than the Federal Reserve building.""Everyone is looking really good tonight, and I know it's not easy finding shoes to match your bulletproof vest. Many people would rather die than look 20 pounds heavier, you know that, right? They put one on me. I said, 'Are you sure? I'm not wearing this.'"Between the lines: The speech wasn't without barbs and airing of some familiar grievances by the president, who discussed the need for the White House ballroom, complained about performers like Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Kimmel, and warned guests not to believe any "fake news" about Iran.He attacked prominent reporters by name, particularly going after CNN's Kaitlin Collins (demanding she smile more) and Jake Tapper (who he called "Fake Tapper"). CNN released a statement during Trump's speech defending its reporters, writing in part: "Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution." Trump also cracked a joke about a "once-feared and powerful regime" being toppled and now being run by "a gay dictator facing internal divisions" — adding "I for one wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News." The line got only a muted response. 💭 Thought bubble, from Axios media correspondent Sara Fischer: The CBS jokes aside, Trump's repeated praise of Paramount chair David Ellison may complicate life for the company, which is currently facing an antitrust lawsuit from a dozen Democratic state attorneys general as it tries to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Friction point: There were also a few awkward moments for the president, as the Wall Street Journal was awarded a prize for its coverage of a letter Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein.Trump chuckled at the announcement of the award, though he did congratulate the reporters when they came on stage.Trump also congratulated New York Times reporter Tyler Pager for another award; Pager was among those subpoenaed by the DOJ earlier this week over their reporting on the new Air Force One. The bottom line: Trump's speech, which ran just over an hour, started on a warmer tone but quickly descended into a familiar one of confrontation."For all of the trouble that you give me — you give me a lot of trouble, a lot of heartache — I hope all of you know that I believe in the free press more than anyone in this room does."He then donned a "Trump 2028" hat and pledged to run for another term, to chuckles and light applause.
Read at Axios →TIMECenter Left
Trump Will Give ‘Unifying Yet Vicious’ Speech at Rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner, White House Says
After the shooting at the April event, Trump revealed that he had intended to rip into the media during his speech, but would now likely not do so.
Read at TIME →