WASHINGTON — President Trump has accepted an invitation to appear at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday, July 24 — saying organizers’ decision to hold a redo was “a sign of Strength and Fortitude” after a gunman interrupted the April event.
The dinner will be held in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria — built as a Trump Hotel before changing hands in 2022 — and those granted entry won’t have to repay the $480 ticket price.
President Trump with first lady Melania and CBS News senior White House correspondent Wejia Jiang at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. AFP via Getty Images
Secret Service agents draw their guns after shots were fired at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. AFP via Getty ImagesThe venue’s Presidential Ballroom has space for about 1,300 seated guests, according to promotional material— meaning it will be a smaller event than the roughly 2,500-person gathering at the Washington Hilton that ended in chaos.
“This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“I was asked to be there, and speak, by Weijia Jiang, President of The White House Correspondents’ Association, and have accepted. I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out.”
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner was held in Washington, DC, on April 25, 2026. AFP via Getty Images
Suspect Cole Tomas Allen is accused of opening fire at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“In any event,” the president added, “it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket! Interestingly, the location will be The Waldorf Astoria, on Pennsylvania Avenue, a Building and Ballroom that I built.”
The black-tie gathering, featuring a presentation of scholarships and awards, was initially due to take place April 25, but was postponed after would-be assassin Cole Tomas Allen rushed a security checkpoint with a rifle, shooting a Secret Service agent in their bulletproof vest.
In a manifesto, Allen admitted he wanted to kill Trump and as many cabinet officials as possible. He is awaiting trial.
“The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has served as a celebration of a free press and the vital role of journalism in our democracy for over a century,” WHCA president Weijia Jiang, a CBS News correspondent, said in an email to members of the press association.
“When gunfire interrupted this year’s event, it further clarified the WHCA’s mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment. We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for.”
In her message to members, Jiang said the event would be “a more intimate gathering” than the April dinner and include “significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures.”
