‘Let the Show Go On’: Trump Calls for WHCD to Be Rescheduled

(SeaPRwire) –   President Donald Trump, whose relationship with the media has often been strained, was never a great enthusiast of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. He avoided the annual fundraising gala during his first term, an event where comedians have historically roasted the sitting Administration. However, he attended for the first time as President this past Saturday—only for the proceedings to be interrupted by gunfire. In the wake of the incident, Trump is now pushing for the event to be rescheduled.

Following an incident where a suspect, thought to be targeting the President—who has survived two prior assassination attempts—fired shots and was captured at the security perimeter of the Washington Hilton, Trump wrote on Truth Social: “I have recommended that we ‘LET THE SHOW GO ON’ but, will entirely be guided by Law Enforcement. They will make a decision shortly. Regardless of that decision, the evening will be much different than planned, and we’ll just, plain, have to do it again.”

In another post, he stated he had “spoken with all the representatives in charge of the event, and we will be rescheduling within 30 days.”

Addressing reporters later that night, some still dressed for the dinner, Trump reaffirmed his position: “We’re going to do it again.”

Speaking about the dinner, a non-governmental function organized by the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA), he declared, “We’re not going to let anybody take over our society. We’re not going to cancel things out.”

He repeated this sentiment to 60 Minutes on Sunday, saying, “I don’t want to see it be canceled. I don’t want to have a crazy person—I think it’s really bad for a crazy person to be able to cancel something like this.”

Whether there is a desire or the logistical capacity to hold a makeup dinner remains uncertain. WHCA President Weijia Jiang of CBS News acknowledged the President’s comments. In a separate social media statement, however, she noted the association’s board “will be meeting to assess what happened and determine how to proceed.”

Jacqui Heinrich of Fox News, the WHCA’s treasurer and its next President, told her network that the group has not had time to “coalesce around” a plan to execute the President’s directive.

Speaking of Jiang, whose term concludes in July, Heinrich said, “I am certain she wants to fulfill the President’s wish, to make this happen within 30 days.” However, she added, “I don’t know the ins and outs of how we could do that,” pointing to the significant coordination needed for the event.

In a Sunday appearance on Face the Nation, Jiang said Trump summoned her to his holding area after the shooting to convey that he “realized how important that night was.” She continued: “He told me that we were not going to be deterred.”

What is the White House Correspondents’ Dinner?

The WHCA has organized the dinner nearly every year since 1921. According to the association’s website, it serves as the “main source of revenue to finance all of our work, including support of the journalists working to cover the president, events and programs to educate the public about the value of the First Amendment and a free press, and scholarships to help the next generation of journalists.”

Previous Presidents have used the occasion to address the significance of a free press. The dinner has a tradition of featuring entertainers; this year’s invited performer was mentalist Oz Pearlman.

For decades, the event has taken place at the Washington Hilton, a hotel that opened in 1965. Located just over a mile from the White House, it is the venue for several high-profile gatherings, such as the First Lady’s Luncheon and the National Prayer Breakfast. It is also infamous as the location where former President Ronald Reagan was shot in an assassination attempt on the sidewalk outside in 1981, following an AFL-CIO speaking event.

Questions about security

Reorganizing the dinner on such short notice would be a major logistical undertaking even without heightened security worries. The shooting has intensified scrutiny over potential security lapses.

Some who attended have since criticized what they saw as insufficient security measures on Saturday. Senator John Fetterman (D, Pa.) posted on X that the Washington Hilton “wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government.” Kari Lake, a former Republican candidate for Arizona governor and U.S. Senate and a current senior adviser for the U.S. Agency for Global Media, wrote on social media that she was stunned by “how lax the security was,” recounting that “nobody asked to visibly INSPECT my ticket nor asked for my photo identification” upon entry.

The House Oversight Committee has subsequently asked the U.S. Secret Service for a briefing on the incident.

Citing anonymous officials, The Washington Post reported that the dinner was not granted the highest security designation, which similar events receive and which unlocks greater security resources, despite the attendance of the President, Vice President J.D. Vance, and other senior officials. Appearing on Meet the Press on Sunday, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “While this was extraordinarily dangerous and put a lot of lives at risk, and there’s no doubt that that’s something we’re going to have to learn from over the next couple weeks, the system worked.”