Key Points: Trump Dons “2028” Hat In Wild WHCA Dinner Return
- Trump 2028 hat moment capped his rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner speech
- The event returned three months after a gunman disrupted the original April dinner
- Trump joked about a third term, which he himself noted the Constitution bars
- CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and WHCA president Weijia Jiang were among the night’s key figures
Donald Trump made history at Friday night’s dinner, becoming the first sitting president in years to actually show up for it.
The event was originally supposed to happen back in April. A gunman rushed a security checkpoint that night, forcing the entire dinner to be evacuated and postponed.
Friday’s rescheduled gathering opened with Trump directly addressing that trauma. “The show must go on,” he told the crowd at the Waldorf Astoria.
Here’s where things got unexpectedly dramatic. Trump’s speech ran over an hour, mixing rally style material with jabs aimed at journalists and political rivals alike.
Targets included late night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel, Rep. Ilhan Omar, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Reception in the room stayed noticeably muted throughout. Multiple reports described jokes falling flat, with Trump at one point criticizing his own speechwriters mid-delivery.
Then came the moment generating the most buzz afterward. Trump pulled out a red “Trump 2028” hat near the end of his remarks, joking about running for a third term.
He immediately acknowledged the obvious catch himself. A third presidential term is explicitly barred by the Constitution, something Trump referenced even while making the joke.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt had previewed the tone days earlier, calling the speech a mix of “unifying yet vicious” and “serious yet hilarious.”
CNN’s Wolf Blitzer spoke during the evening’s earlier awards ceremony, part of a lengthy program honoring journalism that often challenged Trump’s own administration.
WHCA president Weijia Jiang also addressed the room, praising the Waldorf Astoria staff’s professionalism, a nod to Hilton employees who’d worked through April’s chaos too.
Notably, First Lady Melania Trump skipped Friday’s event entirely, despite having attended the original April dinner before it was cut short by gunfire.
Trump closed by saying he plans to return again in 2027, though he joked that outcome depends on how “nasty” the press gets between now and then.
Whether Friday’s speech shifts the tone of Trump’s relationship with the press corps, or simply adds another chapter to it, remains an open question heading into next year.