The White House said Friday that President Donald Trump's first-ever White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech would be, in part, 'vicious.'And as the night wore on, it indeed lived up to that billing, as the commander-in-chief used his remarks both to praise, and at times, to excoriate some of the biggest names in Washington's press corps and beyond. Trump leveled barbs towards California Governor Gavin Newsom, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, Bruce Springsteen and Rosie O'Donnell, among many, many others.Incoming WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich 'can be nasty,' Trump said of Fox News' White House correspondent, before taking aim at Heinrich's husband, a Republican congressman, for voting against him on several occasions.Trump also claimed the WHCA award given to CNN correspondent Kaitlan Collins earlier in the night 'was all about me'. 'It's a fake,' he said. 'She shouldn't get the award'. 'You're at CNN fake news,' Trump added, directing his remarks at Collins. ‘You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan. Just smile.'The dinner was rescheduled after the original event on April 25 was dramatically canceled when bullets rang out in the dining hall as a gunman opened fire outside. Trump opened his speech on Friday by saying 'the show must go on', before launching into a characteristic tirade comprising humorous quips and fiery insults. The President was seated in between WHCA President Weija Jiang and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Friday at Washington's Waldorf Astoria hotelSome moments were, admittedly, met with warmer reception from the audience - especially jokes made earlier in the night.‘It’s great to be back at a place that I know very well, because I built it,’ Trump quipped when he took the stage at the Waldorf Astoria - the Old Post Office building that until 2022 housed the Trump International Hotel.He also had the audience in splits with a good-natured dig towards HHS Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, and another at incoming WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich.‘I want you all to know that Bobby Kennedy, who's right here, personally ran over the cow in his car, and he cut it up and he brought it here for you to eat tonight,’ Trump said of the entree. ‘So it's very fresh.’‘Bobby also suggested an appetizer featuring his favorite cut of male raccoon roadkill, but we drew the line at that,’ Trump added, to laughter.Trump said of Heinrich, 'She looks so beautiful, but she can be so nasty. How can that happen?'In closing the remarks, Trump jokingly invoked the prospect of running for a fourth term.‘Tonight, to show just how much I care about the press, and [because] I want to save your ratings,’ Trump said to the press, '[I want] to announce my intention - and this is somewhat of a scoop - my intention to run for a fourth term as president of the United States.’ U.S. President Donald Trump greets CBS News senior White House correspondent and WHCA President Weijia Jiang at the White House Correspondents' AssociationWhite House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and his wife Katie Miller are seen at the WHCDOther standout moments included Trump taking his love-in with Nicki Minaj to a new level. Within moments of the speech, Trump invoked a gag about her 'twerking' at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.The president, who previously described himself as the rapper's 'number one fan', joked that she was the 'only one that really understood' how to 'get down' when bullets were fired outside the dining hall at the original event in April.'After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'Get down! Get down!' which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking,' Trump joked.'She's the only one that really understood what that meant.'Meanwhile, First Lady Melania Trump was absent from the event on Friday night, and the president was instead seated next to Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. WHCA President Weija Jiang also sat to his left, and the pair could be seen dining and chatting before the speeches began. The rescheduled dinner took place with heightened airport-style security in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, a venue that holds about 700 people, instead of the larger Washington Hilton where the previous event was held. Donald Trump made good on his promise to appear to appear at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner after the original was canceled following another attempt on Trump's lifeSpeaking at the outset of the event Friday, Jiang highlighted a rare ‘split screen’ moment in the moments after the shooting that halted the original event. ‘While journalists in the ballroom were gathering facts and getting them to the public, I got a rare glimpse of something few of us ever see in real time,’ she said. ‘In a holding room, President Trump was huddled with members of his cabinet, asking questions, finding the best way to share the answers with everyone, which is our job description too.‘I keep coming back to that split screen - not because it was dramatic, but because it quietly proved, no matter how complicated or tense the relationship is between the press and the presidency, what we share is far more important than anything else, and that is our duty to serve the American people.'Heinrich, the incoming WHCA president, highlighted a similar theme. 'The attempt on President Trump's life last April was a sobering reminder that democracy is not immune to violence, and the freedoms that we cherish can never be taken for granted,’ she said.'Political violence must have no home in America.' Trump speaks with outgoing WHCA President Weijia Jiang Fox News Senior White House correspondent and incoming WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich Police officers secure the outside of the 2026 White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, DCAs they dined, attendees heard from former WHCA presidents highlighting the importance of press freedom.They were also shown footage of the gunman trying to enter the Washington Hilton ballroom in April - an emotional experience for many in the audience, who had been at the same event months prior.The accused gunman, Cole Allen, 31, pleaded not guilty in May to federal charges, including attempting to assassinate the president.During a press conference after the horrific event, Trump described the shooter as 'a sick person, a very sick person.''He's a lone wolf, a whack job,' Trump said. 'These are crazy people. Sick, sick people.'Besides the pared-down approach, there was another marked change at Friday's dinner: two additional awards for individuals who risked their lives and otherwise acted courageously to ensure the safety of the president and other attendees. A video is shown of a man trying to force his way through security and firing a shotgun at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner Attendees watch a video of when a man tried to force his way through security and fired a shotgun at the rescheduled WHCD Agents stand guard after an incident at the annual White House Correspondents Dinner shooting Security officials evacuate U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson as a shooter opens fire The suspect was caught on surveillance footage sprinting past a security checkpoint and headed straight for the ballroom where thousands of journalists were gathered for the annual event One award was presented to Victor Gonzales, the Secret Service agent who was staffing a security checkpoint in April and was struck in his protective vest.'Officer Gonzales … ran toward danger so that thousands of others could make it home safely,' Jiang said in a statement. 'His courage stemmed from a dedication to service, which we are looking forward to honoring this week.'A second award was presented to the staff of the Washington Hilton hotel who responded to the gunfire. At Friday's event, guests received individual QR entry codes in advance, and nobody could get in unless recognized. 'There is NO red carpet at this dinner,' said a memo Jiang sent to some guests last month, seen by The Associated Press. 'There are NO onsite pre-dinner receptions.'The dress code this time is a looser 'black tie optional,' and dinner includes grilled peach and burrata salad, lobster, and beef Wellington. The evening, as at the last dinner, has entertainment by mentalist Oz Pearlman, along with the awards presentations and Trump's remarks. Donald Trump and CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang speak at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner 'The president looks forward to finishing what he started,' press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday, confirming Trump's attendanceIt comes during a time of fast-increasing tension between the media and a president who, in his second term, has tried to exert pressure on media outlets he is unhappy with in a variety of ways. That pressure has ranged from sanctions against members of the White House press corps to regulatory actions through the Federal Communications Commission to outright lawsuits.Those tensions have only escalated since April, with the latest example reaching a New York courtroom on Thursday. There, criticized by a federal judge for sloppy legal work, the government withdrew subpoenas that would have compelled three New York Times reporters to testify about their sources for articles about Trump’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet.