Trump to Attend WHCA Dinner for First Time as President

The White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner, an annual event in Washington, D.C., is scheduled to take place on Saturday. President Donald Trump is expected to attend, marking his first appearance at the dinner since taking office, after having skipped the event during his first term.

Historical Context of the Event

The dinner has a history of featuring remarks by presidents and comedians, with some instances drawing significant attention.

In 1983, President Ronald Reagan declined to deliver humorous remarks after comedian Mark Russell's routine, following the return of remains of Americans killed in a bombing in Lebanon.

• Comedian Dana Carvey and President George H.W. Bush developed a friendship after Carvey began impersonating Bush on Saturday Night Live.

• In 2004, President George W. Bush made a joke regarding the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

• In 2006, comedian Stephen Colbert delivered a monologue that criticized President George W. Bush and the media's coverage of his administration.

• In 2018, comedian Michelle Wolf made jokes about President Donald Trump and Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. The WHCA later stated that Wolf's monologue did not align with the event's mission.

Trump's Previous Attendance and Remarks at the 2011 Dinner

President Trump's return to the dinner has prompted renewed attention to the 2011 event, which he attended as a private citizen. At that dinner, then-President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers made remarks about Trump.

At the 2011 dinner, President Obama said:

"Donald Trump is here tonight. Now, I know he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that's because he can finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter — like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"

Trump had previously called for the release of Obama's birth certificate, which the state of Hawaii released that year.

Comedian Seth Meyers added:

"Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising since I just assumed he'd be running as a joke."

Trump's Stated Reasons for Skipping the Dinner During His First Term

Trump told Fox News' "The Five" earlier this year that he felt he was treated "rudely and crudely" at the 2011 dinner, a factor he cited in his decision not to attend the dinner while in office. He said, "The press was so nasty, I just – so I didn't do it."

Claims Regarding the 2011 Dinner's Influence on Trump's Presidential Run

Some observers have speculated that the jokes made at the 2011 dinner influenced Trump's later decision to run for president. Trump has denied this claim.

In a 2016 interview with the Washington Post, Trump stated that "there are many reasons I'm running, but that's not one of them."

In a more recent comment, Trump again denied that the 2011 dinner sparked his interest in running for office, stating:

"There is this theory: I was there while Barack Hussein Obama was speaking, and he was hitting me a little bit. Actually, it was very nice, and I was actually – I loved it. I really loved it."