JULY 25, 2026
Trump delivers hour-long speech at rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, three months after April shooting
President Trump attended the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington on Friday, July 25, 2026, his first appearance at the event as a sitting president. The dinner had been postponed from its original April 25 date after a gunman breached security at the Washington Hilton. Approximately 700 people attended the rescheduled event, down from roughly 2,600 at the April dinner, with significantly tightened security measures in place.
The rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner opened with remarks from outgoing WHCA president Weijia Jiang of CBS News, who acknowledged the April shooting and framed the evening as an act of resolve. "We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word," Jiang said. ABC's Jon Karl also addressed Trump directly before presenting an award: "Mr. President, I want to say it matters that you came here tonight."
Trump delivered a speech lasting just over an hour, opening with a reference to the April incident — describing "the attempted mass murder" that could have occurred — before moving largely into humor and policy commentary. He said he had pared back what had been a sharper prepared speech. Early in his remarks he told the assembled journalists: "This is really the largest group of 'Trump Derangement Syndrome' people put together at one time." He also made a brief statement about the ongoing conflict with Iran, saying "It's all going extremely well. Don't believe the fake news," and asserting that Iran no longer has functioning Navy and Air Force capabilities.
Trump's jokes drew uneven responses from the audience. He targeted CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins with comments about her appearance, comparing her to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — remarks that drew audible groans, according to the Washington Examiner. He joked about HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s well-documented history with animals, quipped about late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, and made references to figures including Jane Fonda, Bruce Springsteen, and former President Barack Obama. NPR reported that audience laughter grew more sparse as the insults accumulated. Fox News described several of the jokes as earning genuine laughs from a tough crowd. Toward the close of his speech, Trump donned a red "Trump 2028" hat and said he intended to run for what he called a "fourth term," before indicating he was joking.