Three months after assassination attempt, Trump returns to correspondents' dinner with insults and third-term tease
Ninety days after an armed man tried to kill him and forced the White House Correspondents' Dinner to be postponed, Donald Trump returned to deliver a speech filled with attacks on journalists, political rivals, and comedians, and he joked about seeking a third term.
The interrupted dinner and its rescheduling
On 25 April 2026, a 31-year-old man named Cole Allen attempted to break into the White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Washington Hilton. Gunfire erupted at a security checkpoint, and the event was cancelled. Three months later, on 24 July, the dinner was reconvened at the Waldorf Astoria (the former Trump International Hotel) under heightened security. The smaller venue reflected a priority on prevention, and many correspondents were excluded as a result. Speaking to the gala, Trump said:
As I said three months ago, the show must go on.
Trump's speech: insults and grievances
Once the dinner began, Trump's address quickly veered from the comic-monologue tradition into a campaign-style rally. He attacked The New York Times and several late-night comedians (Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel), calling them untalented and "angry people." He said their agents deserved credit for negotiating their salaries. He then turned on Democratic politicians, reserving a sharp attack for Senator Adam Schiff:
He is a terrible person; I called him 'watermelon head' because he has the biggest head I have ever seen on the smallest neck.
The president also mocked California Governor Gavin Newsom ("he got in big trouble when he admitted Kamala was smarter than him") and Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, saying she and her brother were considering moving away. The room's laughter reportedly diminished as the insults continued.
- Cole Allen attempts to breach security at the Hilton; dinner postponed
- Rescheduled dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria; Trump delivers speech
Third-term flirtation
Amid the barbs, Trump joked about seeking a third presidential term, despite the 22nd Amendment. The articles describe him "bromear" (joking) with the idea, adding a controversial note to an already charged evening.
Defiance and a nod to press freedom
Weija Jiang, CBS correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents' Association, opened the event by framing the April incident as an assault on democracy. She told the audience:
An assassination attempt against our president is an attack on democracy itself. We will not be intimidated.
Trump, too, used the occasion to assert American resilience, declaring that the country "does not give in to political violence" and resolves differences "with open and vigorous debate, not bullets."
The rescheduled dinner, held at a hotel Trump once owned, ended with his familiar blend of grievance and bravado, leaving unanswered the question whether the gala's conviviality legitimised a president who has repeatedly attacked the free press.
