Trump says he wants to "congratulate CNN’s Kaitlan Collins" on her award

President Donald Trump made his first appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington on Friday evening, delivering a lengthy speech that included criticism of multiple journalists. Referring to CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, who had just received the WHCA broadcast award for her coverage of Trump’s February 2025 Oval Office meeting with Ukraine’s president, Trump said he congratulated her but dismissed the award as fake and focused on him. He also made personal remarks about Collins’s demeanor. CNN’s CEO issued a statement defending the network’s reporting. The dinner, rescheduled after a security incident, featured Trump’s broad attacks on the press and his boasts about social media success.