The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner is shaping up to be a more low-key affair this year, with no customary comedian headlining the event and, once again, the conspicuous absence of President Donald Trump.
Trump, whose administration has been aggressively combative with the mainstream media, is not expected to attend the dinner Saturday. In an interview with Status published Thursday, WHCA President and MSNBC correspondent Eugene Daniels called the dinner “a celebration of the First Amendment” and suggested he is indifferent about the president’s decision.
“I don’t have a feeling one way or another about anyone’s decision to not join the dinner,” Daniels said. “As we have done for decades, I sent an invite to the president, the first lady, and the press secretary to join us on the dais. As President Trump has done in the past, he has chosen to skip it.
“What I want folks to remember is that this dinner is not about the president. It’s about the journalists — and the more of them in the room, the better, especially those doing the hard work every day of covering the White House. Any additional guests are icing on the cake.”
It will be the fourth time Trump has skipped the annual event after he abstained from it entirely during his first term, bucking a long-standing tradition of presidents attending. (The 2020 dinner was canceled because of the pandemic.)
Trump’s absence would be no surprise: He has a history of reacting poorly to criticism, whether in jest or not. And his relationship with the media is arguably at its lowest point right now: Trump has targeted The Associated Press over its use of the name “Gulf of Mexico” for what Trump has renamed the “Gulf of America”; baselessly claimed that news outlets’ coverage of his administration is “illegal”; singled out reporters for criticism in public settings; and his administration has repeatedly mocked and denounced media coverage of its chaotic immigration policy. There are signs that Trump’s browbeating may be having ripple effects. Major news outlets have recently settled or considered settling with Trump over lawsuits that First Amendment experts largely consider frivolous. The WHCA, which organizes the annual dinner, also embroiled itself in some drama last month after rescinding an invitation to comedian Amber Ruffin, who has been critical of Trump, to perform at this year’s event. According to Politico, Trump officials have considered planning some counterprogramming on the night of the dinner, which coincides with first lady Melania Trump’s 55th birthday. MSNBC will air special coverage of this year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner at 8 p.m. ET Saturday. MSNBC’s YouTube channel will livestream the event, as well.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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