The event was originally scheduled for April but was disrupted by the alleged attempted assassination of Donald Trump. His hourlong speech combined jokes with attacks on members of the press. Trump addressed the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner as organizers honoured Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales for his actions during April's shooting.
President Donald Trump attended his first-ever White House Correspondents Association Dinner, with this year’s rescheduled gala held Friday evening in Washington, D.C., and delivered some pointed remarks to the assembled journalists in a rambling speech that stretched on for just over an hour — and personally insulted several journalists, politicians and celebs that he’s sparred […] The event was moved to the Waldorf Astoria and had about a quarter of the attendees of the event in April, which was interrupted when a gunman attempted to enter the ballroom and attack officials. President Donald Trump returned to address a huge roomful of journalists at a correspondents' dinner rescheduled from April after a shooting upended the first edition
President Donald Trump addressed a huge roomful of journalists Friday night at a correspondents' dinner rescheduled from April after a shooting upended the first edition. Said the president: “As I said three months ago, the show must go on."Trump entered the ballroom to polite applause, and was thanked for his support by White House Correspondents' Association president Weijia Jiang of CBS News. After dinner, he then sat through more than an hour of awards presentations — including many for journalists who had done pointed stories about him and his administration during the previous year.“Let’s try this again,” Jiang quipped, welcoming the crowd.
The White House press corps, she noted, “always has a follow-up.” Turning serious, she referred back to the trauma and confusion of the original dinner in April.“Tonight our message is this: We are back,” she said. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word.”The rescheduled dinner was taking place in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria hotel, a smaller venue that held only about 700 people. Guests entered via a single entrance, through two ID checks and past a detection dog, armed officers and security guards.
There was no red carpet and no separate cocktail receptions preceding the dinner.He was widely expected to bring the fighting words — “rather nasty,” he said — against the press that he’d planned to deliver in April before the event descended into chaos when a gunman stormed a security checkpoint, forcing an evacuation of the room. But early in his speech, Trump signaled that he had scrapped his planned remarks and was going to deliver a mix of things.“This is really the largest group of ‘Trump Derangement Syndrome’ people put together at one time,” the president said.Trump has been coy about what he might sayAs for Trump himself, he indicated last month he wasn’t sure. “I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out," the Republican president wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”Besides the pared-down approach, there was another change at Friday’s dinner: two additional awards. One presented to Victor Gonzales, the Secret Service agent who was staffing a security checkpoint in April and was struck in his protective vest.“Officer Gonzal… WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump addresses journalists at correspondents’ dinner, which was rescheduled after April shooting.
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