Trump Put the Press in the Hot Seat at WHCA Dinner; They Weren’t Amused
“This place is really the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time.”
For whatever reason, President Donald Trump felt it was important to address the journalists at the rescheduled 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on Friday night. The event, held at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., could never replicate the intensity of the original banquet, which was cut short after a gunman intent on targeting administration officials charged a Secret Service checkpoint and opened fire. But judging by the TDS-afflicted press corps’ reaction to Trump’s remarks (which I’ll get to shortly), he really shouldn’t have bothered.
“This place is really the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time.”
President Trump jokes about journalists at the WHCA Dinner disliking him. pic.twitter.com/ZDXZc5e0mR
— Fox News (@FoxNews) July 25, 2026
Trump told the crowd he was delighted to be there:
Amazing people. A lot of people that I like, some I don’t like at all, but I respect most of them. I must say that you do a great job, amazing job, and it’s an honor. As I said three months ago, the show must go on. But just like my presidency, the second time is always better, always better, and the third time will be better yet. I’m only kidding.
.@POTUS: "I am delighted to be here at the White House Correspondents' Dinner… as I said 3 months ago, the show must go on… but just like my presidency, the second time is always better — and a third time will be better yet." 🔥😂 pic.twitter.com/oCNMIMehVr
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
Trump praised the Secret Service, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller, and border czar Tom Homan for their courage during the April 25 attack, noting they had stood on tables while “most of you were under the tables.”
He joked:
After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, “Get down! Get down!” which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Do you believe it? … She’s the only one who understood what that meant. … She’s here tonight. I hope she doesn’t mind that I said that.
Nicki Minaj has called herself Trump’s #1 fan.
.@POTUS: "After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'GET DOWN! GET DOWN!' Which caused @NICKIMINAJ to start twerking, do you believe it?" 😂 pic.twitter.com/egFP9a6nRS
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 25, 2026
Trump spent perhaps too much time discussing his plans for the White House ballroom — a sore subject for much of the media.
He then pivoted to politics, opening with a jab at his Health and Human Services secretary: “I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef. And I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here personally, ran over the cow in his car.”
“And he cut it up and brought it here for you to eat tonight,” Trump said to much laughter.
This joke and his quip about Nicki Minaj were arguably the night’s biggest hits.
He told the group he had scrapped his original speech, saying, “Oh, that was going to be a doozy. I was so psyched. I was going to rip people. … But we’ll do a little ripping, if you don’t mind.”
And that he did. He clearly had the press in his crosshairs, hitting his nemesis Kaitlan Collins the hardest. The CNN host had, ironically, just received the WHCA’s Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage.
He also had harsh words for “Fake” Jake Tapper, who waited a year after co-moderating the disastrous June 2024 debate that ended former President Joe Biden’s bid for reelection to write a book questioning his cognitive decline.
He also took aim at some of his most outspoken critics, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Rosie O’Donnell, Bruce Springsteen, and “watermelon head” Adam Schiff.
President Trump just destroyed Adam Schiff 😂
“How does that big, fat, ugly head stand on a little pencil? Pencil. Pencil neck.”
— TheStormHasArrived (@TheStormRedux) July 25, 2026
Trump: And so they thought about going with a professional clown for entertainment. But Adam Shifty Schiff was not available. pic.twitter.com/OgTXIMXz2o
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2026
“I have a lot of respect for your profession,” he told the group before warning them, “When I’m not around, you’re all gonna be broke.”
Trump said he would be back next year. “Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not. I don’t know.”
Toward the end of his speech, Trump trolled the press, teasing them with a “scoop.” He put on a “TRUMP 2028” hat and announced he would be running for a fourth time.
That’s why tonight, to show just how much I care about the press, and I want to save your ratings, I’m pleased to announce my intention to, and this is somewhat of a scoop, my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States. I will be doing that. I won three times. Now I’m going to do it again.
OMG, Trump pulled out the “Trump 2028” hat at the White House Correspondents Dinner. 🤣🤣 #WHCD pic.twitter.com/oQT3zC1i01
— Real Defender (@real_defender) July 25, 2026
Reactions to Trump’s speech on social media were mostly negative. To be fair, I expected his speech to be far more entertaining. It also went on a bit too long.
Still, the responses from the Left were strikingly hostile and wholly unnecessary. Here are a few of them:
The bloated corpse delivering another psychotic speech that has nothing to do with honoring journalists. He’s also boring as hell.#WHCD
— DebraHNYC (@DebraHendler) July 25, 2026
Donald Trump is nearly incoherent as he addresses an adoring White House press corp. This is an embarrassment for the White House and a humiliating display by the legacy media in the room.
Support independent media. Subscribe to Democracy Docket. https://t.co/7W0yoPHmq2
— Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) July 25, 2026
Is it me or is this the most boring White House Correspondence Dinner ever?
The highlight is seeing Jacqui Heinrich. Everything else so far is 💤
— Wino Winnie 𝕏 (@Wino_Winnie) July 25, 2026
He’s being so petty, and I’m here for it.
— Nikki M. Johnson, MD (@notaproviderMD) July 25, 2026
Trump’s speech is so offensive, exactly what we expected of him. Actually it is FAR worse than I could have imagined.
Oh my god, he is going after everyone. How repugnant.#WHCD— Becky 🐝Save US from Trump🕊️ (@BeckySpooner1) July 25, 2026
Trump’s full remarks can be viewed on YouTube.
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Comments
The left is trash. Virtually all of them. So is the press corp. Virtually all of them. There is no making nice with them. You can either troll them, or ignore them. Personally I would opt for ignoring them. That is what I do here with the few who demonstrate what trash they are. Trump though has to troll and he is pretty good at it but I would never give them the attention they crave.
george bush jr ignored the press attacks all the time. When asked by staff why he said it was all lies and there was no need to respond.
Didn’t really work very well unless you were an oblunder fan and got to celebrate his win.
He has every right to hate these people, but I’m not sure this was the way
He’s been much funnier, his hatred was too clear and maybe mean ,
But he’s at the stage he just doesn’t give a sh!t!!
Wrong.
Breaking news to the people in the room: his speech wasn’t for you! You arent the moderators of what we read any more and that gets you wayyyyy up in your feels.
“Trump’s speech is so offensive, exactly what we expected of him. Actually it is FAR worse than I could have imagined. Oh my god, he is going after everyone. How repugnant”
He only gets to do it one day a year, you get all the days to do it.
The journoes. Enemies of the people. Cry. Harder.
Trump is a national treasure.
TRUMP 2028. I’m gonna vote for him – a couple of times!
The press was not amused, but I was.
Concerning Caitlin Collins journalism award, Trump said he thought she would now have a massive corporate sponsorship deal only to compare her to Dylan Mulvaney on a beer can.
Collins had, ironically, just received the WHCA’s Award for Excellence in Presidential News Coverage.
Another useless award, like the Nobel Prize, which you can win for being a 1/2 black moslem communist.
The real irony is he/she/it won an award at all.
I am so exhausted by the left. It’s all hatred and negative emotions 24/7. It’s like being around a bunch of mean girls.
Media fatigue
DJT is still the Troll Master
Here’s what I feel – it doesn’t matter a single lower-case damn what he says to the press. Had he given a rose and a kiss to every single person there, they would hate him no less and treat him no better.
“… the responses from the Left were strikingly hostile…”
Really? If he found a cure for cancer they’d find something to bitch about.
Putting Oncologists out of work!
Suppressing biodiversity!
The whining public, the members of the WHCA and the folks getting some lite hazing from Trump seem pretty thin skinned. Was every quip/joke funny? Nope. Did some of them come across as a bit petty? Maybe. On the other hand this is one night where the President gets a captive media audience to poke fun with. Those offended gotta lighten up or be willing to hold themselves to the exact standards they complain DJT is violating.
He bombed as a comedian; yet no press member told him not to leave his day job.
Trump is a Nazi!
Why?
He makes mild jokes about people that call him a Nazi….
He seriously needs a better writer. So much missed opportunity for actual humor, though the RFK roadkill bit was pretty good. Still, I’d prefer the president use his bully pulpit for something better than bullying.
It’s easy to seek revenge and insult your enemies but it isn’t what a great leader does. When we look at our daily lives and the obstacales we face, we all know direct confrontation very rarely works. The way to attack your enemy is not tit for tat but intelligent humor. Sarcasm is one of the best. Benard Shaw and Winston Churchill used it like a sword against their enemies. What Trump did was what school kids during recess, calling names and makng faces. If I were he I would never use that “Joke” writer again and look for someone a little wiser.
The problem with intelligent and subtle insults is that the target has to be intelligent enough to understand them.
DJT to the Nerd Prommers: “When I’m not around, you’re all gonna be broke.”
How fittingly ironic that come noon Jan. 20, 2029 (assuming no 3rd, uh, 4th DJT term), when the pall of leftist pea brain-addling TDS ever so slowly begins to lift, that it will be the final, ultimate downfall of the U.S. MFM. One then will truly need a heart of stone not to LOL.
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