Trump cracks jokes, honors heroes of White House Correspondents' Association Dinner shooting at glitzy rescheduled gala

President Trump played comedian-in-chief Friday night at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner, where he had the entire room roaring as he quipped about a third term, Nicki Minaj twerking and trying to pair dress shoes with bulletproof vests in an entertaining and unifying speech. 'As I said three months ago, the show must go on,' Trump said at the pared-down, more intimate dinner. 'But just like my presidency, the second time is always better. It's always better, and the third time will be better yet,' he joked to a chorus of laughter. 'After hearing the gunshots, many people yelled, 'Get down! Get down!' which caused Nicki Minaj to start twerking,' he quipped. 'Do you believe?' 'Everyone's looking really good tonight, and I know it was not easy finding shoes to go along with your bulletproof vest, which many people didn't want to wear because they'd rather die than look 20 pounds heavier,' he jested. Numerous journalism awards and scholarships were handed out prior to the president's remarks. When a team of reporters from the Wall Street Journal was honored for a report on Trump's ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the president was seen laughing and throwing his hands up in the air before graciously shaking hands with all the journalists. 'This has not been an easy evening, all those awards,' Trump complained, before joking, 'Do I have a say?' The dinner was held at the posh Waldorf Astoria in downtown Washington. The alleged gunman, Cole Thomas Allen, has been charged with attempting to assassinate the president and is awaiting trial. Attendees were subject to three security checkpoints. The event did not feature the sprawling cocktail receptions that previous dinners have had. 'Tonight, our message is this: We are back. We will not be intimidated. We refuse to let an act of violence have the final word,' Jiang declared. Ahead of the dinner, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt teased that Trump's speech would be 'a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time.'