BAD BLOOD
Trump, who was attending his first White House Correspondents’ Dinner after years of bad blood with the press, added that he planned to come next year too.
He returned amid heightened security on Friday, three months after an alleged assassination attempt forced his chaotic evacuation from the event after gunshots were fired at the Washington Hilton and the black-tie dinner was called off.
California man Cole Allen, 31, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempting to kill the president.
This time the US Secret Service took no chances. Police and National Guard officers sealed off nearby roads and threw up a major security cordon, although guests passing through faced only a cursory check.
The venue was changed from the Hilton to the Waldorf Astoria, a former Trump hotel, meaning the gala will be much smaller and “more intimate,” according to organizers.
“Let’s try this again,” said CBS correspondent Weijia Jiang, the outgoing president of the White House Correspondents’ Association, who presided over the previous dinner.
“Tonight our message is this: We are back. We will not be intimidated. We will not let an act of violence have the final word.”
Incoming WHCA president Jacqui Heinrich said the event would return to the Washington Hilton next year.
“THREAT PICTURE”
US Secret Service Director Sean Curran was spotted standing in the entrance hall watching guests arrive, an AFP reporter saw.
Guests waited in a long line to show a QR code and their ID on the way into the atrium where the dinner was held.
Along with Trump’s speech, the rescheduled dinner included a performance by mentalist Oz Pearlman and a tribute to a Secret Service agent who helped stop the alleged gunman in April.
Curran, the head of the Secret Service, defended security at the original event, telling reporters “it did work, the system worked”.
He insisted a cordon had prevented the alleged attacker from reaching the main hall in April.
But Curran, who was at Trump’s side when an assassin’s bullet hit the Republican’s ear at an election rally in 2024, said that current threats against top US officials were “off the charts.”
“The threat picture and environment is as large as I’ve ever seen it,” added Curran.