Updated July 25, 2026 at 2:10 PM EDT
WASHINGTON — President Trump returned to the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Friday, three months after a gunman upended the annual event.
"As I said three months ago, the show must go on," the president said.
The original April dinner came to an abrupt end just minutes in, after a gunman fired shots in the lobby of the Washington Hilton. Trump and attendees were evacuated from the building.
The rescheduled event was held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel with a smaller crowd of about 700 and tighter security.
"Our message is this: we are back," outgoing White House Correspondents' Association president and CBS Senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang said. "We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word."
At Friday's dinner, Trump said he'd be taking a softer tone with the media than he had planned with his remarks in April.
"That was going to be a doozy," Trump said. "I was so psyched. I was going to rip people."
Trump takes digs at his critics
Trump's hour-long speech rambled as he attacked journalists, comedians, Democrats – and even members of his own cabinet.
"I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloin, very special beef," said Trump, "and I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy is right here, personally ran over the cow in his car."
He went on to recount how many negative headlines he had in The New York Times and said he's responsible for keeping the press employed.
"When I'm not around, you're going to be broke," Trump said. "There's not going to be anybody to report on. Nobody gives a damn about anybody else."
There were jokes about term limits and the 22nd Amendment. Trump ended his speech by putting on a "Trump 2028" hat, saying it would help the press' ratings.
"I'm pleased to announce my intention to, and this is a somewhat of a scoop, my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States," he joked.
There were familiar jabs at his political foes, including former President Biden, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Sen. Chuck Schumer, Sen. Adam Schiff, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
And when some of his jokes "went down with not exactly great laughter," Trump critiqued his speechwriter.
"Who the hell wrote that?" he said after one dig at Sen. Warren in which he repeated a jab from years earlier, referencing her Native American heritage.
Trump referred to awards given out earlier in the evening, many of which were stories about him and his administration.
The Wall Street Journal won the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for its coverage of Trump's ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump shook hands with the reporters who won the award. In May, Trump refiled a defamation lawsuit against the Journal's publisher after a judge dismissed his original $10 billion lawsuit over the story.
Trump repeats jabs at CNN's Kaitlan Collins
CNN's Kaitlan Collins won the award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure in broadcast for her coverage of the 2025 Oval Office meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump criticized Collins saying she shouldn't have won an award, called her reporting "fake" and said she "never smiles."
"I said Kaitlan, do you ever smile?" Trump said. "Smile. You have a nice position. You are at CNN Fake News. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan, just smile."
In a statement released after Trump's speech, CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson said the organization stands by its journalists and the integrity and fair mindedness of how they report the news.
"Honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our fight to report and present that reporting to the public without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution," Thompson said.
Trump also criticized incoming White House Correspondents' Association president Jacqui Heinrich.
"She could be very tough as a reporter, I will tell you," Trump said. "She can be nasty. She looks so beautiful, but she can be so nasty. How could that happen?"
The event also honored Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales and the staff of the Washington Hilton with the President's Award for Exceptional Service to the WHCA.
Jiang noted Gonzales put himself in harm's way, confronting the gunman as he tried to enter the Washington Hilton ballroom.
"Even after gunfire struck his protective vest, he stayed in the fight and the attacker was stopped," Jiang said.
Mentalist Oz Pearlman headlined the event. In one trick, he correctly guessed how much cash Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche had in his wallet: $85.
This was the first White House Correspondents' Association dinner Trump has attended while president. He skipped the annual event during his first term in office.
"They said, 'Would you do it next year?'" Trump said. "I said I will be back next year. If you get really, really nasty, maybe not. But we are going to be back next year."
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