White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she will skip the annual White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner slated for late April this year.
“I will not be in attendance at the White House Correspondents’ dinner and that’s breaking news for the Sean Spicer Show,” Leavitt said during her Friday appearance on the show hosted by Sean Spicer, who served as President Trump’s first press secretary during his first term in office.
In early February, Leavitt, who is the youngest White House press secretary, told reporters that the White House had not ruled out the possibility of attending the April 26 dinner at the Washington Hilton.
“I have the president’s invitation on my desk. I have the invitation for myself on my desk as well. Haven’t talked to the president about it,” Leavitt said on Feb. 5.
“When he makes his decision, I will let you all know,” she added. “But definitely an interesting choice of a comedian. I’ll talk to the boss and see what we decide.”
The day before, on Feb. 4, the WHCA announced that comedian Amber Ruffin would be the entertainer at the dinner.
“She has the ability to walk the line between blistering commentary and humor all while provoking her audience to think about the important issues of the day. I’m thrilled and honored she said yes,” WHCA president Eugene Daniels said at the time.
Ruffin, who was a writer for NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers” has made jokes about the president before.
The “Have I Got News for You” personality said in an interview on CNN that “no one” wants Trump at the upcoming high-profile dinner.
“I mean, sure it’s something to do,” Ruffin said.
“I can’t imagine he would [attend]. He should. He’s missing out on one of the cool things about being the president of the United States. But I don’t know that anyone’s looking forward to being in the same room as him,” the comedian added. c
Leavitt’s decision also comes after the White House announced it would decide which journalists make up the pool covering the president instead of the WHCA last month, a move condemned by the organization and several press freedom groups.
Trump did not attend the WHCA dinners during his first Oval Office term, breaking with a tradition that goes back several administrations. His predecessor, former President Biden, attended all of the dinners during his four-year term.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
