President Trump has ordered White House staff to not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this Saturday being held in Washington, D.C., according to numerous reports Tuesday.
The humiliation of then private citizen Trump by President Obama and Seth Meyers at the 2011 WHCA dinner is thought by many to have inspired Trump’s run for the presidency in 2015.
Trump had previously announced he would hold a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin instead of attending the dinner, the third year in a row he has boycotted the dinner which has traditionally honored the president.
CNN’s Jake Tapper was one of many reporters to report on the boycott, with the usual anonymous leak undermining the President.
“Senior administration official: this morning White House Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley announced that all Trump administration officials are being ordered to boycott the White House Correspondents Association dinner this weekend. 1/ 2/ Administration official adds that the order came from President Trump personally though staffers have been trying to talk him out of it.”
Senior administration official: this morning White House Cabinet Secretary Bill McGinley announced that all Trump administration officials are being ordered to boycott the White House Correspondents Association dinner this weekend.
1/— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 23, 2019
2/ Administration official adds that the order came from President Trump personally though staffers have been trying to talk him out of it.
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) April 23, 2019
Bloomberg White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs noted the purpose of the dinner is to raise funds for journalism scholarships.
The White House has asked Trump admin officials to not attend the dinner, which is a fundraiser for journalism. https://t.co/fCFmOUxIED
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 23, 2019
The White House Correspondents’ Association posted a statement brushing off the White House boycott.
Response to news reports of a Trump-ordered boycott of the Correspondents' Dinner: #We’re looking forward to an enjoyable evening of celebrating the First Amendment and great journalists past, present, and future." – Olivier Knox, President of the #WHCA
— WHCA (@whca) April 23, 2019
The BBC’s Katty Kay reported the boycott appears to be a first.
Not unheard of for a President not to attend WH Correspondent's Dinner but I've not heard of a President banning everyone in his administration from attending. https://t.co/uBqgdYKzFO via @politico
— Katty Kay (@KattyKay_) April 23, 2019
ABC’s Meredith McGraw observed tux and dress rental shops will be hard hit.
A lot of tuxes and Rent the Runway dresses need to be returned — no one in the Trump admin will attend the WH Correspondents Dinner this year, per an official: "The President and members of his administration will not attend the White House Correspondents Dinner this year."
— Meridith McGraw (@meridithmcgraw) April 23, 2019
(Author’s note: That part is true. One year I had the honor of picking up Andrew Breitart’s tux from a rental shop a few blocks from the dinner. And a disclosure: This writer led an annual protest of liberal media bias held outside the WHCA dinner for over a decade spanning the late 1990s-2000s.)
The 2012 protest was held in honor of Andrew following his sudden passing the month before:
Breitbart Is Here demonstration photo by Paul Bond, The Hollywood Reporter, April 28, 2012.
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