President Donald Trump playfully ribbed members of the press at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a scaled-down event held in the wake of an April shooting that had previously led to its cancellation.
"This place is really the largest group of 'Trump derangement syndrome' people ever put together at one time," Trump said to laughter. He also noted, "I suspect some of you are lucky that our last dinner was cut short...I was going to go after you."
Despite the barbs, the president struck a conciliatory tone for much of his speech, stating "the second time is always better" and that he respects "most of" the journalists present. He called on Americans to respect freedom of speech, asserting that "we settle our differences not with bullets, but with open and vigorous debate." Trump added, "And no deranged loser with a gun will ever change that. We can't let that ever happen."
The dinner, which celebrated press freedom, saw approximately 700 attendees, a significant decrease from the more than 2,000 who attended the April event. Security was heightened, with police and National Guard presence, and guests underwent multiple screenings.
The April dinner was cancelled following a shooting incident where 31-year-old Cole Tomas Allen was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. He was apprehended by agents near a ballroom staircase just as the dinner was commencing.
Notable attendees at the recent dinner included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, FBI Director Kash Patel, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.