The White House correspondents' dinner will be rescheduled for 24 July after the Washington event was abruptly cancelled this spring following a shooting. Donald Trump, who was swiftly evacuated from the gala after the incident on 25 April, has pledged to attend the rescheduled event.
Confirming his attendance and plan to speak at the July event, the president said: 'I don't know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out. In any event, it will be a HOT ticket!' It is not yet clear whether the dinner will be held at the Washington Hilton hotel, where it initially took place, due to security concerns. Trump claimed the venue will be the Waldorf Astoria, which his Trump Organization used to own.
In an email to White House reporters, Weijia Jiang, president of the organising White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), said details about the location, tickets and programming will follow soon, and that the event will feature significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures. Jiang said the dinner will be a more 'intimate gathering', suggesting it will not resemble the typical mass gathering of thousands of tuxedoed journalists and politicians.
Last month, the suspected shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, pleaded not guilty to charges including the attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer and firearms offences. The WHCA decided to reschedule the dinner 'after thoughtful consideration and input from our members', said Jiang. 'We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for.'
