President Donald Trump and members of the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) gathered Friday at the Waldorf Astoria for a rescheduled annual dinner. The event was held three months after the original April 25 dinner at the Washington Hilton was terminated due to a shooting in the hotel lobby. The rescheduled gathering featured a reduced attendance of approximately 700 people and increased security measures, including a National Guard presence.
In an hour-long address, the president commented on the media, political opponents, and his own administration. Trump joked about seeking a fourth term in 2028 and stated that the news industry relies on his presidency for financial stability. He also directed remarks at Cabinet members, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and repeated critical labels for several Democratic lawmakers and California Governor Gavin Newsom.
The evening included the presentation of journalism awards for coverage of the Trump administration. The Wall Street Journal received the Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for its reporting on the president’s past ties to Jeffrey Epstein, a story that is currently the subject of a defamation lawsuit filed by Trump against the paper’s publisher. CNN’s Kaitlan Collins was also recognized for her coverage of a 2025 meeting between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, reporting that Trump characterized as inaccurate during his remarks.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang stated during the event that the association proceeded with the dinner to demonstrate that they would not be deterred by the previous act of violence. The April shooting had forced a swift evacuation of the president and attendees from the original venue; the shooter's motives and legal status were not updated in the report.