"Bobby ran over a cow, Nikki did some twerking": Trump's jokes at the gala - and the one that didn't get a laugh
Three months after the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner was canceled due to a shooting, Donald Trump attended the renewed gala. The President shook hands with journalists he had previously sued and delivered a speech filled with biting jokes about his political opponents and the media.
The annual White House Correspondents' Association gala, which usually provides sparkling and crowded mingling between senior politicians and journalists dazed by champagne, looked this night (between Friday and Saturday) more like a closed bunker. After the original event last April was canceled when a gunman opened fire at a security checkpoint outside the hall, President Donald Trump arrived at the limited and secured event at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington.
The guest list was cut from 2,600 to 680 people. First Lady Melania, Vice President J.D. Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were absent, and Trump used the opportunity to take a jab at the "cowardly" reporters in the hall who arrived equipped with bulletproof vests. Despite the presence of security, the ceremony went as planned, and the Israeli-American mentalist Oz Pearlman, whose performance was interrupted by gunfire last time, returned to finish the job. Trump asked him why, with all his powers, he "the hell didn't see it coming."
A prominent award was given to the Wall Street Journal investigative team, who exposed a letter with a crude illustration that Trump allegedly sent to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. When the award was announced, Trump raised his hands theatrically, but stood up to shake the hands of the reporters who had previously been banned from his presidential plane. "It wasn't an easy night, all these awards," Trump admitted later. "But do I even have a say in the matter?".
The president of the White House Correspondents' Association, CBS reporter Weijia Jiang, implicitly addressed the president: "Our message tonight is that we are back. We will not be intimidated." Earlier, she declared that "a free press will not be threatened into silence." Just the day before, Trump's Department of Justice was forced to withdraw unprecedented subpoenas that demanded phone records from New York Times reporters following their investigation into the President's new Air Force One plane.
Trump, who boycotted the gala throughout his entire first term, opened his speech by announcing that he had shelved his original biting speech. But in practice, he delivered equally bizarre punchlines. Referring to the April drama, the President joked: "After hearing the sounds of gunfire, many shouted 'Get down!', which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. She is the only one who really understood what that means."
Even his Secretary of Health, Robert Kennedy Jr., received a jab when Trump said that "Bobby" ran over a cow with his car, cut it up with his own hands, and brought the meat to the meal. "He also offered to serve as a first course the meat of a raccoon that was run over on the road — an idea that was fortunately rejected by the organizers," said Trump. He also repeated his mantras about the war against Iran that is going "very well" and confirmed his commitment to prevent Tehran from having nuclear weapons.
In one of the more successful punchlines, he said that "a regime that was once scary and strong and constantly attacked America has finally been toppled. Now they are ruled by a homosexual dictator dealing with internal divisions. I wish Bari Weiss great success at CBS" — a hint at tensions within the network. He also stormed at the Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, calling him a "crybaby" and a "proud Palestinian," and repeated his intention to send the Jewish senator "a beautiful Palestinian outfit" so he could welcome Netanyahu at the airport together with Zohran Mamdani.
When Trump tried to joke about a wrestling match between Chris Christie and Jerry Nadler over "a big fat piece of cheesecake," the audience remained silent. Trump was quick to blame his speechwriters: "Who the hell wrote this line?". From there, he continued to mock his nemeses — Jane Fonda, Bruce Springsteen, Kaitlan Collins, and Senator Adam Schiff, whom he called "Watermelon Head" due to his appearance.
After complaining about the negative coverage, the President provided a "scoop": "To save your ratings, I am happy to announce my intention to run for a fourth term. I have already won three times. Now I am going to do it again." He put on a red hat with the inscription "Trump 2028." Despite everything, Trump signed off on a conciliatory note: "Your profession is amazing. And I just want to thank you for hosting me. And it was fun."
