Trump jokes at dinner

Washington : In the midst of a joke-filled monologue at a dinner with journalists, President Donald Trump traded playful digs with the Washington press corps late Saturday at an annual gathering of politicians and members of the media, which the US president normally loves to hate.

Speaking at this year’s traditional Gridiron Club Dinner, Trump let loose with one-liners on themes including North Korea and his own revolving-door White House staff.

Assuming a jovial tone, the president said he would not rule out direct talks with Kim Jong Un -- but warned it was the North’s leader who faced “the risk of dealing with a madman.”

Dubbing his audience at the white-tie gala “really quality people,” he noted that it had been “another calm week at the White House” -- a week that saw the departure of Trump’s confidant Hope Hicks and financial irregularities surrounding son-in-law Jared Kushner and the ongoing investigation into his campaign.

“We finally have it running like a fine-tuned machine,” Trump said.

“I like turnover. I like chaos. It really is good.”

Trump said Kushner -- who recently lost his top-level security clearance -- was late to the dinner “because Jared couldn’t get through security.”

In another wisecrack Trump said he had offered Jeff Sessions a ride to the event but the attorney general “recused himself” -- a reference to the top law enforcement official’s abstention from the Russia probe.

Trump also brought up his controversial decision to slap hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, saying they would help “dying industries.”

But it might be too late, he said, for “print media.” 

Trump also poked fun at:

•Vice-President Mike Pence: “I really am proud to call him the apprentice. But lately he’s showing a particularly keen interest in the news these days. He is asking ‘has he been impeached yet?’ I don’t like that.”

•White House departures: “Now the question everyone keeps asking is, who is going to be the next to leave? Steve Miller or Melania?”

•Former chief strategist Steve Bannon: “That guy leaked more than the Titanic.”

•The New York Times: “I’m a New York icon. You’re a New York icon. And the only difference is I still own my buildings.”