Trump to speak at rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Donald Trump is set for a 9 p.m. ET speech as the WHCA restarts a scaled-down dinner after April’s shooting.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
Donald Trump is expected to address the Trump White House Correspondents’ Dinner at about 9 p.m. ET Friday, as the press association brings back its annual gala after the April event was halted by a shooting, Deadline reported.
The White House Correspondents’ Association moved the rescheduled dinner to the Waldorf Astoria, a smaller venue than the Washington Hilton, where the spring gathering was stopped after a gunman got through a security checkpoint, according to Deadline. The Waldorf Astoria was previously a Trump hotel.
What time is Trump speaking at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?
Trump is slated to speak around 9 p.m. ET, Deadline reported. C-SPAN’s coverage of arrivals and the dinner is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. ET, or 3 p.m. PT.
The comeback dinner will be stripped down compared with the usual Washington spectacle. Deadline reported that there will be no pre-dinner receptions and no red carpet, with additional security measures planned for the event.
WHCA President Weijia Jiang said Thursday that the association’s board, members and people from across politics pushed for the dinner to return after the interrupted April event, according to Deadline. Jiang said people had reached out to say that could not be how the association’s year ended.
Who is being honored after the April shooting?
The WHCA will honor Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales, who was hit on his protective vest while responding to the gunman, Deadline reported. The gunman was apprehended near the top of stairs leading into the Washington Hilton ballroom, according to the report.
The association also plans to recognize Washington Hilton staff members. Deadline reported that the staff preserved thousands of uneaten meals from the disrupted dinner so they could be donated to local shelters.
The suspect, Cole Tomas Allen, has pleaded not guilty to charges that include attempted assassination of the president, Deadline reported.
What else is on the program?
The dinner will still include journalism awards and scholarships, as planned for the April event. Jiang and Trump are expected to deliver remarks, and mentalist Oz Pearlman is listed as entertainment, according to Deadline.
The First Amendment is expected to be a major theme. Deadline reported that attention is also on how speakers address the administration’s attacks on the press, and whether Trump responds.
One award is set to go to The Wall Street Journal for its reporting on letters sent to Jeffrey Epstein, including one with Trump’s signature, Deadline reported. Trump has denied writing it and has sued the Journal.
At a Thursday event at the residence of British Ambassador Christian Turner, Jiang cited the Justice Department’s withdrawal of subpoenas for New York Times journalists who reported on missing security features on the new Air Force One. “Reporters should not have to look over our shoulders, just for doing their jobs, just for doing the very hard work to inform the public,” Jiang said, according to Deadline.
Incoming WHCA President Jacqui Heinrich shared a preview from White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, who said in a statement that Trump’s speech would be “a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious,” adding, “One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining.”
This story draws on original reporting from Deadline.