Story perspectives

Trump attacks media, rivals at WHCA dinner after subpoena withdrawal

7/27/2026

Center

Trump Roasts Rivals

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday, July 24, 2026, in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, Washington.
The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas to New York Times journalists for phone records the day before the dinner.
The association awarded Kaitlan Collins and Wall Street Journal for reporting on Trump’s Epstein letter.
Trump insulted Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris during his speech.

Left

Trump Slams Media

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday, July 24, 2026, in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom in Washington.
Press-freedom groups and journalists framed the dinner as a test of free-speech rights and condemned President Trump’s attacks on the media.
About 700 guests attended, far fewer than the usual 2,600-person event.
Trump insulted CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins, former anchor Don Lemon, and Anderson Cooper.

Blindspot

The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas it had issued to New York Times journalists for phone records the day before the dinner.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Center-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Left-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

In June 1971 the Supreme Court rejected the Nixon administration’s request to block the Pentagon Papers, issuing a 6-3 ruling that upheld the press’s First Amendment rights. That precedent guided later disputes, and on July 24 2026 President Donald Trump’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner remarks and the Justice Department’s withdrawal of subpoenas revived the same tension between the executive and journalists.

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Trump Roasts Rivals

U.S. President Donald Trump delivered a speech at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner on Friday, July 24, 2026, in the Waldorf Astoria ballroom, Washington.
The Justice Department withdrew subpoenas to New York Times journalists for phone records the day before the dinner.
The association awarded Kaitlan Collins and Wall Street Journal for reporting on Trump’s Epstein letter.
Trump insulted Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Governor Gavin Newsom and Vice President Kamala Harris during his speech.

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