The White House Correspondents’ Association will reschedule the annual gala honoring press and scholarship recipients to late July, after a shooter cut its main event short in April.
White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang shared online that she was “proud” the dinner would now be held on July 24.
“Our first dinner is part of history, as will be the WHCA’s response,” said Jiang, who works as a CBS News correspondent. “We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on America 250 and everything we stand for.”
President Donald Trump reacted to the news on Tuesday afternoon and confirmed he would be in attendance.
“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. “I was asked to be there, and speak, by Weijia Jiang, President of The White House Correspondents’ Association, and have accepted.”
Trump then reiterated a point he made after the shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, was detained by law enforcement. Trump said he is unsure if he will give the remarks he originally planned. The dinner is typically used to poke fun at journalists and politicos in attendance, all while celebrating the freedom of the press.
“I don’t 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,” Trump said. “In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!”
Trump announced that the event will now be held at the Waldorf Astoria, which was formerly the Trump International Hotel, in Washington, D.C.
WHCD shooter charged with attempting to assassinate Trump
Allen, the 31-year-old accused of targeting Trump and other administration officials at the dinner, pleaded not guilty last month to all charges against him, including attempting to assassinate the president.
The California-native’s most serious charge — attempting to assassinate the president — carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. Other charges include the transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with the intent to commit a felony.
Trump and other Cabinet officials were quickly evacuated after hearing gunshots. Allen allegedly charged through Secret Service outside the dinner before being apprehended. Several shots were exchanged between officers and Allen, resulting in one hospitalized officer who was shot in the chest. That officer was wearing a bullet-proof vest and has since recovered.
The president initially wanted the event to continue, but due to security protocol, the dinner was canceled, and he vowed to have it rescheduled. He spoke from the White House Briefing Room shortly after the shooting and criticized the Washington Hilton for the lack of security. Allen’s belongings were in a room in the hotel, and he checked in a day before the event.
In the manifesto Allen sent to family members, he wrote that his main targets were Trump administration officials, but he was willing to “go through most everyone” to get to them.
Trump and several others have reasoned that the hotel’s security shortcomings warrant the new White House ballroom. The administration is also reviewing its own security protocols since so many high-ranking officials were in attendance for the dinner. The shooting marks the third assassination attempt against Trump.
Allen’s defense attorneys said he would not be seeking to get out of jail before his trial starts. His public defender asked for U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and acting Attorney General Todd Blanche to be disqualified from trial since they were in the ballroom when the shooting happened.
The Justice Department has until June 22 to respond.
