Who made Trump's WHCD roast list? 5 of his biggest targets, plus one surprise entry

The first surprise of the evening was that one of Trump's sharpest jokes landed inside his own Cabinet. Gesturing toward Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, Trump quipped, "I hope you all enjoy the steak tonight. Bobby Kennedy supplied the meat. He ran over the cow on the way here." The joke drew on Kennedy's widely publicised stories involving roadkill—an episode that has become an enduring source of political humour.

Trump also renewed his long-running feud with late-night television, singling out Jimmy Kimmel, whose alternative Correspondents' Dinner special earlier this year mocked the president after the original gala was postponed. Rather than engage Kimmel's comedy directly, Trump folded him into a broader critique of late-night hosts, portraying them as increasingly predictable foils in his political narrative. It was another chapter in a rivalry that has outlived election cycles and television seasons alike.

CNN's Kaitlan Collins was among the journalists singled out by name. Trump revived a familiar pattern, casting Collins as a symbol of what he frequently describes as hostile media coverage. The exchange drew noticeably less laughter than some of the evening's broader jokes, reflecting the uneasy atmosphere of a dinner where many of those in attendance were also the subjects of the president's criticism. Trump quipped about her, "She's a young, attractive woman. She never smiles… Kaitlan, do you have a smile? Smile… You're at CNN fake news. You should be a happy person. So smile, Kaitlan, just smile."

Even in absentia, Joe Biden remained one of Trump's favourite comic devices. Reflecting on the UFC Freedom 250 event at the White House, Trump pivoted into a familiar jab at his predecessor's public appearances. "Just remember—before I came along, if you wanted to see someone lose consciousness on the South Lawn of the White House, all you had to do is ask Joe Biden a question. They'd remember that. Oh, you think I'm kidding." The quip drew laughter from many in the audience and fit a recurring theme of Trump's speech: revisiting campaign-trail punchlines even in one of Washington's most formal settings.

Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie once again found himself on Trump's roast list. Reviving a familiar line of attack, the president joked, "You know who's fighting over the last piece of cheesecake right now? Chris Christie and Jerry Nadler." The quip fit neatly into a speech that frequently mixed political jabs with personal insults, a hallmark of Trump's roast-style humor.

Perhaps the night's biggest surprise was that Trump reserved one of his most memorable jokes for himself. After riffing on his political future, the president produced a bright red 'Trump 2028' cap and joked about remaining in office well beyond his current term, playfully entertaining the audience with the idea of a third—or even fourth—presidency.