Trump Set for First WHCD Speech as Media Girds for His Remarks
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- Oz Pearlman, a mentalist, will perform at Saturday's White House Correspondents Dinner, replacing comedian Amber Ruffin, who was cut from the 2025 lineup after calling the Trump administration 'kind of a bunch of murderers' in podcast remarks
- President Trump is expected to deliver remarks at the dinner — the first time he has agreed to appear at the WHCD in either of his two terms
- Paramount and CBS News hosted a private Thursday dinner with Trump that drew protests, occurring as the company, run by CEO David Ellison, seeks regulatory approval for its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery
- Fox News, MS NOW, and NewsNation will air the WHCD proceedings for the first time, joining CSPAN and CNN, expanding the dinner's broadcast reach
- Grindr held its own WHCD-related event, with CEO George Arison — who immigrated from the Soviet Union at 14 — telling attendees that 'one of the things that makes America awesome is that you can say whatever you want'
- Major TV news outlets continue to grapple with declining ratings, layoffs, and a migration of younger viewers to digital creators and influencers, though executives see the upcoming midterm election as a potential advertising and audience boost
Why it matters: The Paramount-Trump private dinner, held while the company awaits regulatory sign-off on a massive Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition, captures the unusual alignment of media and political power this WHCD weekend. The expanded broadcast lineup — with Fox News, MS NOW, and NewsNation joining the airwaves — shows the dinner is becoming more commercially valuable even as traditional TV news battles audience erosion and digital competition.
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