Trump slams media as 'largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people' at WHCD

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump turned his first appearance at the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner into a direct attack on the media, using the high-profile event on Friday, July 24 to mock journalists and declare that the room was "the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time."

The president's remarks came during a speech that lasted just over an hour, with Trump mixing jokes, criticism of the press and personal jabs at several public figures.

Donald Trump says journalists suffer from 'Trump Derangement Syndrome'

Trump opened his speech by striking a friendly tone before quickly shifting his focus to the media.

"I am delighted to be here at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Amazing people, a lot of people that I like," he said. "Some I don't like at all, but I respect most of them."

As he settled into his remarks, Trump joked that he was still deciding what kind of speech to give.

He added, "I said, 'What do we do here? Is this supposed to be fun? Am I supposed to be serious? Am I supposed to be a comedian?' So I guess you said, maybe a little bit of everything."

Moments later, he delivered the line that drew laughter from parts of the audience.

"This place is really the largest group of Trump Derangement Syndrome people ever put together at one time, I suspect," Trump quipped.

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Trump repeatedly argued that news organizations have built their business around covering him.

"When I'm gone, you're all going to be broke. Your business model is going to be finished," he told the audience. "There's not going to be anybody to report on. Nobody gives a damn about anybody else."

The president also claimed he had moved away from relying on traditional media.

"Mostly, I've given up on you and the media," he said, adding that he is now "number one on TikTok."

Trump also repeated his long-standing criticism of the press, saying he skipped previous White House Correspondents' dinners because he believed he had been treated unfairly.

Donald Trump takes fresh jabs at late-night hosts and journalists

The president also used the event to criticize late-night television personalities, saying the White House Correspondents' Association had considered comedians including Jimmy Kimmel,

Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert before deciding not to have a comic this year.

"These are people without talent," Trump said. "They are not comedians. They're not funny people. They're angry people. They're sick people."

He also praised White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, saying she has "one of the hardest jobs in the White House" because she has to deal with reporters every day.

The speech stretched for more than an hour and featured a mix of humor, political attacks and media criticism.