President Trump to Attend White House Correspondents Association Dinner
By WILL WEISSERT
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has announced that he will attend this year’s White House Correspondents Association dinner on April 25, marking his first appearance at the event as commander-in-chief.
Trump, who had been invited annually but never attended during his first term, made the announcement on social media, stating that it will be an honor to accept the invitation from the White House Correspondents Association.
The event, which was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, will see Trump breaking the tradition of skipping the dinner that all presidents since Coolidge had attended. In his post, Trump mentioned that he had boycotted the event in the past due to the press being “extraordinarily bad” to him.
The correspondents’ dinner, which began in 1921 and was first attended by President Coolidge in 1924, has seen various presidents choosing not to attend every year of their terms. Trump, who was famously mocked by President Obama at the dinner in 2011, has since made significant changes to the White House during his second term.
His remodeling efforts include paving over the lawn near the Rose Garden, affixing partisan plaques to presidential portraits, and adding gold decorations to the Oval Office. Trump has also demolished part of the East Wing to make way for a new ballroom.
Returning from Mar-a-Lago, Trump expressed admiration for new statues of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin near the Rose Garden, further showcasing his unique vision for the White House.
Source: AP News
