President Donald Trump used the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner to salute law enforcement, roast the press and Democrats, and lampoon celebrities, ending with a staged gag in which he donned a “Trump 2028” hat and joked about running again; the night mixed serious praise for heroes who confronted an earlier attacker with blunt, unapologetic barbs at media figures and political foes.
The dinner was held under tighter security at the Waldorf Astoria after an April event was cut short when a gunman charged a checkpoint and opened fire, forcing evacuations. Trump opened by echoing the line he gave after that attack: “The show must go on,” setting a tone of resilience and dark humor.
He paid direct tribute to the officers who responded, highlighting Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales, who was struck in the chest and saved by his ballistic vest. Trump’s comments made clear he wanted to honor law enforcement and remind the room that physical danger had framed the evening’s reschedule.
Then he shifted into roast mode, targeting journalists and public figures with the bluntness his supporters expect and the impatience critics decry. He called the crowd “the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time,” and complained about what he described as overwhelmingly negative coverage of his administration.
Trump singled out individual reporters and commentators by name, calling out CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and mocking Jake Tapper’s timing on reporting about Joe Biden. He also aimed barbs at long-time political adversaries, notably Sen. Adam Schiff, and pulled in other media figures who drew camera reactions from the ballroom.
Comedy landed and sometimes didn’t, but Trump rarely backed off. He told the table story about Nicki Minaj during the evacuation: “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.” The line got a reaction and underscored the president’s mix of personal jab and poke-the-media approach.
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He also used self-deprecating and self-promotional bits, saying the rescheduled night was “the second time is always better, always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding.” He teased his own speech-writing efforts, calling the cancelled original draft “a doozy” and admitting he had been prepared to “rip” the press before the attack changed the tone.
Trump paused for the serious moments, addressing threats abroad and insisting any talks with Iran would require Tehran to remain without a nuclear weapon. He praised the military and law enforcement present, thanking them “with all of our hearts” for the response that prevented a worse outcome during the earlier incident.
The roast resumed with an edge toward political theater: jabs at Bari Weiss and a ribbing of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he joked “personally ran over the cow with his car” and suggested had recommended a gross appetizer. The crowd’s laughter varied, but the intent was clear—turning the hall into a stage where nothing and no one was off-limits.
Near the end he pivoted to ratings and legacy, warning news organizations they would suffer when they no longer had his personality to cover. Then he delivered the showstopper bit: “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.”
He put on the “Trump 2028” hat and played the moment for laughs, saying, “It should be easy. I’m getting very good at running for president now.” The line landed as both a tease to the press and a signal to his base that he remains combative and unbowed.
Before leaving the stage, Trump reiterated that he respected journalism as a profession, even while accusing many present of unfair treatment. He closed with a final jab and a promise to return for the 2027 dinner, adding a conditional caveat: “Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. But we’re going to be back next year.”
“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.”
“Your lives were really in danger the last time. But on the plus side, your careers were saved.”
“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.”
“I have watched this clip thousands of times. 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.”
“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.”
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