Secret Service in line of fire at WHCA shooting still unpaid due to Dem-led shutdown
A shooting near President Donald Trump and several Cabinet members Saturday night is putting a spotlight on the Secret Service’s funding shortfall amid an ongoing standoff in Congress. A gunman opened fire outside the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C., where celebrities, members of the press and administration officials had gathered, prompting a swift security response. The suspect is in custody and has not been identified. One Secret Service agent was reportedly shot in their protective vest but is uninjured. The incident unfolded near a security screening area, prompting a rapid response from Secret Service agents and law enforcement. The shooting comes amid a more than 60-day funding stalemate in Congress over the Department of Homeland Security — a lapse driven by Democrats blocking funding bills and rejecting multiple GOP-backed proposals to reopen the department. TRUMP RUSHED AWAY FROM WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER AS SHOTS FIRED The funding standoff centers on disputes over immigration enforcement policy and has raised concerns about resources for agencies including the Secret Service, FEMA and the U.S. Coast Guard. The Secret Service, which is responsible for protecting the president, vice president, their families and other senior U.S. officials, along with visiting heads of state, has faced growing demands in recent years. The incident adds to a growing list of threats against Trump, including two confirmed assassination attempts and a recent incident involving an armed intruder at Mar-a-Lago. DHS SHUTDOWN LOOMS OVER MAR-A-LAGO SHOOTING AS SECRET SERVICE AGENTS NEUTRALIZE ARMED SUSPECT Senate Democrats declined to fund DHS through regular appropriations earlier this year following a deadly January incident involving immigration officers, triggering a funding lapse that has now stretched beyond 60 days. Negotiations remain stalled. Democrats are seeking changes to DHS operations, while Republicans are relying on alternative funding to continue enforcement. Republicans are also considering funding the department for the remainder of Trump’s term through budget reconciliation, the same process used for immigration funding last year. The shooting also comes as the Secret Service faces increasing pressure during a high-threat election cycle. Last week, Secret Service Director Sean Curran warned lawmakers the agency is not adequately staffed to handle the demands of the upcoming FIFA World Cup, the 2028 Olympics and the 2028 presidential cycle, underscoring mounting concerns about staffing and resources. As more details emerge from the investigation into this latest shooting, questions continue to mount over whether the Secret Service has the resources needed to handle an increasingly complex threat environment.
Trump rushed from same hotel where Reagan assassination attempt unfolded in 1981
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the Washington Hilton ballroom Saturday night at the start of the White House Correspondents Dinner as shots rang out. Trump was swiftly whisked away amid the chaos and reported that he and the first lady, and his Cabinet members are safe on Truth Social. More than 40 years ago, the Washington Hilton was the site of the attempted assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981 — a striking historical parallel as Trump was rushed from the same hotel Saturday night after gunfire erupted. It remains unclear if Trump was targeted in the chaos on Saturday evening. John Hinckley Jr. fired six shots at Reagan after he delivered remarks to members of the AFL-CIO. One of the bullets ricocheted off the presidential limousine and struck Reagan in the chest. Secret Service agents pushed Reagan into a car and was quickly rushed to the George Washington University Hospital. He was famously known for being in good humor when he was about to undergo treatment. TRUMP ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT: SECRET SERVICE KNEW AIRSPACE PROTECTION WOULD END WITH FORMER PRESIDENT ONSTAGE Three other people were also hit, including press secretary James Brady, a police officer and a Secret Service agent. Brady was shot in the eye and suffered brain damage. He ultimately died in 2014, and law enforcement officials ruled his death a homicide due to its connection to the 1981 shooting. The hotel has since been dubbed by locals as the “Hinckley Hilton.” Hinckley was acquitted of attempting to assassinate the president as a result of an insanity defense. His attorneys pointed to his narcissistic personality disorder and referenced his obsession with the movie “Taxi Driver” and actress Jodie Foster as the inspiration for the attack. President Trump returned to the White House and is set to deliver a statement in the White House Briefing Room.
Trump shares details on ‘very sick person’ who fired shots at White House Correspondents’ Dinner
President Donald Trump held a press conference from the White House late on Saturday evening after he was rushed from the stage of the White House Correspondents Dinner during a shooting incident. Trump said the incident was “incredibly acted upon by Secret Service and law enforcement.” He said one Secret Service officer was shot at a “very close distance” but was wearing a “very good bulletproof vest.” The agent is in good condition. “He has very high spirits. And we told him we love him,” Trump said. FLASHBACK: OBAMA TRIED TO MAKE TRUMP A PUNCHLINE AT 2011 DINNER BEFORE RISE STUNNED WASHINGTON Trump added that the Washington Hilton, which hosted the dinner, is “not a particularly secure building” and said it underscored the need for a White House ballroom. “It’s much more secure. It’s got, it’s drone proof. It’s bulletproof glass. We need the ballroom. That’s why Secret Service, that’s why the military are demanding it.” Trump added that the ballroom where the dinner was held, however, was “very, very secure.” “The ballroom was sealed.” “[The suspect] charged from 50 yards away, so he was very far away from the room,” he told reporters. “He was really moving. And the reaction time was great. Boy, those guys, they had their guns drawn literally. By the time he was there, they were shooting.” Trump went on: “He had a long way to go. That was really a first line of defense. And they got him. And they really, you know, they acted incredibly.” He said the shooter is in custody and law enforcement is “asking him a lot of questions.” “My impression is that he was a lone wolf, a whack job.” He also called to mind the past two attempts on his life. “As you know, this is not the first time in the past couple of years that our republic has been attacked by a would-be assassin who sought to kill and Butler, Pennsylvania, less than two years ago. You know, although that story and in Palm Beach, Florida, a few months after that, we came close.” Trump said the gunman, who opened fire on the Secret Service after passing through the magnetometers near the Hilton ballroom with a weapon, is a “very sick person.” “I guess he lives in California, and he’s a sick person, a very sick person.” Trump earlier said he would leave the event, which would be rescheduled in 30 days. He said he “fought like hell to stay” but law enforcement insisted he leave as a security precaution. “Law Enforcement has requested that we leave the premises, consistent with protocol, which we will do, immediately. I will be giving a press conference in 30 minutes from the White House Press Briefing Room. The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition. We will be speaking to you in a half an hour. I have spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days,” Trump posted on Truth Social earlier on Saturday evening. “The president will be having a press briefing at the White House in 30 minutes. That is not a joke,” White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang said after the incident. She confirmed the dinner would be rescheduled. The FBI told Fox News that a gunman stormed through the main magnetometer near the entrance of the Washington Hilton ballroom and opened fire. A Secret Service agent was hit in the vest but is in stable condition. The counter-assault team neutralized the threat. Secret Service worked to determine whether there were any other threats and determined there were not, Fox News learned. The suspect is in custody, the Secret Service confirmed. Attendees reported hearing shouting, shots fired and several people took cover under tables as Secret Service agents escorted the president, the first lady, Cabinet secretaries and others at the head table out of the room. Secret Service agents moved into position at the head table with weapons drawn as they scanned the room. Protesters had gathered outside the Washington Hilton earlier in the evening, though it is unclear whether the two events are connected. Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., provided his own account of the incident on X: “Was just at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I was walking down the escalators from the lobby when, at the bottom of the escalators, 2 security people with guns were running through and yelling “watch out for crossfire.” I got behind a pillar with another person then slowly snuck out a back exit while hearing more commotion and police. Thank you to Secret Service, Capitol Police, DC Metropolitan Police and all law enforcement for their quick response.” Secret Service chief spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement: “The U.S. Secret Service, in coordination with the Metropolitan Police Department, is investigating a shooting incident near the main magnetometer screening area at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. The president and the first lady are safe along all protectees. One individual is in custody. The condition of those involved is not yet known, and law enforcement is actively assessing the situation.” KING CHARLES TO MEET MAMDANI IN NEW YORK DURING US STATE VISIT NEXT WEEK “I was really concerned. I heard shots and everyone jumped down,” Fox News’ Bret Baier, who attended the dinner, said. “Within seconds the place was filled with Secret Service agents, guns drawn. Trump was seen being quickly escorted out of the room by security and White House officials tell Fox News Digital both he, the First Lady and Karoline Leavitt are safe at this time. The incident marked the first violent disruption of the dinner that dates back more than a century. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, R-Fla., credited House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was shot and seriously wounded during a baseball game in 2017, with ushering him into a secure room. “I am at the #WHCD. I want to thank law enforcement, Capital police. I personally
King Charles to meet Mamdani in New York during US state visit next week
King Charles III will meet with New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his state visit to the U.S. next week, his office confirmed to Fox News Digital Saturday. The king and the mayor will attend a wreath-laying ceremony at the 9/11 memorial in New York City Wednesday. The meeting will come after the king is greeted by President Donald Trump at the White House after he arrives in Washington, D.C., on Monday. The king and Queen Camilla will join the president and first lady Melania Trump for a private tea at the White House soon after landing at Joint Base Andrews and receiving a military arrival ceremony. KING CHARLES’ ‘HIGH STAKES’ US VISIT TESTS HISTORIC ALLIANCE COULD SHAPE HIS REIGN: EXPERTS On Tuesday, the king and the president will meet, and Charles is expected to address Congress, the first British monarch to do so since his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in 1991. The evening will end with a state dinner at the White House before the king and queen leave for New York on Wednesday. “The mayor will not meet privately with King Charles,” Mamdani’s press secretary, Joe Calvello, told Fox News Digital. “He was invited to join a number of New York elected officials next week at a wreath laying at the 9/11 memorial with members of the British royal family.” CANADIAN PM CARNEY TO MEET TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE AFTER ELECTION INFLUENCED BY ANNEXATION THREATS Sixty-seven British citizens were killed on 9/11. The king will leave for his last stop, Virginia, on Thursday, where he’ll meet with indigenous and Appalachian cultural groups and attend a block party celebrating 250 years of American independence. KING CHARLES TO VISIT US IN LANDMARK TRIP MARKING AMERICA’S 250TH BIRTHDAY On Thursday, Trump told a BBC reporter he believes the king’s visit will “absolutely” ease current tensions between the U.S. and the U.K. that escalated over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to join Trump’s military action in Iran. “I know him well. I’ve known him for years. He’s a brave man, and he’s a great man,” Trump told the BBC, adding that the king and Camilla’s visit will “absolutely be a positive.” Trump made his last state visit to Britain in September, which included a state dinner at Windsor Castle.
Trump vows to ‘get to the bottom’ of Fed’s multibillion-dollar building renovation after probe shift
A day after U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro announced she had directed her office to close its investigation into the Federal Reserve over a building project, President Donald Trump said he wants to know what happened. “Well, I want to find out,” the president told reporters before boarding Air Force One at Palm Beach International Airport in Florida on Saturday after a reporters asked if he agreed with Pirro’s decision. “You know, it’s not dropped,” he continued. “They’re looking into the whole thing about the crisis. What I want, with the IG, what I want to look at is how can a building that I could have done for $25 million cost $4 billion? That’s a big thing.” Trump also mentioned Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, saying, “He was in charge.” TRUMP ADMIN URGES RESTORING BALLROOM CONSTRUCTION IN EMERGENCY MOTION: ‘TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE’ “So, we’ll get to the bottom of it,” he added. “Yeah, I think Jeanine is fantastic. And she worked with other people on that. I tell you, I want to find out. I have an obligation to find that — this was done during Biden, but I have an obligation to find out how does it — I would have done that building for $25 million and had money left over. And it would have been open a long time ago.” The Fed had an approved budget of $2.46 billion for the renovations but went over budget because of issues like more asbestos than expected and costs rising during the course of the renovation, the Fed says on its website. Pirro said Friday the Fed’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, would take over the investigation, moving it from the hands of federal prosecutors into those of a longtime government watchdog. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S FEDERAL RESERVE HQ PROBE ESCALATES WITH UNANNOUNCED SITE VISIT BY PROSECUTORS Powell was under investigation over statements he made to Congress related to the management of the renovation costs. Powell revealed in a video announcement in January that the Department of Justice had opened an investigation into the Fed, calling it an unprecedented attempt to use “intimidation” to force him to lower interest rates. In the lead-up to the investigation, Trump and Powell’s relationship had grown increasingly rocky as Trump became frustrated over interest rates and began targeting Powell, whom he nominated in 2017. Trump called Powell a “fool” and demanded in March that he drop rates “immediately.” Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has a background in finance and sits on the Senate Banking Committee, had vowed to block Kevin Warsh’s confirmation because of the DOJ’s investigation after Trump nominated Warsh to replace Powell, whose term expires May 15. Tillis had claimed the DOJ’s investigation was political and would improperly interfere with markets, and he accused Pirro of seeking “brownie points” with Trump by opening it. “It’s not cute,” Tillis said during a television interview in February. During Warsh’s confirmation hearing this week, Tillis told Warsh, who previously served on the Fed’s Board of Governors, that he had “extraordinary credentials” but that he could not vote to advance his nomination in the Senate until the DOJ ended its investigation. Horowitz, who will now investigate the Fed building renovation costs, has drawn a mix of praise and criticism from Republicans while serving as DOJ inspector general for more than a decade. He was one of the few high-profile inspectors general spared during Trump’s historic cull of government watchdogs last year and has found allies in key figures like House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio. Pirro closing the investigation could pave the way for Warsh’s nomination. Trump said he wanted to see the investigation through “for the country.” “It’s much tougher, much more expensive to build a hotel than an office,” the president said, mentioning his Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., that he sold in 2022 and was renamed the Waldorf Astoria. “I want to find out how can a building of that size cost for whatever it’s going to be. Nobody knows, by the way, what it’s going to be. Kevin is going to be fantastic. Kevin Warsh, he may never get to be in that building.” Trump told reporters that his nomination should now go smoothly, “but whether it is or not, somebody has to find out why that building that should have cost $25 million is costing billions of dollars. And you know why they have to find it out? For other buildings, because that’s not the only one. I think that’s the most egregious example.” Fox News’ Ashley Oliver and Alex Nitzberg contributed to this report.
CVS disputes Planned Parenthood’s ‘strategic partnership’ claim as report language changes; critics push back
CVS is disputing a Planned Parenthood claim of a “strategic partnership” on abortion pill access after the organization’s website no longer includes language that previously referenced such a relationship. “The team that manages our reproductive health program is unaware of anything related to that organization beyond standard abortifacient dispensing for individuals with prescriptions,” a CVS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. The company added that it “do[es] not have a formal partnership with Planned Parenthood of Greater New York beyond filling prescriptions.” CVS added it did not indicate any agreement or coordination with Planned Parenthood beyond dispensing legally prescribed medication. ABORTION PILL MIFEPRISTONE STAYS AVAILABLE BY MAIL FOR NOW AS FDA FACES 6-MONTH REVIEW DEADLINE “There’s a little bit of mystery here,” Shawn Carney, president of 40 Days for Life, told Fox News Digital. “CVS is for sure downplaying their role,” he added. “They say they’re just distributing abortion pills — that’s exactly what Planned Parenthood wants them to do.” But Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s annual report previously described a “strategic partnership with CVS,” stating that patients can “pick up the abortion pill from their local pharmacies.” That language was removed from the report as of April 24, 2026. SUPREME COURT DIVIDED OVER STATE EFFORT TO DEFUND PLANNED PARENTHOOD “Through our strategic partnership with CVS, patients can now pick up the abortion pill from their local pharmacies, allowing them to experience abortion care, with the supportive guidance of our expert clinicians, in the comfort of their homes,” the report previously stated. The report also stated that patients can pick up medication abortion prescriptions at CVS pharmacies. Carney said he believes the arrangement would mark a first of its kind. “This would make CVS the first publicly traded company in the United States to distribute abortion pills,” he said. CVS maintains its role is limited to standard prescription dispensing, where permitted. PLANNED PARENTHOOD ATTACKS HAWLEY EFFORT TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL OF MIFEPRISTONE Planned Parenthood of Greater New York, however, did not directly address its use of the term “strategic partnership.” “PPGNY makes strategic decisions about its operations and its association with various companies, partners and organizations,” a spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement. “We are happy our patients are able to fill their abortion pill prescriptions at local pharmacies, including CVS, which expands access to critical healthcare.” Planned Parenthood of Greater New York’s report appears to have been updated between April 23 and April 24. Fox News Digital contacted the organization for comment during that same timeframe. A version of the report viewed by Fox News Digital April 23 described a “strategic partnership with CVS,” while the current version, as of April 24, no longer includes that language. The organization did not address the change in its statement. Medication abortion, which typically involves a two-drug regimen, has increasingly been offered via telehealth in recent years after the FDA expanded access around the COVID-19 pandemic. Mifepristone also remains under federal scrutiny. The FDA said as of April 2026 that it was conducting a safety study on the drug and had received reports of serious adverse events, including deaths, in patients associated with mifepristone while also saying those events cannot be definitively attributed to the drug. “Nobody wants to go to their CVS and buy a Snickers bar and buy their milk and think, ‘Oh, they’re distributing abortion pills through the drive-thru,’” Carney told Fox News Digital. “That’s not what we want.” Planned Parenthood reported performing 19,673 medication abortions in its most recent fiscal year.
Winery belonging to Ilhan Omar’s husband shut down amid financial spotlight
A California winery partially owned by the husband of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., abruptly shut down in early April as House Republicans scrutinized Omar’s net worth. Omar’s financial disclosures show Tim Mynett owns a stake in eStCru Wines, a California wine business that shut down as of April 4, according to California business records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon. “Ilhan Omar has spent her entire career covering up Democrat-enabled fraud that cost taxpayers billions, so it’s no surprise that she would do the same for her husband,” Republican National Committee spokeswoman Delanie Bomar told Fox News Digital. ILHAN OMAR VINEGAR ATTACKER CHANGES PLEA AFTER CHAOTIC ONSTAGE RUSH “Voters see right through the corrupt lies of Ilhan Omar and her Democrat colleagues, and they’ll pay the consequences of their crimes at the ballot box this November.” The shutdown comes amid a House Oversight Committee probe into Omar’s finances, with her husband’s assets a major area of focus. “Financial disclosure forms, filed by your wife Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, show eStCru LLC and Rose Lake Capital LLC, which you hold ownership stakes in, went from being worth as much as $51,000 in 2023 to as much as $30 million in 2024,” House Oversight Chair James Comer, R-Ky., wrote to Mynett in a February letter. “Given that these companies do not publicly list their investors or where their money comes from, this sudden jump in value raises concerns that unknown individuals may be investing to gain influence with your wife.” JAMES COMER RAISES FELONY QUESTIONS OVER ILHAN OMAR’S FINANCES AFTER DISCLOSURE DISCREPANCY Comer requested documents and communications related to eStCru and Rose Lake Capital LLC, a Washington, D.C.-based venture capital firm Mynett co-founded in 2022. Mynett, a political consultant, started eStCru Wines in 2021. Omar’s 2025 financial disclosures listed her husband’s stake in eStCru as worth between $1 million and $5 million, a significant jump from the $15,001 to $50,000 her 2023 disclosures listed. Comer pointed to the discrepancy in the disclosure forms in his letter, but Omar brushed it aside as an accounting error. “The original filing was based on incomplete information from Mr. Mynett’s businesses’ accountants in good faith and deference to professional judgment. It listed assets without liabilities, and it significantly overstated her husband’s net worth. The accounting error created a misleading picture of far greater wealth,” a spokesperson for Omar told the Minnesota Star Tribune. After amending her disclosures, Omar claims that the value of her and her husband’s assets is between $18,004 and $95,000 and not, as originally reported, between $6 million and $30 million. “The amended disclosure confirms what we’ve said all along: The congresswoman is not a millionaire,” Omar’s communications director, Jacklyn Rogers, told The Wall Street Journal. Fox News Digital contacted Omar and the House Oversight Committee for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Trump cancels Witkoff, Kushner’s Pakistan trip for Iran talks, says regime is suffering from ‘infighting’
President Donald Trump revealed to Fox News Saturday he unilaterally canceled U.S. negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner’s planned trip to Pakistan for talks with Iran. The president said in an exclusive interview with Fox News’ White House correspondent Aishah Hasnie it’s not worth the U.S. delegation making the 18-hour flight to Pakistan when the U.S. holds all the cards in the conflict with Iran. “I’ve told my people a little while ago they were getting ready to leave, and I said, ‘Nope, you’re not making an 18-hour flight to go there. We have all the cards. They can call us anytime they want, but you’re not going to be making any more 18-hour flights to sit around talking about nothing,’” Trump said. “And I canceled the trip, and I said, ‘Anytime they want to phone us, we’re ready, willing and able, but we’re not going to waste a lot of time,’” Trump told Fox News. LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP CANCELS US TRIP TO PAKISTAN FOR IRAN NEGOTIATIONS Then, in a post on Truth Social, Trump said Iran is suffering from “tremendous infighting and confusion within their ‘leadership.’” “Nobody knows who is in charge, including them,” Trump wrote. U.S. special envoy Witkoff and Kushner, who is Trump’s son-in-law, were supposed to travel to Pakistan this weekend for the second round of U.S.-Iran negotiations during Operation Epic Fury. US TURNS TO DRONES AFTER RETIRING MINESWEEPERS TO REOPEN STRAIT OF HORMUZ Prior to the cancellation, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Friday, “We’ve certainly seen some progress from the Iranian side in the last couple of days” regarding a potential deal to end the conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Saturday to meet with Pakistan’s prime minister. “Very fruitful visit to Pakistan, whose good offices and brotherly efforts to bring back peace to our region we very much value,” he said on X after the trip. “Shared Iran’s position concerning workable framework to permanently end the war on Iran. Have yet to see if the U.S. is truly serious about diplomacy.” Vice President JD Vance was supposed to travel to Pakistan earlier this week for a second round of talks, but he was called back to the White House for meetings, and the trip was postponed indefinitely. Vance, Witkoff and Kushner were in Pakistan earlier this month for the first round of talks with the Iranians, but no deal was reached after their in-person meeting.
FLASHBACK: Obama tried to make Trump a punchline at 2011 dinner before rise stunned Washington
President Donald Trump will attend the White House Correspondents‘ Dinner Saturday, marking his first appearance at the annual event as commander in chief after skipping it throughout his first term. The decision puts Trump back at a Washington ritual long tied to his fraught relationship with the press and political establishment. His return also revives memories of the 2011 dinner, when President Barack Obama and comedian Seth Meyers mocked Trump from the dais in a moment that later became a widely discussed part of Trump’s political story. “Donald Trump is here tonight,” Obama said at the 2011 dinner. “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. HOLLYWOOD TAKES SHOTS AT TRUMP WHILE CELEBRATING CONAN O’BRIEN AMID KENNEDY CENTER SHAKE-UP “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?” he continued. Trump had publicly called for the release of Obama’s birth certificate, which the State of Hawaii did release that year. The exchange underscored longstanding tensions between Trump and the Washington establishment that predated his entry into politics. Speculation mounted that the jabs helped fuel Trump’s eventual decision to launch a presidential run, culminating in a stunning upset victory in 2016. Trump denied that Obama’s 2011 jokes prompted his candidacy, telling The Washington Post in 2016 that “there are many reasons I’m running, but that’s not one of them.” PRESIDENT-ELECT DONALD TRUMP RECEIVES THE ‘PATRIOT OF THE YEAR’ AWARD AT FOX NATION’S PATRIOT AWARDS “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,” comedian Seth Meyers added when he took the podium that night. Trump told Fox News’ “The Five” earlier this year he was treated “rudely and crudely” during the dinner, which he said influenced his decision not to attend while he was first in office. “The press was so nasty, I just – so I didn’t do it,” said Trump. TRUMP SAYS TRANSGENDER BATHROOM DEBATE LESS IMPORTANT THAN OTHER ISSUES He once again denied it was the 2011 dinner that sparked his interest in running for office. “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,” said Trump. WHCA PRESIDENT OPENS DINNER HIGHLIGHTING TRUMP’S ABSENCE AND ‘EXTREMELY DIFFICULT’ YEAR FOR THE PRESS Trump announced he would attend this year’s dinner as part of America’s 250th birthday celebration. The first lady will join him. “The White House Correspondents Association very nicely asked the President to join them at their annual dinner this year as the honoree, which he gladly accepted,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle previously told Fox News Digital. Trump did not attend during his first term due to a contentious relationship with the media at the height of coverage of the Russia investigation. The banquet was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic and revived in 2022 during President Biden’s administration. Trump also did not attend last year.
Trump to headline 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner for the first time as president
President Trump is attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Saturday for the first time as commander-in-chief — after boycotting the annual event last year and each year during his first term. The dinner will take place on Saturday, April 25, at the Washington Hilton. “The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump posted on his Truth Social last month, adding that it would be his “Honor to accept their invitation.” TRUMP’S RETURN TO THE WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER MARKS A POLITICAL JOURNEY COMING FULL CIRCLE The White House Correspondents’ Association’s president, Weijia Jiang said that they were “happy” with the president’s decision to attend. “For more than 100 years, the journalists of the White House Correspondents’ Association have enjoyed an evening with the president,” Jiang said in a statement last month. “We’re happy the president has accepted our invitation and look forward to hosting him.” DAN RATHER AMONG 200 JOURNALISTS DEMANDING TRUMP BE CALLED OUT AT WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ DINNER The president had skipped the event in years past, saying that decision was due to the press being “extraordinarily bad” to him. Despite the annual invitation and Trump’s acceptance, hundreds of journalists are going after the president, having signed an open letter urging the White House Correspondents’ Association to call out the president and “forcefully demonstrate opposition” to his “efforts to trample freedom of the press.” “The dinner has long served as a symbol of the vital and irreplaceable role of a free press in American democracy and a celebration of the First Amendment and the journalists who uphold it. President Trump’s systematic, sustained, and unprecedented attacks on the free press… render his presence at such an event a profound contradiction of its purpose,” the open letter reads. “The collective weight of the administration’s actions — retaliatory access bans, coercive regulatory investigations, frivolous lawsuits against the press, defunding of public broadcasting, dismantling of international broadcasting, physical restrictions on journalists, personal verbal attacks on reporters, assaults on the media in official White House press releases and social media posts, the arrest of journalists, and the pardoning of those who committed violence against the press — represent the most systematic and comprehensive assault on freedom of the press by a sitting American president.” TRUMP ACCEPTS WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS’ ASSOCIATION DINNER INVITATION FOR THE FIRST TIME AS PRESIDENT Notable signatories on the letter are former CBS News anchor Dan Rather, former ABC News White House correspondent Sam Donaldson, former NBC News anchor Ann Curry and PBS NewsHour correspondent Stephanie Sy. A spokesperson for the White House simply pointed to Trump’s Truth Social post announcing he was attending the dinner when previously asked about the open letter. CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST MEDIA AND CULTURE NEWS Trump did attend the event as a private citizen in 2011 during the Obama administration. Then-President Barack Obama made a joke about Trump during that event saying: “Say what you will about Mr. Trump, he certainly would bring some change to the White House. Let’s see what we’ve got up there.” Obama then featured an image of the White House with a neon sign that said “Trump White House Hotel Casino Golf Course” with gold columns and a chandelier. But during his second term, Trump has actually taken to remodeling the White House— with a new ballroom under construction and his addition of gold molding to the Oval Office. Fox News’ Joseph Wulfsohn contributed to this report.