Political News

Trump will once again skip the White House Correspondents Dinner

WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump will not attend the White House Correspondents Association Dinner this year, continuing a boycott that began his first year in office, the White House announced Friday, but the president will "actively encourage" members of his administration to go in celebration of the First Amendment.

Posted Updated
Trump Will Once Again Skip the White House Correspondents Dinner
By
EILEEN SULLIVAN
, New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump will not attend the White House Correspondents Association Dinner this year, continuing a boycott that began his first year in office, the White House announced Friday, but the president will “actively encourage” members of his administration to go in celebration of the First Amendment.

The president did not attend the annual gala last year, amid his and his press office’s antagonistic relationships with the media. The dinner — typically a cozy mix of journalists and politicians — last year turned into an event for press freedoms.

Trump has continued to dismiss news stories as “fake news” when he considers them unflattering to himself or to his administration. In recent days he has focused his attention on The Washington Post, its owner, Jeff Bezos, and the company that made Bezos among the richest people in the world, Amazon.

But encouraging members of the executive branch to attend the April 28 dinner, even in his absence, in support of the First Amendment is a notable change.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, will represent the Trump administration at the head table, where presidents and first ladies have sat in the past.

Last year’s boycott marked the first time a president had skipped the Washington tradition since Ronald Reagan in 1981, when Reagan was recovering from an assassination attempt.

The annual event — streamed live on television — features a comedian who roasts the president and the administration, and the president typically returns the gesture to the press. Trump himself was mocked at the dinner in 2011 by both comedian Seth Meyers and President Barack Obama.

This year, Michelle Wolf, a stand-up comic and frequent contributor to “The Daily Show With Trevor Noah,” will be the featured comedian.

Related Topics

Copyright 2024 New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.