Trump says he will attend rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner
Joey GarrisonWASHINGTON – The White House Correspondents' Association announced that it will host a rescheduled dinner July 24 after the organization's gala in April was canceled when a gunman opened fire at the annual event in a suspected assassination attempt of President Donald Trump.
The association's president, Weijia Jiang, a reporter for CBS News, revealed plans for "a more intimate gathering" in an email June 2 to members, writing that the shooting scare "clarified the WHCA's mission to advocate for the freedoms that are protected in the First Amendment."
"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."
Details on the venue, tickets and programming are expected later. The dinner historically takes place at the Hilton Washington hotel on a Saturday, but the rescheduled dinner falls on a Friday.
Trump says he will attend rescheduled dinner
Jiang said the dinner will "feature significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures" that will be shared directly with attendees.
Trump, who was unable to deliver a planned speech at the April dinner, said he would attend the rescheduled event and deliver remarks.
'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!" he posted on Truth Social.
Trump also appeared to disclose the location of the dinner. "Interestingly, the location will be The Waldorf Astoria, on Pennsylvania Avenue, a Building and Ballroom that I built," the president said.
The original April 25 dinner at the Hilton, attended by about 2,500 journalists, politicians and others, was halted after a gunman stormed through a security checkpoint and opened fire at Secret Service agents. Federal prosecutors charged the suspect, 31-year-old Cole Allen of California, with the attempted assassination of Trump, among other charges.
Attendees had just finished their first-course salads when Secret Service agents ordered everyone to take cover under their tables. Trump and Vice President JD Vance, both seated at the ballroom's elevated head table, were escorted out by security, as were Trump administration officials who were spread across the room.
'Rescheduling was not automatic,' WHCA president says
The shooting took place one floor above the main ballroom near a set of stairs. One Secret Service agent was shot and hit in their bulletproof vest. The same agent, who has not been publicly identified, fired five shots at the suspect, each of which missed.
"Rescheduling was not automatic. It was a choice that the WHCA board made after thoughtful consideration and input from our members," Jiang said.
Jiang extended the correspondents association's thoughts to the officer who was injured as well as others who were there. "We are indebted to the US Secret Service, law enforcement and the hotel staff whose swift response protected our guests and our staff," she said.
Jiang said the association has raised money since the April shooting to ensure that members who purchased tickets for the April event will not have to pay to attend the second dinner. She said the association will also offer financial support to the organization's scholarship winners to return to Washington to attend.
"This dinner will not only be an opportunity to carry out our program. It will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence," Jiang said. "As you have all demonstrated, courage and community can and should rise above."
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.