Key facts
- President Trump will attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on July 24.
- The original dinner on April 25 was interrupted by a shooting.
- Trump was evacuated from the initial event.
- The White House Correspondents' Association is implementing enhanced security measures for the rescheduled dinner.
- The location for the rescheduled dinner has not yet been confirmed.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association Dinner on July 24, marking his return to the Washington Hilton for the first time since a shooting incident disrupted the event on April 25. Trump, who was evacuated from the initial gala, has pledged to speak at the upcoming gathering, stating that "we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling."
The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) announced the rescheduling, with President Weijia Jiang emphasizing that the event will feature "significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures." The exact location for the rescheduled dinner has not yet been confirmed, with Trump suggesting the Waldorf Astoria, a property his organization previously owned, as a potential venue.
The incident at the Washington Hilton echoes a historical event at the same venue on March 30, 1981, when President Ronald Reagan narrowly survived an assassination attempt by John Hinckley Jr. Reagan was leaving the hotel after addressing union members when Hinckley fired six shots. The bullets injured White House press secretary James Brady, D.C. police officer Thomas Delahanty, and U.S. Secret Service agent Tim McCarthy. Presidential historian Tevi Troy noted the significance of the 1981 event for presidential security and the Washington Hilton's history.
The WHCA stated that the rescheduled dinner will be a statement against violence and that a free press will not be intimidated. The suspected shooter in the recent incident, Cole Tomas Allen, has pleaded not guilty to charges including attempted assassination of the president.