Donald Trumpfulfilled his promise to show up at the rescheduled eventWhite HouseThe Correspondents’ Dinner took place after the initial event was canceled due to another assassination attempt on the president.
Trump was without his wife, the First Lady.Melania Trump, instead sitting between WHCA President Weija Jiang and Press SecretaryKaroline Leavitton Friday at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. Trump and Jiang were seen talking and eating before the speeches began.
The president’s comments, made to a more limited crowd at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, took place several months after the initial event was delayed by a shooter who fired outside the venue in April.
The White House Correspondent’s Association promised at that time that a new version of the event would occur, and that violence would not ‘have the final say’ in canceling the annual gala.
The gathering, relocated from its usual venue at the Washington Hilton, is being promoted as a more ‘personal’ affair; surrounded by increased security and a smaller number of people in the audience.
Nevertheless, the White Housepledged a top-quality speech from Trump, who up until this year had never participated in the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president.
The president’s comments will be ‘a mix of unifying and harsh, and serious and funny, all at once, if you can picture that,’ said the White House Press Secretary.Karoline Leavittmentioned regarding Trump’s speech on Friday afternoon.
“One thing I can guarantee, it will be amusing,” she added.
Regarding Trump personally, he mentioned last month that he was uncertain.
“I’m uncertain if I’ll make the same harsh remarks, especially regarding certain individuals, but we’ll see soon,” wrote the Republican president on his Truth Social account.
Regardless, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!
In addition to the simplified method, there is another modification for Friday’s dinner: two more awards.
One will be given to Victor Gonzales, the Secret Service agent who was working at a security checkpoint in April and was hit while wearing his protective vest.
“Officer Gonzales … rushed into danger so that thousands of others could return home safely,” Jiang stated in a release.
His bravery came from a commitment to helping others, something we are excited to celebrate this week.
A second honor will be given to the team at the Washington Hilton hotel, where the initial dinner took place.
Additional modifications: Considering security, there will be a single entrance at the significantly smaller venue, featuring airport-style metal detectors.
Guests were provided with unique QR entry codes beforehand, and no one is allowed to enter without being identified.
A memo sent by Jiang to some guests last month, seen by The Associated Press, stated, ‘There is NO red carpet at this dinner.’ ‘There are NO onsite pre-dinner receptions.’
This time’s attire is more relaxed with a ‘black tie optional’ approach, and the dinner features a grilled peach and burrata salad, lobster, and beef Wellington.
The evening, similar to the previous dinner, features entertainment by mentalist Oz Pearlman, in addition to award presentations and Trump’s speech.
Jiang and her fellow board members put in significant effort to organize this WHCA dinner 2.0, aiming to prevent a violent incident—or the image of colleagues scrambling under tables—from being the last thing people remembered.
She highlighted the purpose of the dinner during the announcement of the new schedule: “a tribute to a free press and the essential function of journalism in our democracy for more than a hundred years.”
“We will not let an act of violence dictate the final message, particularly in a year when we are commemorating the 250th anniversary of America and all that we represent,” Jiang stated.
Carolina Lumetta on Twitter / XLet’s attempt this once more #whcd pic.twitter.com/jn60DSTIqG— Carolina Lumetta (@CarolinaLumetta) July 24, 2026
X • Carolina Lumetta
The latest dinner takes place amid rapidly growing tensions between the press and a president in his second term, who has attempted to influence media organizations he disagrees with through multiple methods.
This pressure has included sanctions targeting members of the White House press team, regulatory measures taken by the Federal Communications Commission, and direct legal actions.
The conflicts have intensified since April, with the most recent instance arriving in a New York court on Thursday.
There, facing criticism from a federal judge regarding careless legal practices, the government rescinded subpoenas that aimed to force three New York Times journalists to appear and discuss their sources for stories concerning Trump’s Air Force One jet gifted by Qatar.
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