President Donald Trump finally got to deliver his first White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech as president Friday night, three months after a gunman brought the original event to a terrifying halt.
Trump mixed a tribute to law enforcement with an extended roast of the press, Democrats, and celebrities. He capped it by pulling out a red “Trump 2028” hat and joking that he planned to run for a fourth term.
The rescheduled dinner was held at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., with heightened security and a smaller guest list. The April 25 event at the Washington Hilton ended after an armed man charged a security checkpoint and opened fire, forcing Trump and other administration officials to evacuate.
Surveillance images later showed the suspect charging the checkpoint with a shotgun as Secret Service officers responded.
Trump opened by returning to the message he delivered after the attack: “The show must go on.”
.@POTUS: "I am delighted to be here at the White House Correspondents' Dinner... as I said 3 months ago, the show must go on... but just like my presidency, the second time is always better — and a third time will be better yet." 🔥😂 pic.twitter.com/oCNMIMehVr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
“I am delighted to be here at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Amazing people. A lot of people that I like, some I don’t like at all, but I respect most of them. I must say that you do a great job, amazing job, and it’s an honor. As I said three months ago, the show must go on. But just like my presidency, the second time is always better, always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding.”
Trump called the attack “an assault on our democracy itself,” and said political differences must be settled through debate rather than violence.
He praised War Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and border czar Tom Homan for standing on tables as the gunfire erupted.
“Most of you were under the tables,” Trump told the reporters.
Then came the punchline.
.@POTUS: "After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'GET DOWN! GET DOWN!' Which caused @NICKIMINAJ to start twerking, do you believe it?" 😂 pic.twitter.com/egFP9a6nRS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, “Get down! Get down!” which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Do you believe it?...She's the only one who understood what that meant...She’s here tonight. I hope she doesn’t mind that I said that.
Trump also found a way to work the attempted assassination into a joke about the state of the media.
“Your lives were really in danger the last time,” Trump said. “But on the plus side, your careers were saved.”
The president reserved his most serious remarks for Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales, who confronted the gunman and was struck in the chest. His ballistic vest saved his life. Gonzales received the WHCA President’s Award for Exceptional Service, and a standing ovation from the ballroom.
“To Officer Gonzales, Secret Service, Metropolitan Police, law enforcement generally, and even all of the military surrounding us in the room tonight, we salute you, and we thank you with all of our hearts,” the president said.
With that, Trump turned to the roast. He said his original speech had been “a doozy” and that he had been prepared to “rip” the assembled journalists before the attack changed the tone of the night.
Read More: New Images Show Trump WHCA Gunman Charging Checkpoint, As USSS Agent Returns Fire
Not completely.
“This place is really the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time,” Trump said.
He claimed he receives 93 percent negative coverage and criticized several of the journalists sitting in front of him. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins, who had received an award earlier in the program, took fire. So did Jake Tapper, whom Trump mocked for waiting until long after the 2024 presidential debate to report on Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
Trump then moved outside the media tables.
Sen. Adam Schiff of California (D-CA), who led the first impeachment effort against Trump while serving in the House, was among the night’s political targets. Trump revisited the impeachment battle and unloaded on one of his longest-running Democratic adversaries as the ballroom looked on.
.@POTUS: "They thought about going with a professional clown for entertainment, but Adam Shifty Schiff was not available." pic.twitter.com/xP2ZxH3bXi
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss also got pulled into the act.
.@POTUS: "A once feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has finally been toppled. Their former leaders have been removed and they’re now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But I for one wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News." 🤣 pic.twitter.com/tlE0i7Wwbc
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
Trump singled out Weiss as he worked his way through the media figures in the room, prompting the camera to cut to others' reactions.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was not spared either. Trump joked that Kennedy had personally sourced the dinner’s beef tenderloin.
.@POTUS: I hope everyone got to enjoy their delicious beef tenderloin, and I want you all to know that @SecKennedy personally ran over the cow in his car and cut it up, and brought it here for you to eat tonight, so it's very fresh. And Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring… pic.twitter.com/vwTlszofaZ
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
"I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire, very delicious beef tenderloin, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here, personally ran over the cow with his car. And he cut it up, and he brought it here for you to eat tonight. So it’s very fresh. Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of male raccoon roadkill, but we drew the line at that."
That drew one of the night’s biggest laughs.
One of Trump’s prepared jokes did not go over quite as well. Rather than simply move on, he turned on the speech itself.
Does anybody get that? I thought that was actually pretty good. That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freaking stupid speech. The only good one, and that went down with not exactly great laughter.
Trump briefly shifted away from the jokes to discuss Iran, claiming the country’s military had been devastated and that Tehran was now talking with the United States about a possible deal. He said any agreement would require Iran to remain without a nuclear weapon.
The president later recalled being roasted by former President Barack Obama during the 2011 dinner, an appearance that has long been linked to Trump’s eventual decision to enter politics.
.@POTUS recounts the 2011 White House Correspondents' Dinner: "You know, it’s amazing how things work out. [Obama] actually showed a picture of the White House with a big 'Trump' on top, like I put a sign—and you know, I’m sort of doing that when you think about it, right?" 🤣 pic.twitter.com/KqgGkzpyqf
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
“I have watched this clip thousands of times,” Trump said. “They keep playing it because they think that was the evening I decided to run for president. It was not. In fact, I loved the evening.”
He said the attention convinced him that the dinner had gone well for him, regardless of Obama’s intentions.
Near the end, Trump returned to the press. He predicted that news organizations would struggle once he left office because their audiences would have nobody nearly as interesting to follow.
Then he reached for the hat.
"That’s why tonight, to show just how much I care about the press, and I want to save your ratings, 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. I will be doing that. I won three times. Now I’m going to do it again."
Trump put on the “Trump 2028” hat and continued the bit.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/JWV609AiBS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
“It should be easy,” he said. “I’m getting very good at running for president now.”
Trump closed by telling the journalists that he respected their profession, even if he did not believe they always treated him fairly. He also promised to return for the 2027 dinner, with one condition.
“Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not,” Trump said. “But we’re going to be back next year.”
UPDATED: You can watch the full speech, starting at 2:27:13, in the video below:
President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner at Waldorf Astoria at 8:55 p.m. ET on July 24. https://t.co/p2ACHI53JA
— NTD News (@NTDNews) July 24, 2026
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