United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said he will not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, Reuters reported. The decision comes amidst strained relations between the Trump administration and the media.
“I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” Trump tweeted.
The black-tie charity dinner, which raises money for journalism scholarships, will be held on April 29. The dinner is usually attended by journalists, politicians, celebrities and the president.
The reporters’ groups have however said they will go ahead with the event despite the president’s absence. “…the dinner 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,” the White House Correspondents’ Association President Jeff Mason said.
Bloomberg and Vanity Fair, who usually host an after-party, have declined this year’s event. The New Yorker has also canceled its pre-party April 28, reported CNN.
Trump repeatedly accuses the media of publishing “fake news” and has also called journalists the “enemy of the people”. On Friday, journalists from organisations that Trump has attacked in the past, were barred from a briefing at the White House, reported The New York Times.
A comedian usually takes digs at the president at the event, and also involves a humorous address by the president himself. In 2011, President Barack Obama had delivered a speech at the Correspondents’ Association Dinner making fun of Trump, who had claimed that Obama was not born in the US. Trump, who looked humiliated sitting in the audience, is said to have been motivated to run for the White House after this incident.
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