At Press Dinner, Trump Calls His Own Speech "Stupid"

President Donald Trump made his first appearance as president at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where he alternated between humor and sharp attacks on the media and his political opponents.

The event was held on an alternate date after it was interrupted in April by an armed attack near a hotel in Washington.

Trump declared that he is "the most open and transparent president in history" and added that he communicates with journalists more frequently than his predecessors. "I always find that when you don't speak to the press, you always get a bad story. When you do speak to the press, you have a shot at getting a good story", he said.

During his speech, which lasted more than an hour, he repeatedly returned to topics from his campaign rallies and criticized journalists, Democratic politicians and well-known figures.

Several jokes did not land as expected, and Trump himself remarked that his speech was "stupid".

That evening, he also paid tribute to Secret Service agent Victor Gonzales, who stopped an armed assailant during the April attack. The event's organizers stressed that freedom of the press must not fall victim to political violence.

(Reuters, est)