Donald Trump announced he’ll be skipping the White House Correspondent’s Dinner.
He tweeted, “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!”
According to The Washington Post, since 1924 each President has attended at least one of the annual dinners. President Obama attended all 8 of his. This will make Trump the first president in 36 years to not go.
Jeff Mason, the president of the White House Correspondents Association released a statement, saying,
“The WHCA takes note of President Donald Trump’s announcement on Twitter that he does not plan to attend the dinner, which has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment and the important role played by an independent news media in a healthy republic. We look forward to shining a spotlight at the dinner on some of the best political journalism of the past year and recognizing the promising students who represent the next generation of our profession.”
Vanity Fair and Bloomberg, which usually co-host celebrity-filled after-party, have canceled that gala. The New Yorker similarly canceled its pre-party planned for April 28.
Several news outlets are also rethinking their Correspondents’ Dinner attendance in the wake of the White House’s decision to block CNN, The New York Times and others from an off-camera White House press briefing this past Friday.
