(TNND) — Transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney responded to President Donald Trump after he in contrast her to NCS’s Kaitlan Collins throughout the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner.
“Maybe being publicly mocked and criticized by this administration is actually the greatest compliment of all,” Mulvaney mentioned in a social media post Sunday. “Because it puts me in the company of some of the most brilliant, empathetic people in our world today.”
Trump’s remarks thrust Mulvaney back into the highlight greater than three years after the influencer confronted widespread backlash over a Bud Light partnership tied to the corporate’s 2023 March Madness promotion. Mulvaney posted a sponsored video that includes a customized Bud Light can together with her face on it, sparking requires a boycott from conservative commentators and public figures.
The controversy contributed to a sharp decline in Bud Light sales, prompting Anheuser-Busch to acknowledge the fallout. Mulvaney later mentioned she skilled “trauma” from the backlash and selected to “scale back in order to protect my overall well-being.”
During the WHCA dinner, Trump mocked Collins, who acquired the WHCA Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure.
“I thought Kaitlan Collins 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,” Trump mentioned.
Days later, Trump shared an AI-generated picture on Truth Social depicting Collins’ head on Mulvaney’s physique.
The president additionally dismissed Collins’ journalism award.
“I want to personally congratulate NCS’s Kaitlan Collins on receiving her award. It was all about me. It’s a fake. She shouldn’t get the award. It was fake. There’s no question about it,” Trump mentioned.
Trump went on to describe Collins as “a young, attractive woman,” earlier than including, “She never smiles. I said, ‘Kaitlan, do you ever smile? Smile. You’re at NCS — fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.'”
Collins later addressed Trump’s feedback throughout an look on “The Daily Show,” saying she didn’t need the eye to be on her personally.
“It’s really not about me, and I don’t want it to be about my reaction,” Collins mentioned. “I just think in those moments, it’s important to put the reminder back on the work, on the question, and on the non-answers that we get.”