(AFP) – US President Donald Trump lashed out at “fake news media” and talked about serving a banned third term as he addressed a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner Friday, three months after the event was disrupted by an assassination attempt.
“This place is really the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time,” Trump told the media gala at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington. The 80-year-old started with a relatively conciliatory tone, reflecting on the attack by a gunman that forced him to be evacuated from the dinner in April.
“The show must go on,” Trump said. But he quickly pivoted to attacking a wide range of perceived enemies in an often rambling speech, starting with journalists before training his fire on Democratic opponents. Trump had earlier thrown up his hands and laughed as he shook hands with a Wall Street Journal team that broke stories on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
But he later joked that “this has not been an easy evening, all these awards,” Trump said after journalists received prizes for their reporting on the Republican’s second presidency. Trump also revived talk about serving a third term, which is barred under the US constitution, even as he insisted he was joking. “Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. And the third time is better yet,” Trump said, before adding: “I’m only kidding.” He later doubled down, pulling out a red “Trump 2028” cap and saying he was “pleased to announce my intention to — and this is somewhat of a scoop — my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States.”
Much of Trump’s speech seemed to recycle his campaign-style rallies, with the president even jokingly lambasting his speechwriters when some lines fell flat. But he ended the hour-long speech by saying he had “tremendous respect” for the journalists in the room — while adding: “When I’m gone you’re all going to be broke.”
– 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 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.
– Danny KEMP
© 2024 AFP
