Donald Trump Attends Rescheduled WHCA Dinner After April Attack

President Donald Trump attended a rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) gala dinner on Friday, July 24, 2026, at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C. The event follows the disruption of the original April dinner at the Washington Hilton, where Cole Tomas Allen opened fire in an attempted assassination of the president. During that attack, Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales was wounded when a bullet struck his protective vest.

To mark the occasion, the WHCA honored Officer Gonzales and the Washington Hilton staff with the President's Award for Exceptional Service. The rescheduled gathering featured a smaller guest list and enhanced safety protocols, supported by extensive street closures implemented by the Metropolitan Police Department.

While the administration and organizers framed the dinner as a reaffirmation of free speech, the event occurred amid significant friction between the president and the media. Over 500 journalists and various press freedom groups called the gala "hypocritical," citing recent subpoenas of New York Times journalists and other administration attacks on the press. Trump remained undecided on whether he would deliver the "rather nasty" statements against the media he had planned for the original event. Notable absentees included Melania Trump, JD Vance, and Marco Rubio.