The moment came when CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer announced that The Wall Street Journal had won the 2026 Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for the newspaper's big scoop on Trump's past relationship with Epstein -- the late convicted pedophile financier.
Trump just smiled and shrugged his shoulders after Blitzer told the crowd the prez had filed a $20 billion lawsuit against The Journal, which included the home address of Khadeeja Safdar -- one of the reporters on the groundbreaking story.
What we know
The dinner was held at Washington’s Waldorf Astoria, where about 700 attendees were present, a stark contrast to the April 25 event that drew nearly 3,000 guests at the Washington Hilton, where the gala will return next year. Wolf also said the Journal courageously published its story -- despite Trump's threat of a lawsuit -- along with a provocative letter to Epstein allegedly bearing Trump's signature.
As WSJ reported, Epstein was given a photo album for his 50th birthday that contained the letter with a drawing of a naked woman and Trump's purported signature ... you can see it above. The moment came when CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer announced that The Wall Street Journal had won the 2026 Katharine Graham Award for Courage and Accountability for the newspaper's big scoop on Trump's past relationship with Epstein -- the late convicted pedophile financier.
Trump just smiled and shrugged his shoulders after Blitzer told the crowd the prez had filed a $20 billion lawsuit against The Journal, which included the home address of Khadeeja Safdar -- one of the reporters on the groundbreaking story.
The details
The speech, which lasted over an hour and was received with stunned silence or nervous laughter by some attendees, concluded with the president wearing a red cap with “Trump 2028” letters, joking that he was preparing to run for a fourth term, which the Constitution prohibits. Trump reiterated that his decision to run for president in 2016 had nothing to do with former President Barack Obama’s roasting of him at the correspondents’ dinner in 2011. He closed by thanking attendees, saying he “made a lot of friends” at the event “and probably made some enemies also.” Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC. As WSJ reported, Epstein was given a photo album for his 50th birthday that contained the letter with a drawing of a naked woman and Trump's purported signature ... you can see it above.
Reactions
Blitzer also said Safdar's family was forced to relocate as a result of their address going public ... but Trump just brushed it off with a smile. Blitzer also said Safdar's family was forced to relocate as a result of their address going public ... but Trump just brushed it off with a smile. Wolf also said the Journal courageously published its story -- despite Trump's threat of a lawsuit -- along with a provocative letter to Epstein allegedly bearing Trump's signature.
What to watch
Then, after Safdar accepted her award from Blitzer, Trump stood up and shook her hand, and some would call their interaction awkward -- just see it for yourself above. Then, after Safdar accepted her award from Blitzer, Trump stood up and shook her hand, and some would call their interaction awkward -- just see it for yourself above.
COMPILED FROM WIRE REPORTS: This article was assembled by the SHREDNEWZ evidence pipeline from corroborated reporting by Washington Times, TMZ. All facts and quotations are attributed to the original outlets.
DECLASSIFIED SOURCE: Washington Times (via Real-time Signal Upgrade)
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