Following threats by some members of the White House Correspondents’ Association to boycott the group’s 2017 Dinner, President Donald Trump has said that he will not be attending.
Trump’s decision came just as the frosty relations between him and the media worsened with some White House Correspondents shut out of a press briefing on Friday.
“I will not be attending the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner this year. Please wish everyone well and have a great evening!” Trump tweeted.
The White House Correspondents’ Association, in a statement, said it took note of the president’s announcement and said the dinner will “continue to be a celebration of the First Amendment and the important role played by an independent news media in a healthy republic”.
Every sitting president since 1924 has attended the correspondents’ dinner at least once, according to reports.
Former President Barack Obama attended eight times.
Sitting Presidents traditionally make a light-hearted speech at the annual event.
Trump has himself attended the dinner in 2011, and Obama had joked that Trump will turn the White House into a casino if he became president and made fun of rumours, then propagated by Trump, that Obama was not born in the U.S.
