Trump to attend first White House Correspondents’ Dinner as president amid ongoing feud with press: Live updates

President Trump will attend the annual celebration of the Washington press, hosted this year by mentalist Oz Pearlman, even as his FBI Director Kash Patel battles The Atlantic in court over a scathing magazine profile
President Donald Trump will head to the Washington Hilton hotel this evening for the annual White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, his first time at the glitzy gala as president.

The Republican broke longstanding norms by skipping the event multiple times in his previous years as president.

Trump suffered a memorable roasting by then-President Barack Obama at the dinner in 2011, and this year’s iteration won’t feature a comedian as MC, as has been typical in past years.

Instead, mentalist Oz Pearlman will host the event.

Arrivals to the dinner are scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.

Eastern time.

Trump’s return to the Correspondents’ Dinner comes as his administration continues to lock horns with the press.

Earlier this week, FBI Director Kash Patel filed a $250 million defamation lawsuit against The Atlantic over a bombshell exposé alleging he drinks excessively and has performed erratically in the job, claims he strongly denies.

The president, meanwhile, frequently demonizes the Washington press, and his Department of Defense attempted to kick the traditional press corps out of the Pentagon .

Reporters should 'walk the f*** out' if Trump attacks media in speech, Jim Acosta says
If Donald Trump lashes out at the media in his White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech, as he very well could, journalists should simply leave the event, according to former CNN anchor Jim Acosta.

“I think if Trump starts doing that, the reporters in the room should walk the f*** out,” Acosta said during a Friday episode of his show with fellow journalist Katie Couric.

“They should get up and leave.”
Acosta’s comments were in response to reports that Trump is planning a “revenge” speech for the dinner, which traditionally celebrates the work of the Washington press and champions the importance of the free press and the First Amendment.

“The media is one of the last institutions in this country that has come to the realization that you have to stand up to the bully...You have to stand up for something and stand up for our profession and stand up for the First Amendment,” Acosta said.

Some have called for reporters to boycott the dinner entirely.

One of the most important names at the Correspondents' Dinner won't be onstage
Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump’s return to the Correspondents’ Dinner is what’s grabbing the headlines.

But the reported guest list for the event contains some other notable names.

Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr will be in attendance.

Carr, one of the nation’s top media regulators, previously made headlines for his role in last year’s Jimmy Kimmel saga .

The regulator threatened that the FCC would crack down on the late-night host’s show after Kimmel made comments about the Charlie Kirk shooting that angered conservatives.

Kimmel’s temporary suspension by ABC after Carr’s comment was seen by some observers as a grim sign for media freedom.

Carr, speaking to The Guardian on Saturday , confirmed he would be in attendance, though he denied prior reports that he had been invited as a guest of CBS News, which was recently taken over by the Trump-allied Ellison family.

“I think it’s important for the country that we have a news media that is trusted and respected,” Carr told the outlet.

“My hope for the industry is that they find a way to turn things around.”
Rachel Dobkin looked into Carr earlier this year.

Trump FCC chair urges networks broadcast ‘patriotic, pro-America’ content
No laughing matter: Trump calls off Kushner's trip for Iran war negotiations
The president may be in for a lighthearted evening of mind tricks and speeches at today’s Correspondents’ Dinner, but he still has plenty of serious issues on his plate, namely the Iran war.

President Trump just told Fox News he has canceled a planned trip in which his Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and the president’s son-in-law Jared Kushner were set to head to Pakistan for Iran war negotiations.

"I've told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, 'Nope, you're not making an 18 hour flight to go there,’” he told Fox’s Aishah Hasnie .

“‘We have all the cards.

They can call us anytime they want, but you're not going to be making any more 18 hour flights to sit around talking about nothing'."
Ahead of WHCD, Trump schmoozes with Paramount execs seeking merger approval
As the Washington media headed into Correspondents’ Dinner weekend, the president got the party started early.

Paramount Skydance executives reportedly hosted President Donald Trump and other top administration officials for a private dinner in the nation’s capital on Thursday — as the corporation awaits federal approval on a deal to acquire Warner Bros.

Discovery .

Trump spoke to guests for almost an hour, as business titans and federal brass mingled at mixed tables inside the U.S.

Institute of Peace, The New York Times reported, citing people informed of the exclusive gathering.

Among those in attendance were: Paramount CEO David Ellison, CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss , Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller and Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.

Brendan Rascius has the details.

Paramount hosts private dinner with Trump while awaiting approval to buy CNN: report
ICYMI: Why is Trump coming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

This is what should be the most fun weekend in Washington: the White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

And of course, all eyes will be on Donald Trump, who is making his first appearance at the dinner as president of the United States.

Much has been made over Trump returning for the first time since he last attended, in 2011, when President Barack Obama and host Seth Meyers ruthlessly mocked him– and possibly spurred him to run for president .

There’s also the fact that instead of a comedian, the evening will feature mentalist Oz Pearlman as emcee.

Many are shocked and chagrined that the Washington press corps would insist on dining with a guy who regularly mocks us, whose Federal Communications Commission threatens to stonewall us , and whose White House took over the press pool .

And this is to say nothing of barring the Associated Press from covering the White House for refusing to go along with renaming the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America.”
Why is Trump coming to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

Because he needs us
Trump's dramatic return to the White House Correspondents' Dinner
Hello and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of tonight’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.

After years of battling with the press, and a string of lawsuits against major outlets whose coverage he does not like, Donald Trump is set to return to the dinner for the first time as president.

He broke presidential tradition by skipping past iterations, and the event was canceled multiple times during the height of the Covid pandemic.

We’ll be following all the biggest lines from the D.C.

media’s biggest night.

Stay tuned.

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