President Donald Trump attended the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, which had been postponed due to a shooting in April, amid ongoing tense relations between the government and the media.
On 26 July 2026 GMT+7, international news agencies reported that the White House Correspondents' Dinner, postponed from April due to a shooting, was held again on the previous Friday night. The event was moved to a new venue and time, with reduced attendance and enhanced security measures. The President participated and was scheduled to deliver a speech before the press, occurring amid strained relations after his administration implemented measures seen as increasing pressure on independent media.
White House spokesperson Caroline Leavitt said Trump's speech would combine calls for unity with sharp criticism and humor, assuring it would be a speech worth watching.
The White House Correspondents' Association stated that media representatives would emphasize the importance of the U.S. First Amendment, which protects freedom of expression and the press, with Trump present at the event. Renowned mentalist and magician Oz Pearlman was the night's main entertainer.
However, several prominent figures did not attend, including First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, with the White House citing scheduling commitments.
Meanwhile, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanch, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other senior government officials attended the event.
The White House Correspondents' Dinner has been a longstanding Washington tradition for decades but has faced criticism as a forum where media executives, editors, journalists, and government officials mingle—even though this administration views the press as adversarial.