Trump returns for do-over of White House Correspondents Dinner months after gun attack - as Vance and Melania stay away
The black-tie event was called off in April after a man opened fire at the dinner
Donald Trump is set to deliver what the White House has described as a “unifying yet vicious” speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner tonight.
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The black-tie event was called off in April after a man allegedly tried to force his way through a security checkpoint outside the Washington Hilton and fired a shotgun as the President, Vice President JD Vance and Cabinet members were arriving.
Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales was shot while stopping the attacker.
He was the only person injured and will be honoured alongside Hilton staff who helped guests during the incident.
The dinner has been moved to the Waldorf Astoria in downtown Washington, where streets have been sealed off and police, Secret Service agents, National Guard personnel and security drones have been deployed.
Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and First Lady Melania Trump were not in attendance at the dinner.
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However, most of Mr Trump’s Cabinet and several senior administration figures were among those in attendance, including press secretary Karoline Leavitt, FBI director Kash Patel, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr.
White House Correspondents' Association President Weija Jiang opened the evening, saying: "Whatever may divide us, we stand together against political violence. An assassination attempt on our president is an attack on democracy itself.
"Tonight, our message is this: We are back. We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word," she continued.
At the previous dinner on 25 April, a gunman, identified by US authorities as 31-year-old Cole Allen, attempted to storm the ballroom at the Washington hotel armed with guns and knives.
Allen was arrested after police said he opened fire at a security checkpoint during the event.
White House Correspondents' Association President Weija Jiang opening remarks at White House Correspondents' Dinner: "We are back, we will not be intimidated, we refuse to let an act of violence have the final word." pic.twitter.com/cnYj2pP28W
— CSPAN (@cspan) July 24, 2026
He was later charged with the attempted assassination of Mr Trump, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and two further firearms offences - counts to which he has pleaded not guilty.
The event comes amid continued tensions between the Trump administration and sections of the US media over access, lawsuits and accusations of bias.
Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the President’s remarks would be “serious yet hilarious” - and promised they would be entertaining.
The annual gala raises money for journalism scholarships and celebrates press freedom.