At the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, President Donald Trump took the stage to deliver a series of political barbs and direct messages to Iran. In addition to mockingly announcing his intention to run for president again in 2028, Trump targeted his political rivals and the media.
Trump devoted a significant portion of his speech to discussing Iran, mentioning ongoing communications between Washington and Tehran. He asserted that Iranians are interested in reaching an agreement but emphasized that the time for such a deal has not yet arrived. Trump reiterated his administration’s commitment to preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons to "protect Washington, Israel, and the entire Middle East."
In a particularly controversial statement, Trump claimed the Iranian regime is currently managed by Mojtaba Khamenei, whom he described as a "gay dictator," noting internal divisions within the country’s leadership.
Ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s upcoming visit to Washington, Trump attacked Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, calling him a "crybaby" and a "proud Palestinian." He joked about sending traditional Palestinian attire to the Jewish senator to greet Netanyahu alongside New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani, suggesting Schumer avoided the event "to not violate Sharia law."
Trump also mocked the media, claiming the attendees represented "the largest gathering of Trump Derangement Syndrome sufferers." He then raised a cap with "Trump 2028" emblazoned on it, jokingly adding, "To show how much I care about the media and to boost your ratings, I'm pleased to announce, and this is somewhat of a scoop, that I intend to run for a fourth term as President of the United States."
He continued, "I’ll announce officially. In fact, I believe I’ve already won three times, and now I'll win again. It's become easy for me—I’ve gotten very good at running for president. I won three times and did an excellent job the second time, too. It was a rigged election, but we'll talk about that later."
A significant portion of the speech included jokes at the expense of officials in his administration, particularly Health Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. Trump claimed Kennedy hit a cow with his car, then served its meat at a dinner, joking that Kennedy also suggested serving raccoon run over by a car as an appetizer, but the idea was rejected.
Concluding his speech, Trump promised to return to the event next year unless, as he said, "the reporters are too harsh on me."
During the evening, the Wall Street Journal received an award for reporting that linked Trump to Jeffrey Epstein. Trump also shook hands with several journalists previously barred from traveling on Air Force One, smiling and stating it "didn't matter," while commenting on the heavy-looking bulletproof vests worn by some of the reporters and reiterating his claim of 93% negative media coverage.