Here's what you missed from Trump's first WHCA Dinner as president: 5 takeaways from his night with the press
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Video President Trump speaks at White House Correspondents' Dinner President Donald Trump addresses the press at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner after the April attack at the previous dinner.
President Donald Trump attended the annual White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner Friday night for the first time in either of his two presidential terms.
The event was rescheduled from its original April 25 date after a crazed gunman allegedly tried to assassinate the 47th president, bull rushing security with several weapons and firing a shot before he was taken into custody.
Trump and the press typically find themselves at odds, and while Friday night had its share of uncomfortable moments, both sides were able to find some common ground — especially after sharing a scary moment at the originally scheduled dinner in April.
Before presenting one of the many awards of the night, ABC's Jon Karl thanked the president for his attendance.
"Mr. President, I want to say it matters that you came here tonight," said Karl. "For more than 100 years, presidents have chosen to sit in a room of reporters who asked tough and often uncomfortable questions, and who report without fear or favor. It's important. Thank you for being here."
TRUMP PRAISES PRESS AFTER WHCD SHOOTING, SAYS UNITY AT DINNER WAS 'BEAUTIFUL'
WHCA outgoing President and the dinner's emcee Weijia Jiang also had kind words for the president, just before she introduced him to speak and after discussing the importance of the First Amendment .
"President Trump, I've covered you for a long time, and so have many reporters in this room. When we ask questions, you push back, you give us answers and we push back," she said. "You have always been a deal guy. Well, that's the deal. And the First Amendment is a done deal. And that's what we toast tonight. The freedoms that brought us back together even after they were threatened."
"So let's raise a glass to what makes ours a beautiful country."
Later in the night, Trump concluded his speech with a warm message for the press delivered in his own style.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and US President Donald Trump attend the 2026 White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2026. The 2026 WHCA Dinner was originally scheduled for April 25 at the Washington Hilton, but was rescheduled and relocated after an alleged gunman breached security. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
"I just want to say, this room — I have tremendous respect for the people in this room," Trump said.
"Sometimes I don’t feel you treat me fair, maybe you do, I don’t know," he continued. "I don’t feel that. But sometimes you treat me fairly, and I have a lot of respect for your profession. It’s amazing. And I just want to thank you for having me, and it’s been fun."
Trump made a series of jokes throughout his speech, some targeting the press, and others targeting people he appointed to positions of power.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was on the receiving end of a quip from the 47th president after Trump told attendees he hoped they enjoyed their beef tenderloin dinner.
"I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who's right here, personally ran over the cow with his car," he jabbed. "And he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight."
Kennedy is well known for his eccentric history with animals, including once saying he captured a raccoon and cut its genitals off, viral videos of him catching dangerous snakes and once using a chainsaw to remove the head of a dead whale that washed up on Cape Cod.
US President Donald Trump speaks during the 2026 White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC, on July 24, 2026. The 2026 WHCA Dinner was originally scheduled for April 25 at the Washington Hilton, but was rescheduled and relocated after an alleged gunman breached security. (Mandel NGAN / AFP via Getty Images)
"Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of male raccoon roadkill. But we drew the line at that," the president went on. "We said, 'No, we're not doing that.'"
Kennedy is also known for pushing a more red-meat centric diet and has embraced the push for restaurants to use beef tallow to fry their food instead of seed oils.
Trump also joked about the shooting at the first WHCA dinner earlier this year, which pro-MAGA rapper Nikki Minaj attended.
"But after hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, ‘get down, get down!’ Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking, do you believe? Get down! She's the only one that really understood what that meant," Trump joked, earning laughter from the tough crowd.
Throughout his speech, he repeatedly used one of his famous phrases — referring to the press as "fake news," but took some direct shots at certain outlets and figures.
He unexpectedly flipped the script in a misdirection from what seemed like an update on the Iran war .
"A once feared and powerful regime that relentlessly attacked America has finally been toppled," he said. "Their former leaders have been removed and they’re now being run by a gay dictator facing internal divisions. But I, for one, wish Bari Weiss all the best at CBS News."
CNN reporter Kaitlan Collins looks on before the start of the press briefing with White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt in the Brady Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 7, 2026. (Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images)
Trump's nemesis, Kaitlan Collins of CNN, was also on the receiving end of a brutal blow.
"I thought Kaitlan Collins had really made it big with a major new sponsorship, but then I informed her that it wasn't her on the Bud Light can, it was Dylan Mulvaney," he said, referencing the beer brand's failed marketing campaign featuring a transgender influencer.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who is currently in the…
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