Donald Trump used part of his speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to insult several LGBTQ+ journalists and public figures, including Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon and Dylan Mulvaney.
The rescheduled dinner took place in Washington, DC, on Friday, 24 July. The annual event raises money for journalism scholarships and recognises reporting by members of the White House press corps.
Trump’s appearance marked the first time he had addressed the dinner as president after boycotting the event throughout his first term. His hour-long speech included personal attacks on journalists, political opponents and entertainers, alongside jokes about seeking another presidential term.
Trump Makes Apparent Gay Reference About Anderson Cooper
CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was among the first LGBTQ+ media figures mentioned during Trump’s speech.
“I like Anderson actually because he’s covered me well for many years, and he went bad as soon as I went for politics,” Trump said.
“But for years he loved the interview. I did so many interviews with him, and he was great, but he’s got a little different persuasion than me in many ways actually.”
The remark about Cooper having a “different persuasion” appeared to allude to the journalist’s sexuality, although Trump did not explicitly say that was what he meant.
Cooper, who is openly gay, continues to host Anderson Cooper 360° on CNN. He recently ended his nearly 20-year role as a correspondent for the CBS current-affairs programme 60 Minutes.
Don Lemon Branded Television’s “Dumbest Man”
Trump then turned his attention to independent journalist and former CNN anchor Don Lemon.
“We had a contest for who had the lowest ratings and the lowest IQ on television, and that was actually Don Lemon, I think,” Trump said.
“When I said that he’s the dumbest man on television, I said, when you say some things, you never make a comeback. It’s not like, ‘Oh, gee, hey Don, let’s have dinner some night.’”
The attack was not explicitly related to Lemon’s sexuality, but it added another openly gay journalist to the list of media personalities targeted during the speech.
Lemon has remained a frequent target of Trump and other conservative figures since leaving CNN. Earlier this year, he said he was seriously considering a presidential campaign and believed he could govern more effectively than Trump.
Dylan Mulvaney Used as Punchline
Trump later invoked transgender actress and influencer Dylan Mulvaney while attacking CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.
After calling Collins a “young, attractive woman” who “never smiles”, Trump claimed he initially believed she had secured a major sponsorship.
“I thought Kaitlan had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn’t her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney,” he said.
“Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap. I wouldn’t want to hire Dylan anytime soon. Think of it, they hired Dylan Mulvaney and their market cap has gone down by $35 billion.”
He called the promotion “the worst commercial ever made”.
Trump’s description omitted important context.
In 2023, Bud Light sent Mulvaney a personalised can celebrating a milestone in her transition. She featured it in a social media promotion connected to a March Madness giveaway. The commemorative can was not released for general sale, and the partnership was not a large conventional advertising campaign.
A conservative-led boycott subsequently damaged Bud Light’s US sales and cost the brand its position as the country’s top-selling beer. However, Trump’s claim that Mulvaney personally cost Bud Light exactly US$35 billion treats movements in the market value of parent company AB InBev as though they could be attributed to one influencer partnership.
AB InBev is a global brewer responsible for more than 500 brands, meaning its overall market capitalisation is affected by numerous markets, products and economic factors beyond Bud Light. (Reuters)
Mulvaney Responds to Trump’s Attack
Mulvaney responded after the dinner with a video expressing support for Collins and reflecting on why the president continued to use her as a political target.
She said Trump had reminded her that she was “more powerful than I even knew” and urged people to continue supporting transgender and non-binary communities.
Collins also appeared to address the remarks indirectly, sharing an Eleanor Roosevelt quotation on social media: “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”
Trump’s speech came at an event intended to celebrate journalism and press freedom. Instead, significant portions of his address returned to familiar attacks on reporters and used LGBTQ+ public figures — particularly Mulvaney — as material for personal and political insults.
