Scott Jennings weighed in after President Trump returned to the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, calling out the strong opening against political violence while noting a few jokes that didn’t land for some in the room.

Cam covered the speech last night, and the backdrop made the event unusual: the dinner had been postponed after an assassination attempt cut the original gathering short in April. Cole Allen allegedly tried to barge into the main dining hall with a shotgun, where Trump and his officials were the apparent targets. That threat framed the tone for a night meant to answer political violence with defiance and showmanship.

Last night’s dinner took place at the Waldorf Astoria in DC, and thankfully nobody tried to bring violence into the room this time. Trump used the moment to slice into the so-called fake news press, earning boos and laughter in equal measure. It was a tense, theatrical room where mutual dislike was obvious and Trump leaned into the role of provocateur.

https://x.com/AndrewKolvet/status/2080825793622470890

The Wall Street Journal walked off with an award that night for reporting a story about a card and Jeffrey Epstein, an item many viewed as thin on evidence, and the president still shook the hands of the reporters who accepted it. The Associated Press was not pleased with the remarks:

President Donald Trump returned to the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner Friday night, delivering a rambling, hour-long speech that praised some journalists, took potshots at others, made jokes about public figures’ weight and intellect, and quipped about a third presidential term.

[…]

Trump’s return to the correspondents’ dinner — and his promise to come back next year as well — represented a notable moment in his relationship with the news media, which he has attacked, sued and taken administrative action against since he began his second term early last year. Among the audience members were reporters he had denounced and barred from events.

Trump’s sometimes off-color speech, which lasted just over an hour, was full of vague potshots directed at individuals he doesn’t like — from Jane Fonda to Bruce Springsteen to “Barack Hussein Obama.” The audience, reacting at first with some friendly laughs, slowly quieted to scattered titters as the insults piled up.

Among other targets of Trump’s humor: Late-night hosts Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel; Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; California Gov. Gavin Newsom; former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie; and Trump’s own speechwriters, whose jokes he sometimes criticized even as he delivered them. Some of the comments flirted with racism.

The establishment press predictably labeled portions of the night problematic and reached for accusations of racism and bad taste. Critics objected to jokes aimed at media personalities and cultural moments, and some lines landed as sharper than necessary—like the quip touching on Kaitlin Collins, Dylan Mulvaney, and Bud Light. Meanwhile CNN rolled out its usual statement machine to register offense on behalf of the newsroom tribe.

Scott Jennings offered a measured take, praising the speech’s firm rejection of political violence while admitting the middle of the hour veered into rougher territory. He singled out the RFK joke about the cow as one of the better bits, but said other zingers felt “onery” and might alienate parts of the audience. His perspective landed as calm and straightforward, focused on balance rather than outrage.

He started the speech with something that I thought was good and necessary. We do not yield to political violence. I thought that was probably the best line of the speech, given the nature of the event tonight. And he ended the speech by saying, I have great respect for your profession. Now, the middle of it is going to be controversial because some of the jokes landed. and some of the jokes didn’t. I thought the best joke was the RFK joke. You know, I hope you enjoyed the beef. He ran over the cow. That — I think that was — was probably the best joke of some of the jokes veered off into very, sort of ornery insults, and that’s not going to land for many audiences. But I did like the part about not yielding to political violence, and I did like the fact that he did show respect to the press and their role in our American politics.

Photographs from the evening highlighted the swagger: Trump wearing a Trump 2028 hat with the WHCA logo visible behind him, while the association’s current president showed an unmistakable look of discomfort. That single frame—equal parts theater and tension—captured how the night played out for many observers. It was spectacle, strategy, and a reminder that Trump plays political theater better than most.

For Republicans watching, the key takeaway was simple: the president used the platform to condemn political violence, mock a partisan press, and test the limits of what he can say in public without losing footing. Some jokes landed, some didn’t, but the broader play was unmistakable—push back against media hostility and make the point that he won’t be silenced by threats. That posture will continue to define how he shows up at events where his critics gather.