‘Who the hell wrote that?’: Trump bombs at correspondents dinner with unfunny, tasteless speech

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner, rescheduled after a gunman allegedly targeted President Donald Trump and top officials in a previous assassination attempt, began on a note of unity. Outgoing WHCA President Weijia Jiang declared that “an assassination attempt on our president is an attack on democracy itself,” and the room applauded a rejection of political violence. But that spirit evaporated when Trump took the stage, delivering a rambling, off-key speech that left many in the black-tie audience cringing.

From Handshakes to Hostility

Earlier in the evening, Trump sat through the presentation of awards for political journalism, including a prize to The Wall Street Journal for reporting on his past ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein—a story he is suing over for $10 billion. To the surprise of many, Trump clapped for the winners and shook their hands, at one point throwing his hands up with a grin. But the conciliatory tone ended when he began his prepared remarks.

A String of Failed Jokes

Trump’s written jokes largely misfired. After a gag about Democrat Elizabeth Warren and a totem pole drew silence, he exclaimed, “Who the hell wrote that?” He tried a crude joke about an aging senator needing to climb stairs to have sex with his wife, then lamented when no one laughed: “That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freakin’ stupid speech that they wrote.”

The president recycled familiar insults, calling former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie a “fat pig” and California Governor Gavin Newsom “Newscum.” He launched personal attacks on Democratic Senator Adam Schiff, labeling him a liar and a “watermelon head,” asking, “How does that big fat ugly head stand on a little pencil neck?”

Crossing the Line with Kaitlan Collins

The most uncomfortable moment came when Trump targeted CNN host Kaitlan Collins, who was in the room. He dismissed her award for outstanding news coverage under deadline pressure, claiming it was “fake” and that her reporting was fraudulent. The award recognized Collins’ coverage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s controversial White House visit. Silence fell over the room as Trump continued to berate a journalist in front of her peers.

A Tradition of Unease

The WHCA dinner has always been an odd mix of satire and solemnity, where reporters and the president share a dais. But Trump’s performance highlighted the deep chasm between the administration and the press. By attacking journalists personally and questioning the legitimacy of their work, he undermined the evening’s original call for unity. The dinner, meant to celebrate a free press, instead showcased the ongoing tensions that define Trump’s relationship with the media.

As the event concluded, many attendees expressed disappointment. Trump’s failure to deliver a lighthearted, unifying speech—even after an assassination attempt—underscores the difficulty of bridging political divides. In the coming days, pundits will likely debate whether these attacks signal a new front in the White House’s war on journalism. For now, the correspondents’ dinner will be remembered not for its moments of grace, but for a president who couldn’t resist taking aim at the very institution he was supposed to toast.