The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) has announced that the annual dinner will be rescheduled for 24 July, following its abrupt cancellation in April due to a shooting incident. President Donald Trump, who was evacuated from the event, has confirmed his attendance.
In a statement, Trump 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!' The president had previously called for the dinner to be rescheduled within 30 days, a deadline that has now passed.
The venue is yet to be confirmed. Trump claimed it will be the Waldorf Astoria, formerly owned by his Trump Organization, but the WHCA has not specified a location. The dinner was originally held at the Washington Hilton hotel, but security concerns about the building's layout may lead to a change.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang, a CBS News correspondent, said details about the location, tickets, and programming will follow soon. She noted that the event will feature 'significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures' and will be a more 'intimate gathering' than the usual mass event.
Jiang emphasised the importance of the rescheduled dinner as a statement against violence. '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,' she wrote in an email to White House reporters.
Cole Tomas Allen, the suspected shooter, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted assassination of the president, assault on a federal officer, and firearms offences.
