Trump Administration Drops Reporter Subpoena Bid Day Before Press Dinner

On July 23, 2026, the Trump administration abandoned an extraordinary bid to subpoena reporters over their coverage of the war in Iran. The next evening, at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington, Trump told journalists "Don't believe the fake news" and claimed the Iran war was going "extremely well." The abandoned subpoena targeted the very press freedom the annual dinner celebrates.