Donald Trump took advantage of his return to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday to reconnect with one of his favorite targets: the media. At the end of a speech lasting more than an hour, the American president increased the number of barbs and insults aimed at the press, faithful to a strategy he has adopted for years.
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After beginning his speech with a conciliatory tone, the American president quickly returned to his usual style by attacking the journalists present in the room.
“This place is truly the largest group of people with anti-Trump delusion syndrome ever assembled,” he said.
His many jokes, however, received a rather cold reception. For political analyst Georges Mercier, Donald Trump has remained true to himself.
“The exercise was initially complicated for him because he is not someone who is used to speaking to crowds who are not won over to his cause. Trump likes to speak in front of fan rallies, MAGA support where he knows people drink his words like an elixir. While there, he speaks in front of a room of journalists and he is used to these journalists being very harsh with him and asking him difficult questions,” he emphasized on LCN on Saturday.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC, July 24, 2026.
AFP
According to the analyst, by relying on a speech mixing humor and insults, the American president has only further widened the gap that separates him from the media.
“I don’t think anyone was surprised by that,” he adds.
Despite his numerous attacks, Donald Trump concluded his speech by claiming to have “tremendous respect” for the journalists present.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and U.S. President Donald Trump attend the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DC, July 24, 2026.
AFP
Before throwing a final barb: “When I’m gone, you’ll all be broke. »
A stormy relationship with the media
The relationship between Donald Trump and the Washington press has long been contentious. The American president regularly criticizes journalists and frequently attacks certain members of the media community.
In recent months, he has increased verbal attacks against several journalists.
In early June, he notably called CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins a “corrupt” journalist. A few months earlier, when she questioned him about new developments in the Epstein affair, he had instead commented on her appearance, saying he had “never seen her smile.”
In April, the American president also attacked a CBS News journalist who invited him to react to the allegations of pedophilia, rape and treason contained in the manifesto of the man suspected of having opened fire during the correspondents’ dinner.
The previous month, Donald Trump had attacked a White House correspondent, calling her a “maggot” and raising the possibility of suing the journalist as well as the New York Times.
Then, in June, he abruptly ended an interview given to the NBC network after a heated altercation with the journalist who questioned him, telling him in particular: “You are either corrupt or stupid. »
To see Georges Mercier’s full analyst, click on the video above.
