White House Correspondents’ Dinner Rescheduled for July 24 with heightened security

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner has been rescheduled for Friday, July 24, and will take place at the Waldorf Astoria, formerly the Trump International Hotel, in Washington, D.C. The event, which begins at 7 p.m. local time, will feature a black-tie gala attended by journalists, politicians and celebrities, with tickets priced at $480 and proceeds supporting journalism awards and scholarships.

President Donald Trump, who previously called the dinner a “very good thing” and a “hot ticket,” is slated to attend and deliver remarks, though he will be accompanied by increased security measures. The association’s president, Weijia Jiang, said the decision to hold the dinner was made after “thoughtful consideration and input from our members” and emphasized that the organization will not allow the April violence to have “the last word.”

The venue change follows an armed attack on the original April gathering at the Washington Hilton, during which a gunman shot a Secret Service officer and attempted to reach the president. Security for the July event will be coordinated between a private firm and the Secret Service, with a single entrance, magnetometer screening and longer wait times for attendees.

Critics of the dinner have long questioned its purpose and optics, arguing that the close interaction between reporters and political elites may undermine journalistic impartiality. Former Columbia Journalism School dean Nicholas Lemann described the gathering as akin to a “Rotary Club meeting,” while Kelly McBride of the Poynter Institute called it an “outdated tradition” that harms journalism. The WHCA has retained mentalist Oz Pearlman as the evening’s performer, and the program will otherwise proceed as originally planned.

“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word,” Jiang said.

“Americans cannot allow lunatics to change our way of life,” Trump added.

The rescheduling is presented by organizers as a statement of defiance against political violence, even as tensions between the president and the press persist, highlighted by recent subpoenas of journalists and ongoing disputes over press freedom.