Collins, 34, received the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association award for broadcast journalism for her reporting on Trump’s February 2025 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. During his remarks, Trump dismissed the recognition, saying he didn’t believe she deserved it.
“She shouldn’t have won that award,” Trump told the audience. “It was fake, but I didn’t mind.”
He then added, “She never smiles. I asked her, ‘Kaitlan, do you ever smile?’ You’re at CNN fake news. You should be happy. Smile, Kaitlan.”
Days later, Collins addressed the incident during an appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, saying the exchange didn’t catch her off guard.
“This kind of thing happens pretty regularly in the Oval Office,” she said. “The only difference was that this time it happened in front of a much larger audience.”
Collins said what stood out most was how quiet the room became, despite it being filled with Trump’s advisers, Cabinet members, congressional Republicans, and other allies.
When Stewart joked that perhaps the silence reflected respect for the president, Collins replied with a smile, “Who’s to say.”
She also explained why she chose not to respond during the event.
“I’ve always believed that, no matter who the president is, the story shouldn’t be about me,” Collins said. “If I engage in a back-and-forth, then the focus shifts away from the issues that actually matter.”
After the dinner, Collins shared a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt on Instagram: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
She wrote that the evening served as a reminder of why the First Amendment—and the role of journalists asking difficult questions—remains so important.
Trump also directed remarks at transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney during the same speech, referencing her past Bud Light partnership and comparing her to Collins. Mulvaney later responded in a TikTok video, saying she viewed being mocked by the administration as “the greatest compliment of all,” adding that it placed her alongside “some of the most brilliant, empathetic people in our world today.”