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By Hannah Parry and Anna Skinner
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President Donald Trump roasted his own speechwriter Friday night after several jokes during the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner drew little reaction from the audience of journalists, administration officials and media executives.
The president had attempted a joke while arguing Congress should have term limits, saying politicians eventually reach a point where they "can't even go up the stairs" to meet their wives. After the line received only scattered laughter, Trump acknowledged the lukewarm response.
"Does anybody get that?" he asked the audience. "I thought that was actually pretty good. That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freaking stupid speech."
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"The only good one," Trump continued. "And that went down with not exactly great laughter."
The moment was among several attempts by Trump to inject humor into his remarks during the rescheduled dinner, which was held at Washington's Waldorf Astoria after the original April event was interrupted by a shooting outside the Washington Hilton.
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Trump Opens With Jokes Before Turning to the Media
Trump began his speech with a lighter tone, saying that it had "not been an easy evening" after sitting through journalism awards honoring coverage critical of his administration.
He also said that next year's event could be renamed the "Trump White House Correspondents' Dinner" and quipped that, "Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. ... And the third time will be better yet," before adding, "I'm only kidding."
The president also drew laughs with jokes aimed at Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., saying the evening's beef tenderloin was "very fresh" because Kennedy had "personally ran over the cow in his car"—a reference to Kennedy's past stories involving roadkill.
Speech Turns More Confrontational
As his remarks continued, Trump's tone shifted from self-deprecating humor to criticism of journalists and political opponents.
He singled out several reporters by name, including CNN anchors Kaitlan Collins, Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, as well as Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey, all of whom have reported extensively on his administration.
Trump also revisited one of his long-running criticisms of Collins, prompting CNN to defend its chief White House correspondent.
"Kaitlan Collins is an exceptional, trusted journalist being honored tonight for her depth of knowledge and the context she provides to audiences all over the world," a CNN spokesperson said in a statement. "She reports every day from the White House and the field with real strength and tenacity and skillfully brings that reporting to the anchor chair and CNN platforms every day."
Trump additionally criticized Democratic leaders in Congress and urged lawmakers to adopt congressional term limits before pivoting to foreign policy, telling the audience that the Iran war was "going extremely well" and insisting the United States had significantly degraded the country's military capabilities.
Trump Reflects on April Shooting
Trump also referenced the April WHCA dinner that ended abruptly after gunfire outside the Washington Hilton prompted Secret Service agents to evacuate the president and hundreds of guests.
The president praised Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales, who was wounded while responding to the attack, telling the audience: "What he did was amazing. We salute you and we thank you with all of our hearts."
He also joked about the enhanced security at Friday's event, saying guests had struggled to find shoes to match their bulletproof vests and quipping that he resisted wearing one himself because it would make him "look 20 pounds heavier."
Trump Says He'll Be Back
Despite his repeated criticism of the news media throughout the evening, Trump ended on a conciliatory note, saying he intends to return to the WHCA dinner next year.
"Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not," he said. "But we're going to be back."
The rescheduled dinner was held Friday at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, departing from its longtime home at the Washington Hilton. Guests were a mix of politicians, journalists, media executives and celebrities.
Why Is There Another WHCA Dinner?
Friday's event was a much smaller affair than the event in April, with around 750 in attendance instead of the roughly 2,500 guests at the previous event, which ended in chaos when gunfire erupted at the Washington Hilton gathering.
Security was heightened, with dogs, multiple Secret Service staff in uniform and many strapped with automatic weapons. Entry was dependent on an airport-style security screening and every guest had to register for the event, receive a QR code and show government ID.
The July event was a rescheduled continuation of the April 25 dinner, which was suspended midway through the salad course after an armed suspect breached security checkpoints while Trump was inside the venue, according to authorities. Secret Service agents quickly evacuated the president and other officials, and the event was halted. The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, was charged with multiple offenses, including attempted assassination-related counts. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang said she hoped that the rescheduled dinner sent a powerful message.
“Tonight our message is this: We are back. We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word,” she said at the dinner.
“Whatever may divide us, we stand together against political violence," she continued. “An assassination attempt on our president is an attack on democracy itself.”
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Who Performed?
The featured entertainer was renowned mentalist Oz Pearlman, whom the WHCA selected earlier this year in place of the traditional comedian often booked for the dinner. Pearlman was in the middle of a performance near the presidential table when the April incident unfolded.
The association's decision to use a mentalist instead of a comedian marked a notable departure from the dinner's long-standing format, which historically included comedic roasts of politicians and journalists.
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Who Attended?
Newsweek's News Director Samantha Beech and White House Reporter Leonardo Feldman were among the many journalists, WHCA scholarship recipients, award winners and media executives who attended the dinner.
Trump was joined by a large contingent of senior administration figures, including White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and many others.
Several high-profile figures from the administration, however, skipped the event, including first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who reportedly had other commitments.
The event carries particular significance because Trump largely boycotted the WHCA dinner during his first term. Earlier this year, he announced plans to attend the 2026 gathering, making April's event his first appearance at the gala as president. The shooting cut short a rare appearance by Trump at the annual event, which is traditionally attended by journalists, government officials and media figures.
What Was on the Menu?
Guests at the rescheduled WHCA dinner were served a three-course meal, as journalists, media executives and Trump administration officials gathered at Washington's Waldorf Astoria.
The menu began with a burrata salad, followed by a main course of potato round, steak, lobster and white asparagus. Dessert consisted of macarons.
The meal also served as a reminder of the original WHCA dinner in April, which was abruptly cut short after the gunfire erupted outside the Washington Hilton. At the time, guests had just begun eating the same burrata salad—served with snap peas, nuts and cucumbers—when Secret Service agents evacuated Trump and other senior officials, while journalists and other guests took cover under tables.
One guest, Creative Artists Agency executive Michael Glantz, went viral after photographs showed him calmly continuing to eat his burrata despite the chaos unfolding around him.
The evening in April ended before the main course could be served, and guests were dismissed from the hotel more than an hour later. Friday's rescheduled dinner allowed guests to finally complete the meal that was interrupted by the springtime shooting.
Push for White House Ballroom
The shooting at the April dinner was viewed by the administration as an attempt on the president's life that could have been prevented if the event were held in a new White House ballroom. Trump unveiled plans for a 90,000‑square‑foot ballroom in July 2025, arguing that the executive mansion lacked a sufficiently large, secure indoor venue for major events, such as state dinners and press gatherings.
Trump and top aides have said building the ballroom is also a national security issue.
"This second attack on the President this month underscores the critical need for top level, state of the art security at the White House, including the Ballroom, a knitted, unified, cohesive part of the East Wing Project, which is vital for National Security, and is being constructed to ensure that the President can perform his constitutional duties in a safe and heavily secured facility," the Justice Department said in a court filing.
The project would replace the former East Wing structure, which was demolished as part of a broader "East Wing Modernization Project." Trump and his aides have repeatedly said construction would be paid for entirely through private donations.
"It's not going to cost taxpayers a dime," Leavitt said in October.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Jason Lemon, Dave Siminoff, Edward T. Cummins.
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