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.
Subscribe to 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.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floods
Cartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?
The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate change
In the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
-
Trump set to hit Canada with 35% tariffs
Speed Read The president accused Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney of failing to stop the cross-border flow of fentanyl
-
Mahmoud Khalil files $20M claim over ICE detention
Speed Read This is the 'first damages complaint' brought by an individual targeted by the Trump's administration's 'crackdown' on Gaza war protesters
-
Trump threatens Brazil with 50% tariffs
Speed Read He accused Brazil's current president of leading a 'witch hunt' against far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro
-
AI scammer fakes Rubio messages to top officials
Speed Read The unknown individual mimicked Rubio in voice and text messages sent to multiple government officials
-
SCOTUS greenlights Trump's federal firings
speed read The Trump administration can conduct mass federal firings without Congress' permission, the Supreme Court ruled
-
New tariffs set on 14 trading partners
Speed Read A new slate of tariffs will begin August 1 on imports from Japan, South Korea, Thailand and more
-
Elon Musk launching 'America Party'
Speed Read The tech mogul promised to form a new political party if Trump's megabill passed Congress
-
Judge blocks Trump's asylum ban at US border
Speed Read The president violated federal law by shutting down the US-Mexico border to asylum seekers, said the ruling