President Donald Trump delivered a rambling, hour-long speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on July 24, 2026, praising select journalists while taking direct aim at public figures, late-night hosts, and political rivals. According to the Associated Press, the event at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria hotel followed the postponement of the original April dinner, which was disrupted by an attempted mass shooting.
A Rescheduled Evening Marked by Tightened Security
The revised gathering took place in a smaller venue accommodating roughly 700 guests, with security protocols significantly elevated. According to AP reports, attendees entered through a single entrance featuring two identification checks, a detection dog, armed officers, and security guards, omitting the traditional red carpet and separate cocktail receptions. Outgoing WHCA president Weijia Jiang of CBS News opened the evening by addressing the trauma of the April event. “Tonight our message is this: We are back,” Jiang said, according to the Associated Press. “We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”
Trump’s Speech Balances Humor, Insults, and Political Remarks
Trump took the podium after sitting through more than an hour of awards presentations, including honors acknowledging reporting that challenged his administration. According to the AP, the president’s remarks mixed pride about the Waldorf Astoria hotel—which he noted he built—with vague criticisms of individuals including Jane Fonda, Bruce Springsteen, and Barack Hussein Obama. He also targeted late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and Representative Ilhan Omar.
Toward the end of his address, Trump joked about the U.S. Constitution’s 22nd Amendment, which bars a third presidential term. “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better,” Trump said, according to the Associated Press. “And the third time will be better yet.” He then donned a red cap reading “Trump 2028” and declared he was running again, though he added earlier in the sequence that he was only kidding.
Honoring Security and Media Resilience
The dinner featured two additional awards recognizing bravery and professionalism during the April incident. According to the Associated Press, an award was presented to Secret Service agent Victor Gonzales, who staffed a security checkpoint, was struck in his protective vest, and engaged the armed suspect. A second award went to the staff of the Washington Hilton hotel for their professionalism under pressure during the initial attack. Additionally, Tyler Pager of The New York Times received an award for his reporting; Pager was among the journalists previously subpoenaed by the Justice Department over coverage of a Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet before those subpoenas were withdrawn in a New York courtroom.
Ongoing Debate Over the Correspondents’ Dinner
While organizers emphasized the dinner’s role in celebrating a free press, the event continued to draw criticism regarding the optics of journalists socializing with the subjects of their coverage. According to the Associated Press, Kelly McBride, an ethics expert at the Poynter Institute, noted during prior deliberations that such gatherings undermine public faith in journalistic independence. Despite the tensions between the White House and news outlets during Trump’s second term—including regulatory actions through the Federal Communications Commission and lawsuits—Trump concluded his remarks by expressing respect for the profession, telling the audience according to the AP: “When I’m not around, you’re all gonna be broke.”