The White House Correspondents Dinner Finally Happened Three Months After a Shooting Stopped It

A dinner three months late finally happened

The 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner took place July 24 at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, roughly three months after a gunman opened fire outside the ballroom and forced organizers to call off the originally scheduled April event. A Secret Service agent was wounded in that shooting, according to Axios, and President Donald Trump pressed for the dinner to be rescheduled rather than abandoned. Friday’s gathering marked the first time Trump has attended the correspondents’ dinner as a sitting president.

The president opened by condemning the violence

Trump used the top of his remarks to address the shooting that had postponed the event. “In America we do not yield to political violence,” he told the assembled journalists, per Axios, adding that “no deranged loser with a gun will ever change that.” The reference to a wounded agent and a canceled black-tie tradition set an unusually somber frame for a night built around comedy, and the president briefly poked fun at himself before the tone shifted.

The speech turned to grievance

Axios reported that the speech, which ran just over an hour, moved from light jokes into a familiar litany of complaints about reporters and prominent Democrats. Trump attacked CNN anchors by name, telling Kaitlin Collins to smile more and referring to Jake Tapper as “Fake Tapper.” CNN released a statement during the speech defending its journalists, writing that “honest, accurate journalism may sometimes irritate politicians, but our right to report and present that reporting without government interference is fully protected by the U.S. Constitution.”

Awards created awkward moments

The evening’s journalism prizes produced friction for the president in the room, Axios noted. The Wall Street Journal was recognized for its coverage of a letter Trump allegedly wrote to Jeffrey Epstein; Trump chuckled at the announcement and congratulated the reporters when they came onstage. He also congratulated New York Times reporter Tyler Pager, who had been among journalists subpoenaed by the Justice Department earlier that week over reporting on the new Air Force One, according to Axios citing the Times.

It ended with a 2028 hat

Trump closed by donning a “Trump 2028” hat and pledging to run for another term, drawing what Axios described as chuckles and light applause. He also said he believes “in the free press more than anyone in this room.” The night restored a decades-old Washington ritual that a shooting had interrupted, while leaving open how the tradition will function going forward. As of publication, the association has not announced a date or format for a 2027 dinner.

References: Trump attends first White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president | Trump’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech