Overview
- President Donald Trump is set to deliver remarks at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday at the Washington Hilton, marking his first attendance as a sitting president.
- Organizers dropped the traditional comedian and booked mentalist Oz Pearlman, a shift meant to avoid the kind of backlash past roasts have triggered.
- The program includes a Katharine Graham Award for The Wall Street Journal’s reporting that referenced an alleged Epstein birthday card tied to Trump, a story he denies and sued over before a judge tossed the case this month.
- Hundreds of journalists and press‑freedom groups urged a visible rebuke of Trump’s press record, with some outlets skipping the sold‑out event as others still engage, including the AP inviting former White House aide Taylor Budowich as its guest.
- The tension reflects concrete policy clashes: the White House barred the Associated Press from major events over a naming dispute, the FBI searched a Washington Post reporter’s home before a judge curbed use of seized materials, and the Pentagon reworked press access after a court fight.