By Jarrett Renshaw
March 2 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he will attend and speak at the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner in April, ending a long boycott of the event that underscored his fraught relationship with the press.
“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding it would be his “Honor to accept their invitation” after skipping the gathering during his first term and last year.
Trump has for years derided the event as elitist and hostile to his administration, and has frequently attacked journalists and urged supporters to boycott mainstream media institutions.
The annual dinner, sometimes dubbed “Washington’s prom,” has been held since 1924 and brings together journalists, government officials and celebrities for an evening that traditionally mixes political satire with speeches celebrating press freedom and the First Amendment.
While Trump has avoided the dinner as president, he attended as a guest in 2011 during Democratic President Barack Obama’s administration, when Obama delivered a series of jokes at Trump’s expense in a widely watched appearance that became a notable moment in Washington political culture.
The event itself became a source of controversy after comedian Michelle Wolf in 2018 delivered a sharply critical performance that targeted Trump, members of his administration and the media.
Following backlash from some journalists and political figures, the White House Correspondents’ Association moved away from featuring comedians for several years, opting instead for speakers focused on journalism and public service.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Caitlin Webber; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
