Trump mocked a gay CNN journalist and compared the reporter to a transgender activist because of her appearance. The audience barely laughed

President Donald Trump's speech at the White House Correspondents' Association's (WHCD) annual dinner on Friday night was filled with homophobic and transphobic attacks. One of Trump's main targets has been CNN host Anderson Cooper, who is openly gay.

The US president began with the fact that Cooper used to be loyal to him, but everything changed after the start of Trump's political career. Here is the full text of this line:

"I actually like Anderson because he's covered me well for many years. And then it went bad as soon as I went into politics... You know, he has different convictions (persuasion) than I have, in many respects."

Under the phrase about "other beliefs," Trump was unequivocally alluding to Cooper's sexual orientation. In fact, the whole "joke" was based solely on the fact that the journalist was gay. Edition The Independent put this attack in second place in the list of the worst jokes of the entire performance.

The reaction of the audience was cool: in response to the president's words, only rare, scattered laughter was heard. Trump as a whole has had a hard time wooing audiences with his anti-LGBTQ+ jokes.

Context

Anderson Cooper has consistently criticized Trump on his broadcasts, trying to hold him accountable for various actions.

• In January, Cooper discussed the report The New York Times that Trump's fortune has grown by more than $1.4 billion during his second presidential term.
• In May, he expressed outrage that a convicted child sexual abuser could receive money from Trump.
• Last year, Cooper criticized the president for harshly attacking reporters over questions about the "Epstein files," saying he did not understand how others could pretend that such behavior was normal.

Journalist Caitlan Collins compared to trans activist Dylan Mulvaney

In addition to Cooper, Trump attacked journalist Caitlan Collins at the same dinner, advising her to "smile more" and comparing her to trans activist Dylan Mulvaney in an attempt to insult her appearance.

At first, he congratulated the journalist Kaitlan Collins on receiving the journalist award, but immediately stated that she "did not deserve it." Then he repeated his long-standing attack that Collins "never smiles" and advised her to "just smile." After that, he tried to joke: said that at first he thought that Collins had received a major advertising contract with Bud Light, but then "figured out" that it was not she who was depicted on the commemorative can, but Dylan Mulvaney. This remark caused more awkward silence than laughter.

In her Instagram video, she did not respond with insults. On the contrary, she said that the mention of her name by the president only reminded her "how much stronger she is than she thought." She also expressed support for Caitlan Collins and said that such attacks only show how much attention the authorities continue to pay to transgender people.

The joke was based on comparing the appearance of a cisgender journalist with a well-known transgender woman Dylan Mulvaney. In addition, Trump deliberately referred to the story of Bud Light. In 2023, Mulvaney's brief collaboration with the brand led to a massive boycott campaign by some American conservatives and made her one of the most talked about figures in the American culture wars.