'Does anybody understand this stuff?': Trump quips after his awkward sex joke bombs at WHCD
President Donald Trump's keynote speech at the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner had numerous contentious moments, but none more controversial than his flat joke about an unnamed senator being too old—a bit he used to call for term limits in Congress. "The other day, a senator I knew got a text, a great guy, from his wife. And she said, 'When you get home, I want to have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.' And he said, 'I can't do both.' You know what? In other words, can't go up the stairs and make love."
Trump: "The other day a senator I knew got a text from his wife. She said, 'When you get home, I want to have you immediately come up the stairs and make love to me.' And he said, 'I can't do both.' You know? Haha. In other words, haha, you can't go up the stairs and make love.… pic.twitter.com/UKaGz1H9PB
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) July 25, 2026
The 80-year-old then asked if the audience was following him and repeated the joke: "Does anybody get that? Well, I thought that was actually pretty good. That was actually the only thing I thought was good in this whole freaking stupid speech that they wrote. That was the only good one, and that went down with not exactly great laughter. I think, you know, in other words, you can't go up the stairs and make love—walk in it. So we're looking for term limits. Does anybody understand this?" he concluded.
I watched Trump’s speech at the Correspondents’ Dinner last night.
— Hunter Biden (@HunterBiden) July 25, 2026
It’s hard to articulate how sad it made me.
Sad and embarrassed and exhausted.
Here is the thing about a man who is a joke. He can’t tell one.
People think humor is a talent. It isn’t. It’s a capacity. To make…
The president's ill-conceived joke might not have landed with the journalists in the room; however, it did bring into focus the debate around term limits in Congress, which has been gaining traction of late—following the sudden death of South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, 71, and the continued absence of the 84-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell, who has made no public appearances since he was hospitalized after a fall in June.
Who wrote Trump’s “jokes” last night? The legendary comedic writing team of Stephen Miller and Steve Cheung?
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) July 25, 2026
An NPR/PBS News/Marist poll conducted earlier this year shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans want age caps as well as term limits for members of Congress. Eight in 10 Americans support such a measure, according to the outlet, and it goes beyond party lines: 78 percent of Democrats favor age caps, as do 83 percent of Republicans. The poll also found that older and younger voters agree on this matter.
Another reason for term limits for Congress! https://t.co/S6f65K2tC2
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 15, 2026
The current Congress is the third-oldest in the country's history, with 24 members aged 80 or above—13 of whom are seeking re-election, according to NBC. The 119th Senate is unusually old as well, with a median age of 64.7 years—a testament to the fact that lawmakers are continuing to hold office well into their 70s and 80s, as per The Mirror US. The Senate with the oldest median age in U.S. history was the 118th, at 65.3 years.
