President Donald Trump will return to the stage on Friday to address a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner held at the Waldorf Astoria. The event follows the abrupt cancellation of the original banquet in April, which was interrupted by gunfire.
The original dinner, traditionally hosted at the Washington Hilton, was halted when an armed suspect entered the venue in an alleged attempt to assassinate the president. Secret Service agents evacuated the president and first lady, and guests were forced to seek cover.
At the new dinner, Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales will be honored for preventing the suspect from entering the ballroom. Gonzales was positioned at a security checkpoint when the attacker attempted to breach the venue.
The gathering is framed as a statement that violence has no place in American life and that a free press should not be silenced. A smaller, more intimate guest list has been chosen in response to the chaos of the April event.
High‑ranking officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, are expected to attend. First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be present due to prior commitments.
Entertainment will be provided by mentalist Oz Pearlman, who returned to the previous dinner. The event may attract anti‑war protesters outside the venue, reflecting ongoing tensions with Iran.
Trump has delivered a series of speeches emphasizing election security and other priorities. After the April interruption, he indicated a desire for a more restrained tone at the upcoming dinner, saying he would “be very boring” and that the event would be enjoyable.
