Trump Roasts Critics, Cabinet Members at Rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner

Media outlets across the political spectrum focused on President Donald Trump's jokes during the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association dinner, held at Washington's Waldorf Astoria after the original April event was interrupted by a shooting outside the Washington Hilton.

The Details: Trump opened his speech by saying it had "not been an easy evening" after sitting through journalism awards recognizing coverage critical of his administration. He also joked that next year's event could be renamed the "Trump White House Correspondents' Dinner" and quipped, "Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. ... And the third time will be better yet," before adding, "I'm only kidding." Trump also criticized some reporters and attacked his usual Democratic opponents, including former President Joe Biden, Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and more.

The dinner featured mentalist Oz Pearlman instead of the traditional comedian. About 750 people attended the rescheduled event, compared with roughly 2,500 at the original dinner. The event usually brings together journalists, politicians, celebrities, and the US president.

Trump's Jokes: Trump joked that the beef tenderloin was fresh because Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had prepared it, saying, "I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who's right here, personally ran over the cow with his car. And he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight."

He also referenced the shooting that disrupted the original dinner, joking about rapper Nicki Minaj: "But after hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'get down, get down!' Which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking, do you believe? Get down! She's the only one that really understood what that meant."

For Context: The White House Correspondents' Dinner is an annual event that honors White House journalism and raises money for student scholarships. The original April 25 dinner was halted after authorities said an armed suspect, later identified as Cole Tomas Allen, breached security outside the Washington Hilton, prompting the Secret Service to evacuate attendees. This year's rescheduled event also broke with tradition by featuring a mentalist instead of a stand-up comedian.

How The Media Covered It: Fox News (Right bias) and The Guardian (Lean left) reported many of the same jokes and exchanges from Trump's speech, but differed in their overall assessment. Fox News focused on the humor, warm moments and Trump's rapport with attendees, while The Guardian highlighted his insults, political attacks and criticism of the news media, describing the speech as rambling and combative.

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