Trump stated he intends to run for a third term

The new solemn dinner reception of the White House Correspondents' Association with Donald Trump, which did not take place in April due to a shooting incident, was held on Friday evening in Washington. The US President took the opportunity to once again call for "not believing fake news" and to mock his political opponents in an hour-long speech. Towards the end, Trump stated that he would run for president in 2028, but immediately added that it was a joke.

The White House Correspondents' Association dinner, to which the president is traditionally invited, was supposed to take place on April 26 in the ballroom of the Washington Hilton hotel, but the event with over two thousand people was interrupted due to a shooting in an adjacent room. The armed man was detained, and the dinner was postponed for several months.

"More people with 'Trump intolerance syndrome' are gathered here in one place than anywhere else," the US president said, addressing journalists covering his work as head of state. "I suspect some of you were lucky that our last dinner had to be interrupted... I planned to really go after you."

Apparently, the president was in a good mood: he did not touch upon serious topics and joked a lot, not sparing sarcastic remarks and taunts.

There were also comments about the appearance and intelligence of celebrities who oppose Trump, as well as sarcastic attacks on his political opponents.

The jokes and taunts were not improvised: Trump read his speech from a teleprompter, Reuters reports. When the journalists once again failed to react to his remark, intended to be witty, Trump sarcastically commented to his speechwriters: "Does anyone even understand these jokes?" When after another joke no laughter was heard in the hall, he added: "But this, in essence, was the only thing I thought was good in this whole absolutely stupid speech," Reuters quotes the president.

Many of his statements concerned his attitude towards journalists. Trump urged them "not to believe fake news" and stated that they would lose their jobs after he ceased to be president. He called himself "the most open and accessible president," implying that journalists had often managed to ask him a question and get a short, and often contradictory to his previous statements, answer simply by calling him on his personal mobile phone.

During the dinner, Trump also had to talk with the authors of critical articles about himself.

"Do I have a say in awarding these awards?" Trump asked, speaking of the professional awards the Association presented earlier in the evening. One of them was received by Wall Street Journal journalists for an article about the American president's connections with Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of sexual crimes against minors. Trump sued the publication for this article.

Trump also joked several times about his plans to become the US president again, although this is prohibited by the country's Constitution. "Just like with my presidential term: the second time is always better than the first. And the third will be even better," he said, immediately clarifying that it was "just a joke."

The 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, adopted in 1951, prohibits running more than twice. It was adopted after Franklin Roosevelt won elections three times.

Nevertheless, at the end of his speech, Trump pulled out a red cap with the inscription Trump 2028 (this is the year when the next presidential elections are scheduled) and announced to journalists "sensational news" that he allegedly plans to run for president again.

This meeting with the press was the first during both of Trump's presidential terms where he delivered a speech. In previous years, he ignored the event, despite American presidents usually accepting the invitation and speaking to journalists at the White House Correspondents' Association dinners.

"It was an interesting evening. I really didn't know what to expect," Trump described his impressions of attending the dinner.

"And it was much worse than I had imagined," he concluded, without clarifying whether he was joking again or speaking seriously.

The April Association dinner was disrupted by an armed man who tried to force his way into the hotel corridor leading to the hall where Trump and others were present. He managed to injure one of the employees, who survived thanks to a bulletproof vest, after which he was detained. Police reported that his name was Cole Allen; his home in California was searched. He was later charged with attempted assassination of the US president. He pleaded not guilty.

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