President Donald Trump has announced that he will attend and speak at this year’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, marking the first time he will appear at the event as president after previously shunning it throughout his first term and again last year.
The decision represents a striking departure from a long-running boycott that symbolized his adversarial relationship with the national press corps. The annual dinner, a fixture of Washington’s political calendar since the early 20th century, is scheduled for April 25.
Trump’s reversal after years of criticism
In a post on Truth Social, Trump confirmed his attendance, writing: “The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner.”
He added that it would be his “Honor to accept their invitation” and later described it as his “Honour” in a subsequent post, noting that the gathering is “a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge.”
The dinner has been held annually since 1924, three years after its debut, when Coolidge became the first sitting president to attend. With Trump’s decision, every president since Coolidge will have attended at least once.
Trump acknowledged his earlier refusals, writing that, “Because the Press was exceptionally bad to me” he had “boycotted the event, and never went.”
“However, I look forward to being with everyone this year. Hopefully, it will be something very special.”
Trump’s fraught history with the press
The White House Correspondents’ Dinner, often dubbed “Washington’s prom”, traditionally brings together journalists, elected officials and public figures for an evening that blends political satire with speeches celebrating press freedom and the First Amendment.
President Trump has long derided the event as emblematic of what he characterizes as an elitist and hostile media culture. During his presidency, he frequently criticized journalists and urged supporters to distrust mainstream news organizations.
The dinner itself has not been without controversy. In 2018, comedian Michelle Wolf delivered a sharply critical routine targeting Trump, members of his administration and the media. Following backlash, the Correspondents’ Association moved away from featuring comedians for several years, instead inviting speakers focused on journalism and public service.
The event was canceled in 2020 and 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. President Joe Biden attended each of the final three dinners of his term.
Echoes of 2011 and political symbolism
Trump’s complex history with the dinner predates his presidency. In 2011, he attended as a guest during Barack Obama’s administration. In a widely viewed address, Obama delivered pointed jokes at Trump’s expense.
“Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let’s see what we’ve got up there.”
Screens then displayed an imagined White House bearing a giant neon sign reading “Trump White House Hotel Casino Golf Course”, complete with golden columns and a chandelier obscuring the entrance — a moment that has since acquired near-mythic status in Washington political culture.
A White House reshaped?
The satirical imagery has taken on new resonance during Trump’s second term, as he has overseen an extensive remodeling of the White House grounds and interiors.
Recent changes include paving over part of the lawn near the Rose Garden to install a patio reminiscent of his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, affixing partisan plaques to presidential portraits along the Colonnade, and introducing prominent gold decorative elements in the Oval Office. The East Wing has been demolished to make way for a new ballroom.
Returning from a weekend at Mar-a-Lago, Trump paused to admire statues of Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin newly installed near the Rose Garden.
“Unbelievable statues. Come and look at them,” he told reporters.
