(UDHAYAM, WASHINGTON) – US President Donald Trump has announced that he will not attend the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on 29 April.
The glitzy event draws celebrities, journalists and politicians, normally including the US president. Trump said he would not attend a day after the White House excluded several major broadcasters and newspapers from a press briefing.
He has frequently described negative news coverage as “fake”. The announcement, made via Twitter, comes as relations between the White House and some media outlets continue to deteriorate.
On Friday, media groups including the BBC, CNN, the New York Times, the Guardian, the Los Angeles Times, Buzzfeed, the Daily Mail and Politico were among those barred from an off-camera informal briefing held by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer.
Hours before the briefing, Trump had delivered a strong attack on what he called “fake news” in the media, targeting stories with unnamed sources. He said “fake news” was the “enemy of the people”.
Trump announced his non-attendance at the correspondents’ dinner via Twitter. He wrote “I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!”
