Trump to give 'unifying yet vicious' speech at White House correspondents' dinner

The annual event devolved into chaos in April after a shooting unfolded.

President Donald Trump will make "unifying yet vicious" remarks during Friday night's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, the White House said.

"The president's speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement to ABC News on Friday. "One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining."

The annual event was rescheduled for Friday after ending abruptly three months ago when shots rang out.

The dinner in April devolved into chaos after authorities say Cole Allen opened fire inside the Washington Hilton hotel, where thousands of journalists and guests gathered for the annual celebration of the First Amendment. The president and top government officials were also in attendance.

Allen pleaded not guilty in May to charges of attempting to assassinate the president, transportation of a firearm with intent to commit a felony, discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence and assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon.

Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales was shot in the incident, but the bullet struck "his protective vest and [he] continued responding to the threat," the Secret Service said.

Sean Curran, the Secret Service director, said in a briefing on Wednesday that the agency measures worked in April and that they were preparing for Friday's rescheduled dinner with an advance team at the site.

Friday's dinner is taking place at a different Washington, D.C., hotel, the Waldorf Astoria on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Guests will see an increased and "visible" security presence at the hotel, according to the chief spokesman for the Secret Service.

"We are confident that our robust security plan will ensure the safety of our protectees and attendees, just as our plan did in April," the spokesman, Anthony Guglielmi, said in a statement on Friday. "Our agency grows and adapts from every event we secure, and we have engaged with [White House Correspondents' Association] to ensure attendees are given timely information in the unlikely event of an emergency during the event."

The White House Correspondents' Association announced on Tuesday that it will present a special award, the President's Award for Exceptional Service, during Friday night's dinner to Gonzales and the staff of the Washington Hilton.

"Officer Gonzales played a significant role when he ran toward danger so that thousands of others could make it