With all the talk about news outlets potentially skipping the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in April, the main attraction himself has said he won’t be there.
Pres. Trump Tweeted tonight:
I will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!
Advertisement— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 25, 2017
The very sanguine tweet belies the overarching message he has for much of the media. He called them “cunning” and “dishonest” just yesterday during his CPAC speech.
The April 29 dinner will go on as scheduled, WHCA president Jeff Mason announced tonight:
This will be the 103rd iteration of the dinner. Trump attended the 2011 event when Pres. Barack Obama roasted him in the midst of Trump’s birther claims against Obama.
The first president to attend the dinner was Calvin Coolidge in 1924. All presidents have attended since. The last president to miss the event was Pres. Reagan in 1981. He was still recovering from the assassination attempt on his life a month earlier.