The U.S. President performed at the Waldorf Astoria hotel three months after an assassination attempt at the same event. The speech lasted over 70 minutes, and security measures reduced the number of guests from 2,600 to about 700.
U.S. President Donald Trump appeared Friday evening, July 25, 2026, at the delayed White House Correspondents' Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, where he jokingly announced his intention to run for president in the 2028 election. The speech, which began more than 40 minutes late, lasted over 70 minutes, and at one point Trump put on a red cap with the inscription '2028', a characteristic prop of his election campaigns.
According to reports from Argentine media Clarín, citing an EFE agency report, Trump stated: "I want to announce my intention to run for a fourth term as president. I have won three times and I will do it again." The same joke about a new candidacy was repeated at least twice in public appearances during the week. The United States Constitution limits the presidency to two terms, and Trump is currently in his second term, making a 2028 candidacy constitutionally impossible.
Trump, who is 80 years old, has repeatedly mentioned possible successors in public, naming Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio as possible Republican candidates for 2028. Both were absent from the correspondents' dinner on Friday, as was Trump's wife Melania Trump.
The dinner was held at the Waldorf Astoria instead of the traditional Hilton, which was the scene of an assassination attempt on Trump on April 25, 2026. The Secret Service significantly tightened the security protocol: all attendees had to present a QR code for entry, and the number of guests was reduced from an initial 2,600 to approximately 700. Trump was surrounded by more members of his cabinet at the dinner.
"It's an intense night, but we gather again to respond to that vile attack with unwavering determination. All of us here want to show that in the United States we do not yield to political violence," Trump said in the more serious part of his speech, referring to the April incident.
Anadolu Agency also reported Trump's comment on the atmosphere of the evening: "It was an interesting evening. I didn't really know what to expect, and it's worse than I thought." According to available sources, that comment was made in a joking tone.
Part of the speech was dedicated to critical attacks on journalists covering his administration. According to Clarín, among those mentioned were Kaitlan Collins and Jake Tapper from CNN and Josh Dawsey from The Wall Street Journal. The background of these attacks was not detailed in available sources.
The correspondents' dinner was held at a time when the Trump administration is coming under increasing domestic political pressure. According to an analysis by Canadian media The Globe and Mail, seven out of ten Americans believe that the tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have led to rising prices, and the real incomes of the average American worker have been falling for three months. Midterm elections are expected in about three months, and prediction market research, according to the same source, suggests that Democrats could win a majority in the House of Representatives.
Within this context, Trump's joking announcements about a 2028 candidacy are interpreted as part of broader political communication towards the MAGA movement base, to whom Trump regularly says that supporters are urging him to stay in power even after 2029. The next steps politically, including possible party reactions to Trump's statements about a fourth term, have not been announced so far.
