President Trump To Attend Rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner After April Shooting Scare
President Trump announced he will attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner later this summer, praising organizers for refusing to back down after a gunman disrupted the original April event.
The black-tie dinner has been rescheduled for July 24 and will now take place inside the Presidential Ballroom at the Waldorf Astoria Washington DC, the luxury venue originally developed as a Trump Hotel before changing ownership in 2022.
President Trump said the decision to move forward with the event demonstrated “Strength and Fortitude.”
“This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling,” President Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The president revealed that Weijia Jiang personally invited him to attend and speak at the event.
“I was asked to be there, and speak,” President Trump said. “I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out.”
The president also highlighted the event’s new location.
“In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!” Trump wrote. “Interestingly, the location will be The Waldorf Astoria, on Pennsylvania Avenue, a Building and Ballroom that I built.”
The original White House Correspondents’ Dinner, scheduled for April 25 at the Washington Hilton, was thrown into chaos after alleged gunman Cole Tomas Allen reportedly rushed a security checkpoint carrying a rifle and shot a Secret Service agent in a bulletproof vest.
Authorities said Allen later admitted in a manifesto that he intended to kill President Trump and multiple cabinet officials. He remains in custody awaiting trial.
The annual dinner, traditionally attended by journalists, politicians, celebrities, and administration officials, serves as both a scholarship fundraiser and a celebration of the First Amendment.
Jiang said organizers refused to allow violence to derail the event.
“When gunfire interrupted this year’s event, it further clarified the WHCA’s mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment,” Jiang said in a message to members of the press association.
“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word.”
The revamped dinner is expected to be significantly smaller than the original event, with the Waldorf ballroom holding roughly 1,300 guests compared to the approximately 2,500 attendees typically accommodated at the Washington Hilton.
Organizers also announced enhanced security measures and stricter access procedures for all attendees.