President Donald Trump has jokingly said he would seek another term in the White House during the White House Correspondents’ Dinner held in Washington on Friday night.
Trump, who attended the annual event for the first time despite his long-running disagreements with the media, used the occasion to make light-hearted remarks while also taking aim at journalists and some of his political opponents.
Addressing the gathering, the president said he intended to contest the presidency again, joking that he would be seeking a fourth presidential run in an attempt to secure a third term in office. He later displayed a red “Trump 2028” cap to the audience.
Trump has repeatedly hinted at seeking a third term, although the United States Constitution prohibits anyone from serving more than two terms as president.
The annual dinner, which celebrates press freedom, was rescheduled after it was suspended in April following an alleged assassination attempt on the president.
The event was eventually held under heightened security at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The outgoing President of the White House Correspondents’ Association and CBS News journalist, Weijia Jiang, told guests that the association would not allow violence to silence the press, stressing that it remained committed to its mission despite the earlier incident.
Trump also declared that political violence would not alter the country’s democratic process, insisting that no attacker would succeed in changing that.
During his speech, the president joked about Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), claiming he personally ran over the cow used for the evening’s beef tenderloin before bringing it for the dinner.
He also joked that Kennedy had suggested serving raccoon roadkill as an appetiser, but said organisers rejected the idea, while describing the health secretary as a different kind of person.
Trump equally made light of the increased security at the event, joking that many journalists struggled to match their shoes with bulletproof vests and that some preferred to avoid wearing them rather than appear heavier.