A years-long clash between President Donald Trump and CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins reached a new flashpoint this weekend, with the president using a viral advertising image to needle the network anchor.
The confrontation began at Friday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where Trump drew a comparison between Collins and transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in front of an audience of journalists and political figures.
By Sunday, the president had taken the joke further. He posted an edited photo on Truth Social showing Collins’s face placed onto Mulvaney’s body from the widely circulated Bud Light commercial that thrust the influencer into the national spotlight in April 2023.
That original Bud Light campaign triggered a massive consumer boycott three years ago. Conservative shoppers largely drove the backlash, with support spreading rapidly through social media and right-leaning news coverage, and the beer brand has never fully rebounded from the sales hit.
Speaking to the dinner crowd Friday, Trump joked, “I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship.” He added moments later, “But then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney.”
Mulvaney, who has discussed undergoing facial feminization surgery as part of her gender transition, later starred in a 2025 autobiographical stage production called “The Least Problematic Woman in the World.”
Collins addressed Trump’s dinner remarks in a post shortly afterward. She wrote that receiving an award from “my friend and mentor, @wolfblitzer” ranked as the second-best moment of her night.
Her next line carried a sharper edge. Collins said the top highlight was “reminding everyone why the First Amendment—and asking uncomfortable questions that people in power don’t like—matters.”
This is far from the first public dust-up between the two. Collins has built a reputation for pressing Trump on difficult subjects during Oval Office briefings, often triggering visible irritation from the president.
One such moment unfolded when Collins questioned Trump directly about his past association with Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender. Trump’s response — telling her to smile — spread quickly across social platforms.
The fallout from that exchange landed Collins a guest spot on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” where she gave her account of what happened.
According to Collins, Trump made the “smile” remark earlier this month in a room filled with Republican lawmakers and reporters. He first told the group, “You know she’s a young woman,” before turning his attention to her.
He then told her, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile. I’ve known you for 10 years, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile.” The comment followed Collins’s question about what he would say to survivors of Epstein’s abuse.
Speaking with Colbert, Collins said the moment didn’t rattle her. She explained that Trump routinely tries to “deflect” from tough questions by redirecting attention toward her instead of responding to the substance.
She directly challenged the fairness of his comment during the interview. “I don’t think it’s a controversial opinion that you shouldn’t smile when you’re asking questions about a sex trafficker and sexual assault victims,” Collins said.
The audience broke into applause following her remark. She clarified afterward that she does smile — just “when it’s appropriate.”
Collins told Colbert that Trump had leaned on similar deflection tactics before, framing his behavior as a pattern rather than an isolated incident tied to sensitive Epstein-related questions.
She also offered her own theory on why Trump responded the way he did. “He is someone who is often politically savvy or tied in with what his base wants,” Collins said.
She elaborated further, noting, “In that moment, I was thinking if he had said that in response to a different question, I think it would have had a different reaction.” The comment implied she saw calculation behind his timing.
The weekend’s exchange adds another chapter to an ongoing rivalry that has spanned Trump’s dealings with the press. He has repeatedly used both public appearances and his social media accounts to target Collins personally.
For her part, Collins has continued to raise pointed questions in official settings, even as the personal jabs persist. Her public responses have consistently framed her role around accountability journalism rather than personal conflict.
As of this report, neither CNN nor the White House had released formal statements addressing the latest exchange beyond what Trump and Collins posted or said publicly themselves.
