U.S.
President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would not attend the
annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner, a high-profile event
that draws celebrities, politicians and journalists.
"I
will not be attending the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this
year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!", Trump wrote on
Twitter.
On
the campaign trail and in the White House, Trump has had a strained
relationship with the press, calling journalists "the enemy of the
people" and frequently criticizing outlets and individual reporters whose
coverage he does not like.
The
reporters' group said it would go ahead with its April 29 dinner despite
Trump's absence. The Washington event typically draws movie stars, politicians
and business leaders to hear a humorous speech by the sitting president.
The
dinner "has been and will continue to be a celebration of the First
Amendment and the important role played by an independent news media in a
healthy republic," said Jeff Mason, a Reuters White House correspondent
who heads the association this year.
Ronald
Reagan was the last president to sit out the event after he was shot in 1981.
Some
news outlets such as Bloomberg News and the New Yorker have said they will not
host the lavish after-parties that have been a fixture of past events.
On
Friday, the White House excluded several major U.S. news organizations,
including some it has criticized, from an off-camera briefing held by the White
House press secretary.
Reporters
for CNN, The New York Times, Politico, The Los Angeles Times and BuzzFeed were
not allowed into the session in the office of press secretary Sean Spicer, a
decision that drew strong protests.
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