Trump set to make ‘unifying yet vicious’ speech at Correspondents’ Dinner 2.0 after shooter horror

Donald Trump has kept his promise to attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner after the original dinner was canceled following another attempt on the president’s life.

Trump was without his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, at the event Friday evening, instead sitting between WHCA President Weija Jiang and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington.

The president could be seen eating and chatting with Jiang before the speeches began, while other high-profile attendees were grumbling at nearby tables.

These include HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller were also present.

The president’s remarks to a smaller audience at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel came months after the original event was postponed by a gunman who opened fire outside the event in April.

The White House Correspondents’ Association promised at the time that a rescheduled version of the event would take place and that violence “will not have the final say” in canceling the annual gala.

The event, which moved from its longtime home, the Washington Hilton, was billed as a more ‘intimate’ event; surrounded by a higher security presence and fewer participants in the audience.

Speaking at the start of the event on Friday, Jiang highlighted a rare ‘split screen’ moment in the moments after the shooting that halted the original April event.

‘As the journalists in the ballroom gathered the facts and presented them to the public, I caught a glimpse of something rare that few of us will ever see in real time,’ he said. ‘President Trump huddled with his cabinet members in a waiting room, asking questions, figuring out the best way to share the answers with everyone; ‘This is also our job description.’

White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and his wife, Katie Miller, seen on WHCD

‘I keep coming back to split screen; “Not because it’s dramatic, but because it quietly proves that no matter how complex or tense the relationship between the press and the presidency, what we share matters more than anything else, and that it is our duty to serve the American people,” he said.

Fox News’ White House Correspondents Association President Jacqui Heinrich underscored a similar theme.

“The assassination attempt on President Trump last April was a sobering reminder that democracy is not immune from violence and the freedoms we hold dear can never be taken for granted,” he said.

‘Political violence should have no place in America.’

Even so, the White House has promised a high-quality speech from Trump, who had never attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president until this year.

Regarding Trump’s speech Friday afternoon, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President’s words would be “a combination of unifying but evil, serious but funny at the same time.”

‘I assure you it will be fun,’ he added.

Donald Trump has kept his promise to attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner after the original dinner was canceled following another assassination attempt on Trump

The president was without his wife and First Lady Melania Trump; instead, he was seated between WHCA President Weija Jiang and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington on Friday.

Trump met with WHCA President Weijia Jiang

Police officers secure the exterior of the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C.

As for Trump, he indicated last month that he wasn’t sure.

“I don’t know if I will make the same outrageous statements as it concerns at least some people, but we will find out soon,” the Republican president wrote on the Truth Social platform.

‘This will be a ‘HOT’ ticket anyway!’

Besides the shortened approach, there was another notable change at Friday’s dinner: two more awards.

One was presented to Secret Service agent Victor Gonzales, who was manning a security checkpoint in April and received a blow to his protective vest.

“Officer Gonzales… ran toward danger so that thousands of people could return home safely,” Jiang said in a statement.

‘His courage stemmed from his dedication to service, which we look forward to honoring this week.’

The second award was presented to the employees of the Washington Hilton hotel, where the first meal was hosted.

Donald Trump and CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang speak at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner

Press secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed Trump’s attendance on Thursday, saying, “The President looks forward to finishing what he started.”

Other changes: With security in mind, the much smaller venue will have a single entrance with airport-style metal detectors.

Guests are given individual QR entry codes in advance and no one can enter unless recognized.

“There will be NO red carpet at this dinner,” said a note Jiang sent to some guests last month, seen by The Associated Press. ‘There is NO pre-dinner reception on site.’

The dress code this time is a looser ‘black tie optional’ and dinner includes grilled peaches and burrata salad, lobster and beef Wellington.

The night, like the last dinner, includes entertainment by mentalist Oz Pearlman, award presentations and speeches by Trump.

Jiang and the board members worked hard to make this WHCA dinner 2.0 happen; They did not want to let the sight of a violent act or colleagues hiding under desks remain the last thought.

In announcing the rescheduling, he emphasized the stated purpose of the dinner: ‘a celebration of the vital role that the free press and journalism have played in our democracy for more than a century.’

“We will not let one act of violence have the final say, especially in a year when we reflect on America’s 250th anniversary and everything we stand for,” Jiang said.

The new dinner comes at a time when tensions are rapidly escalating between the media and a president who, in his second term, has tried to put pressure in various ways on media outlets he is dissatisfied with.

That pressure ranges from sanctions against members of the White House press corps to regulatory actions through the Federal Communications Commission to outright lawsuits.

These tensions have escalated since April, and the latest example reached a New York courtroom on Thursday.

There, the government, criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, dropped subpoenas that would have forced three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about Trump’s Qatar-gifted Air Force One jet.