President Donald Trump has declared that he will not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 26.
Trump had declined to attend the event every year during his first term, but that did not prevent the White House Press Association from recruiting anti-Trump figures to offer biased political comments. Instead, Trump chose to counter-program the event with the “fake news awards,” which included a list of the most significant hoaxes and false news stories about the government.
The president’s decision to forgo the luncheon underlines the ongoing conflict between the administration and the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA).
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated in February that the White House would take over the pool reporter rotation, giving the administration the authority to choose which reporters will be granted access to Trump’s trips and cover pooled-only White House events.
