The White House Correspondents Association has rescheduled its annual dinner for late next month — nearly three months after a gunman cut short the planned event in April by opening fire in the Washington Hilton.
The association’s president and CBS News White House reporter Weijia Jiang notified members Tuesday that the July 24 event will have enhanced security, and it will be a smaller affair. The location and programming for the do-over gathering have not yet been released.Â
In a memo to White House Correspondents Association members, she wrote, “Rescheduling was not automatic. It was a choice that the WHCA board made after thoughtful consideration and input from our members. I want to thank board members for the time and care they brought to this decision, particularly on the security front. The event will feature significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures. We will share additional details directly with attendees.”
While this year’s originally scheduled event was held on Saturday, April 25, the rescheduled one will take place on a Friday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt indicated that U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend next month’s dinner. Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and several Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials in the administration were among the 2,500-plus guests at the April dinner. The shots were fired before the official programming had gotten underway.
The first couple were seated at the dais, while the event’s scheduled performer, Oz Pearlman, performed a trick, reportedly correctly naming Leavitt’s unborn child. The suspect, Cole Allen, 31, was later charged in federal court on three counts, including attempting to assassinate the president. After the Trumps, Vance and other officials were whisked out of the room, the event abruptly ended, and many members of the media — still dressed in suits and dresses — headed to the White House for a press briefing with the president.
The annual event brings together political figures and members of the media, and raises money for scholarships for journalism students. This spring’s gathering was the first one that Trump had attended as president.
The day after the shooting. Jiang described the shooting at the Washington Hilton as “a harrowing moment for everyone in attendance.”
Expressing gratitude to the U.S. Secret Service and all law enforcement personnel, “who ensured the safety of everyone in the ballroom and beyond,” she said, “their actions protected thousands of guests, and we wish a full and speedy recovery to the officer who was injured in the line of duty. We are grateful everyone in attendance was unharmed, including the president, the first lady and the vice president.”
Jiang also said, “Our dinner exists to celebrate the First Amendment and the hard daily work of the journalists who defend it. Last night, those journalists showed exactly the kind of calm and courage that work demands, jumping into reporting immediately after the incident unfolded. We are proud of everyone in that room.”
