President Trump is attending the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner for the first time as president on Saturday. Taurean Small is at the White House with details.
The president avoided the dinner in both of his terms prior to tonight because of his adversarial relationship with the press. He accepted this year’s invitation in honor of America’s 250th anniversary, though he has attended previously as a guest. In 2011, Mr. Trump attended as a celebrity while he was pressing then-President Barack Obama to release his birth certificate; he was roasted by the former president and comedian Seth Meyers. Trump last attended the dinner in 2015.
This year, the association hired a mentalist instead of a comedian. Historically, the dinner ribs the sitting president, acknowledging the tension between the press and the president they cover. Trump, who has for years called the press “the enemy of the people,” finally agreed to attend.
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt previewed his remarks, saying, “His speech will be very entertaining. That is what I will tell you. So everyone should tune in.” The event is meant to be a celebration of a free and independent press. CBS’s senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang is this year’s president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
Taurean Small at the White House.