Trump returns to rescheduled correspondents' dinner, swaps jokes for insults aimed at CNN, Don Lemon and Ilhan Omar

A twice-delayed return

Donald Trump addressed the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on Friday evening, three months after the original April event was evacuated when an armed man breached security at the venue. The rescheduled gala moved to the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, a property the president noted he once owned. 'I know this place well, because I built it,' Trump said, before praising the ballroom chandeliers and the new ballroom he is adding to the White House.

Tone shifts from conciliatory to caustic

Trump opened with a nod to the April attack and a stated desire for restraint. 'We are against political violence. We believe in freedom of speech: you don't settle a disagreement with bullets but with debate,' he began. The conciliatory framing dissolved quickly. He pivoted to calling the room 'the largest group of people with Trump derangement syndrome ever brought together' and joked that some attendees were lucky the earlier dinner was cut short because he had planned to be harsher.

Some of you were lucky our last dinner was cut short, because I was planning to hammer you.

Named targets and old grievances

The speech cycled through a roster of personal targets. He called CNN journalist Don Lemon 'the lowest IQ on TV,' said progressive congresswoman Ilhan Omar should 'get the hell out of our country,' and directed a remark at White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. He also took aim at Democratic senator Adam Schiff and celebrities Bruce Springsteen and Jane Fonda. A joke about a cage fight held recently on White House grounds led to a dig at former president Joe Biden: 'In the old days, if you wanted to see someone lose consciousness at the White House, you still had to ask Joe Biden a question.' The line drew little laughter.

Media reaction and self-awareness

CNN media reporter Brian Stelter described the speech as 'boring' and a 'flop.' A Republican source told CNN that 'whoever wrote this speech should be fired.' Trump himself seemed to acknowledge the strained atmosphere. Early on he asked aloud, 'Is this supposed to be funny? Should I be serious? Should I be a comedian? Maybe a little of everything.' After botching a joke about elderly senators by over-explaining the punchline, he sighed that 'this was actually the only thing about this dumb speech I thought was good' (a remark that did draw some laughter).

A transactional view of the press

Trump offered a window into his media strategy, explaining that White House spokespeople had initially deflected all interview requests, so he began handing out his direct phone number instead. 'I get a call every 3.7 minutes,' he said. 'Usually I decline them, but sometimes I pick up.' He reasoned aloud that not speaking to the press guarantees a negative story, while engaging gives at least a chance of favourable coverage. He ended by telling the room they depend on him for ratings and subscriptions, claiming The New York Times ran five stories about him the previous day. 'When I'm gone, you'll go bankrupt. Who are you going to report on? Nobody gives a damn about anyone else.'

Epstein coverage wins awards, Trump shrugs

Before the president spoke, Wolf Blitzer presented prizes to Wall Street Journal journalists for reporting on Trump's relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. Blitzer noted that the president promptly launched a criminal case against the newspaper. Trump watched with a shrug and a grin, then asked whether he could have input on the awards in future. The 31-year-old suspect from California in the April security breach has been charged with, among other counts, attempting to take the president's life and violence against a Secret Service agent. He has pleaded not guilty; no trial date has been set.