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Trump Attends Rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, Jokes About Third Term

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • U.S. President Donald Trump attended a rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, joking about a potential third term and praising Secret Service officer Victor Gonzalez.
  • Trump, who had previously skipped the event due to perceived unfair press coverage, addressed journalists and attacked some media figures while expressing respect for the profession.
  • The speech occurred amid heightened security following an alleged assassination attempt on Trump three months prior, which led to the event's postponement and relocation to a smaller venue.

President Donald Trump addressed journalists at a scaled-down and rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, marking his first attendance as president. The gala, held months after an alleged assassination attempt on Trump, took place under heightened security at Washington's Waldorf Astoria, a smaller venue than the usual Washington Hilton.

Just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It's always better. And the third time will be better yet. I'm only kidding.

— Donald TrumpPresident Trump joked about the possibility of serving a third term during his speech at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

During his speech, Trump made light of the earlier incident, joking about a potential third term and referencing the event where a gunman was stopped by security. He specifically praised Secret Service officer Victor Gonzalez, who was shot during the confrontation, calling his actions "amazing."

After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'Get down! Get down!', which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking. Do you believe it? Get down!

— Donald TrumpPresident Trump referenced the alleged assassination attempt during his speech, making a humorous remark about the crowd's reaction.

Trump, who had previously boycotted the dinner, citing unfair treatment by the press, stated he had "tremendous respect" for the reporters present. However, he also used the occasion to criticize some journalists, including CNN's Kaitlan Collins and The Wall Street Journal's Josh Dawsey, both of whom were honored at the gala.

What he did was amazing. We salute you and we thank you with all of our hearts.

— Donald TrumpPresident Trump praised Secret Service officer Victor Gonzalez, who was shot during the incident that led to the dinner's postponement.

The president's attendance and remarks come amidst his administration's history of contentious relations with media outlets, including lawsuits and restricted access for journalists. Trump has defended these actions as measures to improve accountability and address media bias. The speech, lasting over an hour, concluded with his expression of respect, albeit tinged with his ongoing critique of media coverage.

I have tremendous respect for the people in this room. Sometimes I don't feel you treat me fair. Maybe you do. I don't know.

— Donald TrumpPresident Trump concluded his speech by expressing his respect for the journalists attending the event, while also voicing his long-standing grievances.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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