‘Show must go on,’ Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attempt

AdvertisementUnited StatesUSPolitics‘Show must go on,’ Trump tells scaled-back press gala 3 months after assassination attemptSpeech to White House press corps dinner included jokes about a third term, jibes at opponents and the media – and praise for Xi Jinping3-MIN READ3-MIN ListenMark Magnierin New YorkandJosephine Main Hong KongPublished: 12:14pm, 25 Jul 2026Updated: 12:30pm, 25 Jul 2026US President Donald Trump told the White House press corps at its annual gala dinner on Friday that “the show must go on,” three months after an earlier attempt was interrupted by an assassination attempt.This time the mood was significantly different. Security was stepped up, far fewer journalists were there, the war against Iran that the mercurial president started with Israel continues and his attacks on the media have become more pronounced.

In a speech that lasted almost an hour, Trump mixed jokes with jibes on a variety of topics, from boasting about the new “bulletproof” White House ballrooms to lengthy attacks on leading Democrats such as California governor Gavin Newsom.He only touched on foreign relations briefly, but confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister ⁠Benjamin Netanyahu would visit ‌the United States next ‌week.He also said the US had been “doing well” on the Iran war, claiming that the Islamic Republic had little military capacity left.

“They are talking to us now, they want to make a deal. I am willing to listen, but they cannot have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told the 700 guests at the rescheduled dinner in the ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.AdvertisementSelect VoiceSelect Speed0.

8x0.9x1.0x1.

1x1.2x1.5x1.

75x00:0000:001.00x