Trump Returns to WHCA Dinner, Jokes About Third Term While Criticizing Press and Democrats

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - President Donald Trump returned to the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner on Friday with a speech that blended humor, political messaging and personal reflection, joking that his second presidency had surpassed his first before quipping that "the third time will be better yet", only to quickly reassure the audience, "I'm only kidding."

Later in the evening, he reignited discussion by putting on a red "Trump 2028" cap and jokingly announcing another presidential campaign, despite the U.S. Constitution barring a third elected term.

"My intention to run for a fourth term as President of the United States. I will be doing that. I will be having an official," President Trump said, adding, "In fact, I think I have … I won I won three times. Now I'm gonna do it again."

"I'm gonna do it, should be easy. I’m getting very good at running for president. Now I won three times; did very well the second time by the way, it's a rigged election, but we don't have to talk about it," he added.

The president's appearance marked his first return to the annual gathering since the April assassination attempt that forced the original event to be abandoned, giving this year's dinner an atmosphere shaped as much by remembrance as by politics.

Throughout an address lasting more than an hour, Trump alternated between moments of gratitude and familiar attacks on political opponents, journalists and even members of his own administration, according to Fox News.

Trump acknowledged that the speech he delivered differed significantly from the one he had intended to give before the April attack interrupted the original event.

"The speech that I had ready... that was going to be a doozy," he told the audience of journalists and government officials. "I was going to rip people... But I just wouldn't want to do that."

Still, he suggested the evening would not be entirely free of political barbs.

"We'll do a little ripping, if you don't mind," Trump added, drawing laughter from the ballroom.

That balance between restraint and confrontation became the defining characteristic of the evening. While reflecting on the extraordinary circumstances surrounding the dinner's return, Trump also delivered the pointed humor and political commentary that have become hallmarks of his public appearances.

According to Fox News, the president targeted several leading Democratic figures during the speech, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker. He also poked fun at members of his own Cabinet, joking that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had personally been responsible for the beef served during the dinner after "running over the cow."

Trump also used the occasion to revive one of his long-standing policy proposals by calling for congressional term limits, shifting briefly from comedy to institutional reform before returning to lighter material.

Alongside the political humor, Trump devoted part of his remarks to honoring the U.S. Secret Service and reflecting on the April attack that forced the postponement of the correspondents' dinner.

"The attempted mass murder... was an assault on our democracy itself," Trump said as he thanked the officers who responded during the shooting and those who continue protecting him every day.

The evening included formal recognition of Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales, who was honored by the White House Correspondents' Association for confronting the alleged gunman despite being struck in his protective vest. Association officials credited Gonzales' actions with preventing the suspect from reaching the ballroom, where hundreds of journalists, public officials and guests had gathered.

Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported that Trump initially adopted a notably conciliatory tone, opening his remarks by declaring, "The show must go on," as he reflected on the violence that had disrupted the original April event.

That tone gradually shifted as the president returned to his longstanding criticism of the national news media.

"This place is really the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time," Trump told the audience, before once again criticizing what he described as the "fake news media."

Despite the criticism, Trump closed his remarks with words that struck a more conciliatory note toward the journalists assembled in the ballroom.

"I have tremendous respect" for your profession, he said, before immediately adding another joke: "When I'm gone you're all going to be broke."

The combination of criticism and praise reflected the complicated relationship that has long characterized Trump's interactions with the White House press corps.

AFP reported that security surrounding this year's dinner was significantly stronger than in previous years following the April assassination attempt. The event was moved from the Washington Hilton to the Waldorf Astoria, with police, National Guard personnel and Secret Service officers overseeing heightened security measures around the venue.

Outgoing WHCA President Weijia Jiang opened the evening by declaring that the organization would not allow political violence to define the institution, telling attendees that journalists had returned because they refused to let intimidation prevail. The association also confirmed plans to return to the Washington Hilton for next year's dinner.

Trump, meanwhile, signaled that he expected to be there as well.

"I will be back next year," he told the audience, before adding with a smile, "Now, if you get really, really nasty, maybe not."

The president also used the event to promote construction of a new White House ballroom, expressing confidence that future correspondents' dinners could eventually be held there.

His closing moments returned to the theme that had opened the evening. Wearing a red "Trump 2028" cap, Trump joked that he had a "scoop" for the assembled reporters before mockingly announcing another presidential campaign, reviving discussion about a third term while again making clear that the remark was made in jest.

Ultimately, Trump's appearance illustrated both the resilience of an institution interrupted by political violence and the enduring nature of his relationship with the White House press corps.

Even after beginning with calls for unity and paying tribute to the Secret Service officers who protected him during the April attack, the president gradually returned to the humor, political attacks and improvisational style that have defined much of his public career.

The result was an evening that blended remembrance with partisan theater, underscoring both the symbolic significance of the correspondents' dinner's return and the continuing tensions between the White House and the journalists who cover it.