All articles tagged with #white house correspondents association
President Donald Trump will return to the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Waldorf Astoria, months after an armed gunman forced evacuations at the Washington Hilton. The WHCA will honor Secret Service Officer Victor Gonzales for stopping the suspect, with many cabinet officials in attendance and a pledge that violence has no place in America and that a free press will not be intimidated.
The White House Correspondents’ Association announced a second dinner on July 24 in Washington, D.C., with significantly enhanced security and new access procedures after April’s shooting at the Washington Hilton halted the first event. The gathering will be a more intimate affair and serve as a public statement against violence toward the press, with funds raised to cover attendee tickets and to support scholarship winners; specifics will be shared with attendees, and it’s unclear whether Trump will attend.
At the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Trump attended and spoke as Secret Service evacuated attendees after a security scare; the episode highlighted years of friction between Trump and the press and raised questions about press independence, which the piece traces from WHCA’s origins to recent changes in access policies, arguing that a free press is essential to check government power.
President Joe Biden gave a speech at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where he acknowledged the importance of press freedom and called for the release of American journalists imprisoned abroad, including Evan Gershkovich and Austin Tice. Biden also made jokes about his age and took jabs at political opponents, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and Fox Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch. The event, which returned after being sidelined by the pandemic, drew a wide array of celebrities and media moguls to Washington.
President Biden will attend the White House Correspondents' Association dinner on Saturday evening, where he is expected to speak about the importance of press freedom and the troubling detentions of journalists around the world. Comedian and correspondent for "The Daily Show," Roy Wood Jr., will host the event, which will also feature celebrities such as John Legend and Chrissy Teigen. The event includes awards for journalists and raises money for scholarships. The president is likely to give a speech containing salty asides about his coverage and jokes about journalists and their peculiarities.