Trump thanks press, praises WHCA after dinner shooting
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- Trump addressed reporters in the White House briefing room after returning from the Washington Hilton, calling the dinner 'an event dedicated to the freedom of speech' and saying 'the room was totally unified' following the shooting incident.
- Trump thanked the press directly, saying 'You've been very responsible in your coverage' — a striking tonal shift from his typical adversarial posture toward the media.
- Weijia Jiang, CBS News senior White House correspondent and president of the White House Correspondents' Association, received the first question; Trump called her 'Madam chairman' and told her 'you did a fantastic job, what a beautiful evening.'
- Trump said he had a speech prepared and was planning to 'really rip,' telling his people it was 'going to be the most inappropriate speech ever made' before the event was cut short.
- Trump announced the dinner — which did not resume Saturday — will be rescheduled within 30 days and promised it would be 'bigger and better and even nicer.'
Why it matters: Trump's choice to praise the press and the WHCA president — rather than exploit a security scare for political gain — represents a notable departure from his long-standing combative relationship with the media, and the rescheduled dinner within 30 days keeps the annual press-freedom tradition alive after an unprecedented disruption.
