The White House Correspondents' Dinner is not until April 29. However, President Donald Trump has already tweeted that he will not attend the dinner this year. His announcement came through his personal Twitter account on Saturday, February 25 on the 103rd anniversary of the White House Correspondents' Association that was formed on February 25, 1914.
Trump's decision
The 70-year-old leader did not give a reason for his decision to skip the event.
He simply said he will not be attending. However, his decision to forego the dinner might have something to do with his growing dislike for the media. After all, the annual dinner is the time when journalists come together with the President of the United States to roast him.
The formal affair has been a tradition since 1920. Other presidents have attended the dinner while they were in office. Former President Barack Obama attended all eight of the dinners during his two terms. The last president to miss the dinner was Ronald Reagan in 1981. He was recovering from an assassination attempt, but he was still part of the event by delivering his remarks by telephone.
Response to Trump's decision
The White House Correspondents' Association responded to Trump's announcement by saying the annual dinner will still take place even though the president will not be there. The dinner has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment. The occasion is to highlight some of the best political journalism of the past year and to raise money for scholarships for deserving students who plan to study journalism.
Twitter users couldn't give up the chance to share their thoughts about Trump's decline to attend the dinner. One person suggested that since Trump isn't going Alec Baldwin should go in his place.
Tension between Trump and the media
There has been growing tensions between Trump and the media that started before Trump was elected.
On Friday, February 24, CNN, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and Politico were among the major News outlets blocked from attending White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's briefing. Conservative outlets such as Breitbart News and Fox News were allowed to go inside.
News outlets not attending
Some news outlets decided on their own not to attend this year's dinner. Those not attending include Vanity Fair, The New York Times and BuzzFeed News. Bloomberg and Vanity Fair usually host an exclusive, star-studded after-party, but they canceled this year's party. The New Yorker canceled its pre-party on April 28.
On the same night as the dinner, "Full Frontal" host Samantha Bee is having her own event, "Not the White House Correspondents' Dinner," to raise money for the Committee to Protect Journalists.