Donald Trump says after shooting, organizers asked "Would you do it next year?"

President Donald Trump made his first visit to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while in office at a rescheduled July 2026 event, three months after a gunman opened fire at the original April gathering at the Washington Hilton, forcing an evacuation. Speaking at the Waldorf Astoria hotel before about 700 attendees with heightened security, Trump delivered an hour-long speech that included critiques of journalists, political opponents, and cabinet members. He indicated that organizers asked about his participation in the next dinner, and he responded that he would return, though he suggested that excessively hostile press coverage might change that. The dinner also honored a Secret Service officer who confronted the attacker.