US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he will attend and speak at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner on July 24, months after the annual event was abruptly interrupted by a shooting incident, Reuters reported.
The prestigious black-tie gathering, which brings together journalists, government officials, and public figures, was originally held on April 25 but was cut short after a gunman breached a security checkpoint and opened fire outside the venue. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were safely evacuated, and no senior administration officials were injured.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had accepted an invitation from WHCA President Weijia Jiang to attend and address the gathering. He praised organizers for moving ahead with the event despite the security concerns that followed the April attack.
Trump also suggested that his remarks could be less confrontational than in previous appearances, while joking that attendees would soon find out whether he would deliver the same “rather nasty statements” directed at members of the media.
The rescheduled dinner will be held at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington DC and is expected to be a smaller, more intimate event with significantly enhanced security measures and revised access procedures.
