Well, well, well, if it isn't round two of the White House Correspondents' Dinner, and you know President Trump wasn't going to let a little thing like, you know, journalistic integrity get in the way of a good roasting! This re-do of the highly anticipated event, which was famously canceled three months prior due to a shooting incident, saw Trump return to the mic, ready to dish out some fresh jabs at the press, even while supposedly celebrating press freedom.
The vibe was definitely not your typical lighthearted presidential banter. While Trump initially tried to play it cool, saying "the second time is always better" and offering a backhanded compliment that he respects "most of them," the gloves quickly came off. He wasted no time swinging at his favorite targets: "fake news" and anyone suffering from "Trump Derangement Syndrome" – which, judging by his remarks, included most of the room.
Déjà Vu All Over Again
Held at the Waldorf Astoria this time, a few miles from the original (and ill-fated) Washington Hilton location, this second attempt at the dinner was quite the production. The WHCA President, Weijia Jiang of CBS News, confirmed that next year, they're heading back to the Hilton. Talk about brave! She declared, "We will refuse to let an act of violence have the final word," referring to the gunman who caused chaos at the first event.
Speaking of that incident, Officer Victor Gonzalez of the US Secret Service, who was shot during the April attack, received an award from Trump himself for his bravery. Trump, ever the showman, declared, "As I said three months ago, the show must go on." He then doubled down with, "Just like my presidency, the second time is always better – and the third time will be better yet … I'm only kidding," referencing a potential (and constitutionally impossible) third term.
Despite the jabs, Trump did shake hands with some award winners, including a Wall Street Journal team honored for their coverage of his links to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Awkward.
The Roast Continues
Many in the White House press corps fully expected Trump to lay into them, and he certainly delivered. His hour-long speech was packed with pointed insults directed at specific journalists, some of whom were right there in the room! But it wasn't just the media; he dragged Democratic politicians and celebrities into his comedic crossfire, proving that no one was safe from his familiar targets.
However, amidst the pointed barbs, Trump also threw in a bipartisan plea for respecting freedom of speech. "We settle our differences not with bullets, but with open and vigorous debate," he stated. "And no deranged loser with a gun will ever change that. We can't let that ever happen."
Throughout the entire affair, Trump seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood, even playfully teasing the media with, "sometimes I really do think that some of you don't like me." He then dropped another gem: "This place [the dinner] is really the largest group of 'Trump derangement syndrome' people ever put together at one time. I suspect some of you are lucky that our last dinner was cut short...I was going to go after you."
The evening crescendoed with a bold prediction from the President: the news industry would "be broke" after he exited office because "there's not going to be anybody to report on." Then, in a moment that truly defined the evening, he donned a "Trump 2028" hat and announced, "I'm pleased to announce my intention to, and this is somewhat of a scoop, my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States," seemingly miscounting his potential campaigns. For the record, the 22nd Amendment limits presidents to two terms, a rule established after Franklin D. Roosevelt's impressive four-term run.
Scaling Down and Beefing Up Security
This gala dinner took place amidst ongoing tension between the White House and the media. Just last week, Trump threatened to revoke licenses from networks that didn't broadcast his election security speech.
The event itself was significantly smaller than its April predecessor, shrinking from over 2,000 attendees to about 700. Security, as you can imagine, was TIGHTER. Blocks around the Waldorf Astoria were shut down, buzzing with police and National Guard. Guests went through not one, but two screening processes – QR codes, IDs, and wristbands were all part of the routine. At one point, attendees even had to walk single file past two Secret Service officers armed with rifles. Talk about keeping everyone on edge!
The April shooting suspect, 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen, has since been charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He was tackled just before a staircase leading to the ballroom where the first dinner was about to kick off.
Despite the scaled-down guest list, the event still attracted some notable figures from the administration, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
So, there you have it: the White House Correspondents' Dinner, take two. Bigger security, fewer guests, and just as many media jabs from the man in charge. Never a dull moment, folks!
