NYT White House correspondent urges rethink of annual journalists' dinner after Trump’s remarks
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Peter Baker, the New York Times’ chief White House reporter, called on the White House Correspondents Association to reconsider its annual dinner after President Trump delivered jokes targeting the press at the event.
President Donald Trump attended the White House Correspondents Association’s annual dinner on Friday, delivering a series of jokes aimed at journalists and media outlets. The event, which traditionally includes awards for reporting, featured recognitions for stories critical of the president, including coverage of his past ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
New York Times chief White House correspondent Peter Baker posted on X that the dinner “did not advance” the mission to protect First Amendment rights and suggested the association “rethink the dinner.” Baker, a longtime member of the association, added that the paper had stopped sending reporters to the event nearly two decades ago, except when a journalist won an award.
Baker also shared a comment from his wife, journalist Susan Glasser, who wrote that if journalists do not defend press freedoms, it is difficult to expect others to do so.
Trump’s remarks included a comment about CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins and a claim that media outlets would struggle after his presidency. The president had previously boycotted the dinner but returned for a recent ceremony that was interrupted by a shooting attempt earlier in the year.
The dinner is intended to raise funds for journalism scholarships, and the White House Correspondents Association awarded Baker a prize for “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure” two years ago for his reporting on Joe Biden’s visit to Israel.