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By Mandy Taheri
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The White House Correspondents' Dinner will take place Saturday night without the president or a headlining comedian after Amber Ruffin was removed last month over her criticisms of the current administration and President Donald Trump continues his tradition of skipping the event.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration has had a tense relationship with the press over the past three months, taking a stricter approach to media relations than its predecessors, including shake-ups affecting the press pool and access to the White House and Pentagon, and a lawsuit from the Associated Press over terminology related to the Gulf of Mexico after Trump renamed it the Gulf of America. The changes mark a shift in power from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) to the White House, giving the administration control over the press pool.
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The media changes celebrated by Trump has raised concerns among some in the industry who fear that access to reporting the truth will become increasingly difficult as credentials are revoked and outlets too favorable of the president may not provide full coverage. Amid the Israel-Hamas war, the administration has also cracked down on pro-Palestinian social media posts and protests, which some argue infringes on First Amendment rights.
Trump and one of his top advisers, Elon Musk, own social media platforms Truth Social and X, formerly Twitter, respectively, both of which play a major role in media and information circulation.
What Time Is White House Correspondents' Dinner and How to Watch?
The WHCA dinner will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. Viewers can stream the event on C-SPAN.
What Is the White House Correspondents' Dinner?
The annual event raises money for the WHCA, including programs that promote and educate about the First Amendment, support press freedom, and fund scholarships for journalists.
The dinner brings together journalists, lawmakers, political figures, comedians, and celebrities from the entertainment industry. The evening is filled with speeches, comedy, and awards.
Speeches, particularly by the headlining comedian, traditionally feature lighthearted roasts of the political landscape.
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Who Will Attend and Present at White House Correspondents' Dinner?
Traditionally, the sitting president and first lady attend the event. Former President Joe Biden attended all three White House Correspondents' Dinners held during his tenure, with the 2021 event canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.
Trump has attended the event as a guest before, but never as president. In 2019, he encouraged other White House staff members not to attend the dinner. He was not planning to attend the event weeks ago, according to Axios. Trump attended Pope Francis' funeral in Rome earlier in the day.
In February, the WHCA announced that Ruffin would headline the event. In March, following Ruffin's comments critical of the Trump administration, she was dropped from the role, with WHCA President Eugene Daniels saying, "At this consequential moment for journalism, I want to ensure the focus is not on the politics of division but entirely on awarding our colleagues for their outstanding work and providing scholarship and mentorship to the next generation of journalists."
Ruffin, an Emmy- and Tony-nominated comedian and writer for NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, said after losing her spot, "We have a free press so that we can be nice to Republicans at fancy dinners. I thought when people take away your rights, erase your history and deport your friends, you're supposed to call it out, but I was wrong."
Several actors are expected to be in attendance including Jason Isaacs, Michael Chiklis, Alan Ruck, Rachel Bloom, and Marg Helgenberger, according to The Hill.
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