Questions About President Trump’s WHCD Speech Can’t Stop Party

On Saturday night, attendees at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner will thrill to the antics of Oz Pearlman, a renowned mentalist who dazzles audiences with mind-reading tricks. On Friday night, they partied as if they were going to see Amber Ruffin.

Ruffin, a popular comedian whose appearance at the 2025 WHCD was scotched after she angered the White House with some podcast remarks in which she called the Trump administration “kind of a bunch of murderers,” would certainly be out of place at this year’s event, which is expected to feature remarks from President Trump himself — the first time in either of his two terms he’s agreed to appear. So dinner attendees making their way across various Friday-night events tied to the annual “nerd prom” used the celebrations to vent some of their anxieties.

At a party backed by CAA and Vanity Fair, some conversations turned to whether the President might excoriate the media outlets that buy WHCD tables, and how long his remarks might last. Would journalists walk out if his comments hit too hard? And would the president appear — as others have at past WHCDs — to hand out awards to journalists who have done work that investigated him or the White House or revealed unsavory things about his time in it?

People who offered their thoughts did so under the condition they not be identified, so as not to call attention to themselves during a weekend that already had plenty of attention upon it.

Among those spotted at the event were CNN anchors Jim Sciutto, Elex Michelson, Wolf Blitzer and Jon Berman;Crooked Media’s Alex Wagner; former CBS News president Susan Zirinsky; ABC News’ Rick Klein; and independent journalist Don Lemon. The event was held at the residence of the Belgian Ambassador.

And at a party held in Georgetown by UTA, some members of a throng of attendees mused about the direction of CBS News. On Thursday, the Paramount division held a private dinner that brought together CBS News executives, Washington staffers, and President Trump, who spoke for an hour, according to a report in the New York Times. The meeting, which generated protest outside, took place as Paramount, run by CEO David Ellison, seeks regulatory approval for its plans to acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that would create a massive assemblage of influential but old-school media assets. Paramount and CBS News declined to comment on the event.

Spotted at the UTA celebration, held at Osteria Mozza, were “CBS Evening News” anchor Tony Dokoupil; MS NOW’s Katy Tur; ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith; Fox News Channel’s Shannon Bream and Jimmy Failla; NBC News’ Gabe Gutierrez; and CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Any celebration of journalism takes place as doubts about its future fester. Most of the major TV-news outlets continue to grapple with a rising generation of viewers who gravitate to digital creators and influencers: the erosion of traditional TV ratings; and the ongoing threat of layoffs as their parent corporations struggle to position themselves in the streaming era.

Some celebrations were less traditional. Grindr, the LGBTQ+ dating app eager to expand its influence on policy, held its own WHCD event, though CEO George Arison declined to reveal its location or discuss who might attend. Still, he noted, “Grindr is good at convening people,” and indicated that no matter what President Trump said Saturday night, the U.S. enjoyed freedoms that aren’t always found elsewhere.

“I was born in the Soviet Union. I came to America when I was 14, on my own,” Arison said. “I’ve lived in a country where you could not say what you wanted, and one of the things that makes America awesome is that you can say whatever you want and the government can’t do anything about that.”

One reason journalists and media executives still come to the WHCD in the Trump era is the opportunity to pitch. There are still scoops to promote, projects to tout and reputations to burnish. Yes, that was CSPAN boss Sam Feist making the rounds at the CAA party with two pins promoting his network on his lapel. And yes, a broad coterie of top news executives were spotted throughout the evening, including Debra OConnell, chair of Disney Entertainment Television; Mark Lazarus, CEO of Versant Media; Cesar Conde, chair of NBCUniversal’s news operations; Rebecca Blumenstein, NBC News’ president of editorial; Rebecca Kutler, president of MS NOW; Almin Karamehmedovic, president of ABC News;Amy Entelis,  CNN’s executive vice president for talent and development; Tom Cibrowski, president of CBS News; Bari Weiss, editor in chief of CBS News; and KC Sullivan, president of CNBC.

The executives know that, no matter what President Trump might say, they are about to enter what is usually a robust cycle for the news business. A midterm election, which often brings new dollars in advertising and a much broader viewership base, lies in the offing. And the results may raise stakes in Washington, which would only fuel greater ambitions.

So have another drink, folks. President Trump may scold, yell, or even scorch, but no matter what he says, and no matter how much Industry hand-wringing it inspires, there’s always more news to cover.