President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will attend this year's White House Correspondents’ Dinner, marking his first time attending the event as president after boycotting it for years. The dinner, set for April 25 at the Washington Hilton, is a long-standing tradition dating back to 1924 under President Calvin Coolidge.
Key Takeaways
President Donald Trump announced he will attend this year's White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 25, marking his first time attending as president after years of boycotting. The event is a long-standing tradition dating back to 1924 under President Calvin Coolidge. According to Fox News Digital, DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall suggested that Trump's attendance serves political advantage ahead of the midterms.
The White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) invited Trump to be the honoree this year. In a post on Truth Social, Trump expressed his intention to make the event 'the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!' He cited the nation’s 250th birthday as one of the reasons for his attendance.
Trump has been a vocal critic of the media, often labeling journalists 'the enemy of the American people.' He boycotted the dinner during his first term and the first year of his second term, citing what he described as extraordinarily bad press coverage. However, he indicated a change in tone this year, stating that he looks forward to being with everyone at the event.
Weijia Jiang, president of the WHCA and CBS News’ senior White House correspondent, welcomed Trump’s decision. 'For more than 100 years, the journalists of the White House Correspondents’ Association have enjoyed an evening with the president,' she said. 'We’re happy the president has accepted our invitation and look forward to hosting him.'
Relations between the White House and the WHCA have been strained since the start of Trump’s second term. The administration has altered long-standing press access arrangements, including changing the management of the White House press pool and restricting access to the press secretary’s office.
The last time Trump attended the dinner was in 2011 when he was a celebrity real estate mogul and host of 'The Apprentice.' According to Fox News Digital, DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall suggested that while Trump's view of the press remains unchanged, he is savvy enough to use the dinner to his political advantage, especially ahead of the midterms. 'Trump is battling to maintain poll numbers, and he also needs broader public support heading into the midterms, so engaging the media, and by extension, the public, serves his purposes,' McCall told Fox News Digital.
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