Donald Trump Targets LGBTQIA+ Figures At White House Correspondents Dinner

Donald Trump used a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to target prominent LGBTQIA+ figures, including gay journalists Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon, and trans actor Dylan Mulvaney.

The dinner, held in Washington on Friday night, was intended to recognise journalism and award scholarships.

Instead, Trump delivered a rambling speech that included personal attacks on journalists, political opponents and entertainers.

Donald Trump targets Anderson Cooper, Don Lemon, and Dylan Mulvaney.

During remarks about Anderson Cooper, the president appeared to make an insinuation about the CNN anchor’s sexuality.

“I like Anderson actually because he’s covered me well for many years, and he went bad as soon as I went for politics,” he 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.”

Cooper publicly came out as gay in 2012 and is one of the most recognisable openly gay figures in American television news.

Trump also criticised Lemon, the former CNN anchor and independent journalist, reviving a long running personal insult stating “We had a contest for who had the lowest ratings and the lowest IQ on television, and that was actually Don Lemon, I think.”

“When I said that he’s the dumbest man on television, I said, when you say some things, you never make a comeback,” Trump continued. “It’s not like, ‘Oh, gee, hey Don, let’s have dinner some night.’”

Trump: We had a contest for who had the lowest ratings and the lowest IQ on television, and that was actually Don Lemon pic.twitter.com/YIwqK4KAop

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2026

He then turned his attention to Mulvaney while addressing CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins who he called a “young, attractive woman” who “never smiles.”

“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.”

“Dylan Mulvaney cost Bud Light $35 billion in market cap,” he continued.

“I wouldn’t want to hire Dylan anytime soon,” he continued. “Think of it, they hired Dylan Mulvaney and their market cap has gone down by $35 billion” he then called it “the worst commercial ever made.”

Trump: Kaitlan Collins is a young, attractive woman. She never smiles. Do you ever smile? I thought she had really made it big with a major new sponsorship but then I informed her that it was not her on the Bud Light can. It was Dylan Mulvaney pic.twitter.com/Eqfu4gs7kA

— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2026

The president was referencing Mulvaney’s 2023 promotional partnership with Bud Light, which became the subject of a major conservative backlash in the United States. Mulvaney had received a personalised commemorative can from the company to mark the first anniversary of publicly sharing her transition. It was not sold to the public.

The partnership nevertheless triggered a boycott campaign, and Mulvaney later said Bud Light had failed to support her amid threats, harassment and anti-trans abuse.

Friday’s event was a smaller, more heavily secured repeat of the annual correspondents’ dinner after an armed security incident disrupted the original gathering in April. About 700 guests attended the rescheduled event, compared with the much larger crowd usually associated with the dinner.