President Trump will not be attending the upcoming White House correspondent’s dinner next weekend, as confirmed by Hill on Tuesday.
Throughout his first term, Trump skipped all of his annual dinners, disrupting traditions that have been in place for several administrations.
Earlier this year, White House press secretary Caroline Leavitt, when questioned by a reporter, did not completely dismiss the chance of Trump attending the dinner. She mentioned she would not be attending.
“When he makes his choice, I will inform you of everything,” she stated then. “But it’s certainly a fascinating decision for a comedian. I’ll discuss with my boss and see what our decisions are.”
The White House Correspondents Association had originally intended to feature comedian Amber Ruffin as the entertainment for the dinner on April 26.
However, the WHCA shifted its plans late last month. President Eugene Daniels mentioned that Ruffin will no longer be part of the event, stating that “we would like to focus entirely on recognizing colleagues for exceptional work and offering scholarships and advice to the next generation of journalists, rather than on politics of division.”
Trump’s choice not to attend comes during a time of increasing tensions between the West Wing, the WHCA, and the media at large.
The White House has recently made decisions regarding the press pool, excluding the Associated Press from the pool in the “American Bay” style.
