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Dinner Set for July 24
The White House Correspondents’ Association announced it will reschedule its annual press dinner for July 24 after a shooting disrupted the initial event at the Washington Hilton in April.
WHCA president Weijia Jiang said in an email to members that the rescheduled event would be a "more intimate gathering" with "significantly enhanced safety measures and new access procedures."
President Donald Trump accepted an invitation to speak at the July 24 dinner and wrote on Truth Social, "This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling."
Trump said the dinner will take place at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C., which CNN and CBS News described as formerly the Trump International Hotel, and the rescheduled event will follow the April 25 disruption when Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Cabinet officials were evacuated.
Police identified the suspect as Cole Allen, a 31-year-old who they said traveled from California to Washington, D.C., by train and was staying at the hotel where the press dinner was to take place.
Security, Evacuation, and Charges
During April’s dinner, Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and members of the Cabinet were escorted from the Washington Hilton’s ballroom after a gunman opened fire in a nearby hallway, while journalists and VIPs took cover under tables.
Jiang said the decision to reschedule was "not automatic" and made "after thoughtful consideration and input from our members," and she said the July dinner would be a “more intimate gathering” with bolstered security.
Trump praised the rescheduled event in a Truth Social post, writing, "This announcement is a very good thing in that we cannot allow Lunatics to change our way of life, or even its scheduling," after the April event was halted by a shooting incident.
The man accused of running past Secret Service with loaded firearms and knives in an attempt to kill Trump during April’s dinner has pleaded not guilty to four charges, according to CNN.
Forbes reported that Trump said he does not yet know “whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,” and that he called the July 24 dinner a “'HOT' ticket!”
What Comes Next for WHCA
The WHCA said it has raised funds to cover the costs of the second dinner for members who initially purchased tickets for April, and it also planned financial support for scholarship winners who would travel back to Washington for recognition.
“The traditional White House Correspondents' Dinner, suspended in late April following an attempted assassination of its protagonist, Donald Trump, has a new date: both Weijia Jiang, president of the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA), and the U”
Jiang framed the rescheduled dinner as a statement against violence, saying it “will be a statement that violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.”
Trump’s Truth Social post tied the rescheduling to his broader message, writing, "In a sign of Strength and Fortitude, it was just announced that The White House Correspondents' Dinner" will be rescheduled to July 24th.
The suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen in multiple outlets, was charged with attempting to assassinate the president, assaulting a federal law enforcement officer with a deadly weapon, and two firearms offenses, and CBS News said he was hit in his bulletproof vest but was not seriously injured.
Time Magazine reported that the April dinner ended after a gunman charged a security checkpoint and exchanged fire with officers before he was apprehended, and it said the suspect is facing multiple charges including attempting to assassinate the President.
