Trump might actually go to the White House Correspondents' Dinner this year


Is President Trump looking to turn this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner into an extended "I told you so"?
After he skipped the annual event two years in a row, Axios reports an "exuberant" Trump is considering attending next month. It's unclear "how serious" Trump is about going, Axios writes, but this could be the next step on what has been called Trump's "victory lap" following Attorney General William Barr release of his summary of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report. Barr said Mueller found no evidence of collusion with Russia and did not make a conclusion about whether Trump obstructed justice, while not exonerating the president on that front. The full report has not yet been made public.
Trump bucked tradition in 2017 by skipping the Correspondents' Dinner, a yearly event attended by press during which a comedian and the president deliver monologues. He was the first sitting president since Ronald Reagan not to go — and Reagan only skipped it because he had recently been shot.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump once again skipped the dinner in 2018 and subsequently complained about comedian Michelle Wolf's scathing jokes. At this year's dinner on April 27, the featured speaker will be a historian instead of a comedian, and Trump had previously suggested this might make him change his tune, tweeting in November that the change is a "good first step in comeback of a dying evening and tradition," adding, "Maybe I will go?"
Of course, the fact that he's now feeling vindicated over the Mueller report might guide the decision, too, with Trump on Tuesday declaring the media has "lost tremendous credibility" with its "corrupt coverage of the illegal Democrat witch hunt of your all time favorite duly elected president, me!"
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.
-
Music reviews: Geese, Jeff Tweedy, and Mariah Carey
Feature “Getting Killed,” “Twilight Override,” and “Here for It All”
-
Waiting for Godot
Feature Hudson Theatre, New York City
-
FIRE is catching as people want to leave the traditional workforce
In the spotlight Many are taking steps to leave the workforce sooner than usual
-
Bondi stonewalls on Epstein, Comey in Senate face-off
Speed Read Attorney General Pam Bondi denied charges of using the Justice Department in service of Trump’s personal vendettas
-
Court allows Trump’s Texas troops to head to Chicago
Speed Read Trump is ‘using our service members as pawns in his illegal effort to militarize our nation’s cities,’ said Gov. J.B. Pritzker
-
Judge bars Trump’s National Guard moves in Oregon
Speed Read In an emergency hearing, a federal judge blocked President Donald Trump from sending National Guard troops into Portland
-
Museum head ousted after Trump sword gift denial
Speed Read Todd Arrington, who led the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum, denied the Trump administration a sword from the collection as a gift for King Charles
-
Trump declares ‘armed conflict’ with drug cartels
speed read This provides a legal justification for recent lethal military strikes on three alleged drug trafficking boats
-
Supreme Court rules for Fed’s Cook in Trump feud
Speed Read Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook can remain in her role following Trump’s attempts to oust her
-
Judge rules Trump illegally targeted Gaza protesters
Speed Read The Trump administration’s push to arrest and deport international students for supporting Palestine is deemed illegal
-
Trump: US cities should be military ‘training grounds’
Speed Read In a hastily assembled summit, Trump said he wants the military to fight the ‘enemy within’ the US