President Donald Trump made his first appearance at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday evening in Washington, D.C., delivering a speech that lasted approximately 64 minutes. The event had been rescheduled after the original April gathering was interrupted by a security incident. Trump alternated between expressing appreciation for some attendees and launching attacks on numerous journalists, media figures, and celebrities.
During his remarks, Trump criticized major news outlets and journalists, describing the assembled press corps as representing “the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time.” He contended that his pivot away from traditional media toward social media platforms had proven successful, citing his TikTok presence. Trump also suggested that CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins should not have received the broadcast award from the association, despite personally congratulating her on the honor.
Trump attacked several other public figures during the evening, including Don Lemon, Anderson Cooper, California Governor Gavin Newsom, and musician Bruce Springsteen. He joked about Paramount CEO David Ellison potentially renaming next year’s event the “Trump White House Correspondents’ Dinner” and made light-hearted comments about Robert F. Kennedy Jr., his secretary of Health and Human Services.
The evening included recognition of journalism achievements, with Wall Street Journal reporters receiving the Katharine Graham Award for their reporting on a matter Trump has disputed through litigation. Trump also took time during his speech to acknowledge law enforcement personnel involved in responding to the earlier security incident at the original dinner date. The WHCA dinner took place at the Waldorf Astoria hotel and featured a performance by mentalist Oz Pearlman rather than the traditional comedian roast. Trump indicated plans to return to the event in 2027.
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