President Donald Trump has confirmed he will skip the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner on April 26 — marking the fifth time he has refused to attend the media’s black-tie gala.
Throughout his first term, Trump repeatedly boycotted the dinner, opting instead to host his own counterprogramming events such as the “Fake News Awards,” which highlighted what he called the most egregious examples of false or misleading media coverage. His decision to once again decline the invitation underscores the deep rift between the administration and the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA).
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized earlier this year that the administration would assume greater control over press access, taking charge of the pool reporter rotation. The move allows the White House to determine which journalists accompany the president on official trips and attend pool-only events. The Associated Press has already been barred from pool participation following its refusal to endorse Trump’s proposal to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”
The Correspondents’ Dinner — once a lighthearted celebration of politics and press freedom — has, in recent years, drawn criticism for becoming a platform for partisan commentary. Trump’s boycott dates back to his public humiliation at the 2011 dinner, when then-President Barack Obama used the occasion to mock Trump in a monologue many observers believe fueled Trump’s determination to run for president.
This year’s event has already courted controversy. The WHCA dropped comedian Amber Ruffin from the headliner slot after she vowed to mimic the caustic performance of Michelle Wolf, whose 2018 appearance was widely panned for its personal attacks on Trump administration officials. Ruffin has been outspoken in her political views, often blurring the line between comedy and activism. After Kyle Rittenhouse was acquitted in 2021, she used her late-night show to accuse the jury and the presiding judge of racism, breaking down as she declared it her “responsibility to say what others won’t.”
According to The Daily Beast, Ruffin had intended to call the government “a bunch of murderers” in her planned WHCA routine — a remark that fueled backlash online. “This year’s @whca dinner will be hosted by a second-rate comedian who is previewing the event by calling this administration ‘murderers,’” one Trump administration official wrote on social media. “What kind of responsible journalist would attend something like this? And what kind of company would sponsor it?”
Leavitt and other senior Trump officials have also announced they will not attend. “This is a group of journalists who’ve been covering the White House for decades,” Leavitt said in a recent interview with former Press Secretary Sean Spicer. “They founded this organization because presidents weren’t doing enough press conferences. I don’t think we have that problem anymore under this president.”
Trump’s decision comes amid a broader political shift reflected in new polling data unveiled by CNN’s senior analyst Harry Enten. During a segment with anchor Kate Bolduan, Enten revealed that Republicans have overtaken Democrats as the party most associated with working-class Americans — a reversal of decades-long political trends.
“This is one of the most shocking pieces of polling data I’ve seen in years,” Enten said, noting that for the first time, Americans are split evenly when asked which party “cares more about people like you.” Historically, Democrats held double-digit leads on that question — including a 23-point edge in 2005 and a 19-point lead in 1994.
“Democrats, who were once the party of the people, no longer hold that advantage,” Enten concluded. “It’s a fundamental change in how Americans see both parties — and it’s happening in the age of Trump.”
