- Trump delivered a bizarre speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner, asking the audience, “What do we do here? Is this supposed to be fun, am I supposed to be serious, am I supposed to be a comedian?”, reflecting confusion about the event's tone.
- During his speech, Trump complained about awards given to journalists whose work was adversarial to his interests.
- Trump criticized specific journalists by name, including CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and the Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey.
- He blamed unnamed joke writers for material falling flat and noted that his delivery was oddly nervous.
- Trump vowed jokingly-but-not to run for re-election in 2028, despite constitutional bars.
At the White House Correspondents' Dinner, President Trump’s performance was described as bizarre and awkward, with few laughs.1
“Let’s have a little bit of fun,” he began, questioning his role as a comedian.
His delivery was marked by nervousness and an air of flop sweat, as he criticized journalists, including CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and the Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey.4
Trump also complained about the evening’s awards, which honored journalists whose work was adversarial to his administration.23
In a moment of dark humor, he vowed to run for re-election in 2028, despite constitutional barriers.6
The evening was characterized by Trump blaming unnamed joke writers for his lackluster material, which included light roasts of allies like Nicki Minaj and Bari Weiss.
Overall, the event left many attendees feeling uncomfortable, as the President struggled to find his comedic footing.
“Trump asked the audience 'What do we do here?' and criticized journalists including CNN's Kaitlan Collins and the Wall Street Journal's Josh Dawsey by name. He blamed joke writers for falling flat material, vowed jokingly-but-not to run again in 2028 despite constitutional bars, and his delivery was oddly nervous.”
Variety
