Trump takes shots at RFK Jr, Biden, CNN’s Collins in WHCA dinner speech

Media Trump takes shots at RFK Jr, Biden, CNN’s Collins in WHCA dinner speech Comments: by Sarah Davis - 07/24/26 11:34 PM ET Comments: Link copied by Sarah Davis - 07/24/26 11:34 PM ET Comments: Link copied

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President Trump took aim at the press, Democrats and some of his celebrity critics in a speech that received a lukewarm reception at the White House Correspondents’ Association’s (WHCA) dinner on Friday evening.

Trump took the stage just months after a gunman allegedly attempted an attack on his life at the association’s annual event in April.

While the president began his remarks by commending the law enforcement officers who helped thwart this attempted assassination, he eventually turned to ridiculing individual reporters in the audience, taking aim at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins and Jake Tapper, as well as The Wall Street Journal’s Josh Dawsey.

The president repeated his criticism that Collins, CNN’s chief White House correspondent and anchor, “never smiles.” He first made this comment earlier this year after Collins pressed him about justice for the victims of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

“She never smiles,” he said in his Friday evening speech. “I said, ‘Kaitlin, do you ever smile?’ Smile. You have a nice position. You’re at CNN fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.”

Earlier in the night, Trump shook the hands of the Journal reporting team who received an award for their coverage of an alleged birthday letter from the president to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Trump administration sued the outlet for defamation over this reporting.

The president also directed his ire at a number of Democratic leaders, including California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.), former Vice President Kamala Harris, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

He also repeatedly insulted former President Biden. Trump took his first shot at his former rival after talking about the UFC fight he hosted on the White House lawn earlier this summer.

“So, just remember, before I came along, if you wanted to see someone lose consciousness on the South Lawn of the White House, all you had to do is ask Joe Biden a question,” he quipped.

Another joke about Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. got one of the louder laughs of the night.

“I hope that everyone finally got to enjoy their entire very delicious beef tenderloins, very special beef, and I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who’s right here, personally ran over the cow in his car, and he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight, so it’s very fresh,” Trump said.

“And Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of Mel raccoon roadkill. But we drew the line at that,” he added.

The president appeared to express frustration that some of his jokes were not landing in the room. After one joke about an older lawmaker lacking energy received little to no laughter, Trump asked the crowd, “Does anybody get that?”

“Well, I thought that was actually pretty good,” he continued. “That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freaking stupid speech that they wrote. That was the only good one, and that went down with not exactly great laughter.”

Trump ended his speech donning a hat that said “Trump 2028,” after making what seemed to be a sarcastic announcement that he would run for another term in office.

WHCA President and CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang stressed the importance of an independent, free press in introductory remarks ahead of Trump’s speech on Friday evening.

“There is a difference, though, an existential difference between criticizing the press and trying to undermine it,” Jiang said.

“One is healthy, and it makes all of us better,” she continued. “The other is exactly what the founders hoped to prevent.”

At the end of his speech, the president made his own appeal to the values honored at the annual dinner.

“But for all of the trouble that you give me — you give me a lot of trouble, a lot of heartache — I hope all of you know that I believe in the free press more than anyone in this room does,” Trump said, adding, “Maybe not quite.”