Trump returns to WHCA dinner after alleged assassination attempt
Trump spoke at the rescheduled White House press dinner in Washington three months after a gunman disrupted the April event.
By James Whitfield · Staff Writer
3 min read
US President Donald Trump returned to the Trump WHCA dinner on Friday, three months after an alleged assassination attempt forced the annual press gala off course, Al Jazeera reported. The rescheduled event put Trump back before Washington reporters at a dinner he once shunned during his first term.
Speaking at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC, Trump opened by referring to the April disruption. “As I said three months ago, the show must go on,” he said after an awards ceremony that included remarks from several journalists, among them CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, according to Al Jazeera.
The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner had first been held in April at the Washington Hilton. Al Jazeera reported that the event was halted after a gunman allegedly tried to enter the proceedings in an attempt to kill Trump.
Why was the Trump WHCA dinner rescheduled?
The dinner was moved to a new date after the April incident at the Washington Hilton. Prosecutors accused Cole Tomas Allen of storming a security gate while carrying guns and knives, shooting and wounding a Secret Service officer before he was stopped, Al Jazeera reported.
Allen faces federal charges of attempting to assassinate the president. Trump described the episode on Friday as “an assault on our democracy itself” and called it “a very serious situation.”
The July dinner was smaller than the original gathering, with 700 guests in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, according to Al Jazeera. Trump praised aides Pete Hegseth, Steve Miller and Tom Holman for what he called their bravery during the April incident, saying they were standing on tables while many others were under them.
Trump also joked about the constitutional limit that bars a president from serving more than two terms. “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better and the third time will be better yet,” he said, then told the crowd he was joking, Al Jazeera reported.
What did Trump say about reporters and Democrats?
Trump entered to polite applause and told the room it was “the largest gathering of people with Trump derangement syndrome,” referring to journalists. Al Jazeera reported that he later aimed a series of insult-style jokes at political opponents, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Representative Ilhan Omar, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News thanked Trump for attending the rescheduled dinner and for his support, according to Al Jazeera. “Tonight our message is this: We are back,” she said. “We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”
Trump’s attendance marked a shift from his first term. Al Jazeera reported that after taking office in 2017, he called the dinner “dead” and did not attend during the next four years.
The dinner has drawn criticism from some media professionals who argue reporters should avoid social events with officials they cover. Al Jazeera reported that calls to end the event grew after the April attack.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.