Trump's return to White House Correspondents' Dinner marks political journey coming full circle
Buried in a news cycle dominated by the military strikes on Iran carried out by the U.S. and Israel, President Donald Trump announced Monday that he had accepted an invitation from the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) to attend its annual dinner next month.
"The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge," Trump wrote on Truth Social.
"In honor of our Nation’s 250th Birthday, and the fact that these 'Correspondents' now admit that I am truly one of the Greatest Presidents in the History of our Country, the G.O.A.T., according to many, it will be my Honor to accept their invitation, and work to make it the GREATEST, HOTTEST, and MOST SPECTACULAR DINNER, OF ANY KIND, EVER!"
DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall suggested that while Trump's view of the press remains unchanged, he's savvy enough to use the dinner to his political advantage, especially ahead of the midterms.
"Trump is battling to maintain poll numbers, and he also needs broader public support heading into the midterms, so engaging the media, and, by extension, the public, serves his purposes," McCall told Fox News Digital.
The White House Correspondents' Dinner (WHCD), the annual banquet that celebrates the First Amendment and gives scholarships to journalism students, was once a non-partisan event where the president and reporters can break bread and put tensions aside while being entertained by some high-profile performer — usually a comedian.
Trump famously boycotted what's been dubbed "nerd prom" during his first term, as well as last year's during the first year of his second term. But his return this year will mark his political journey coming in full circle as many believe the WHCD in 2011 is what truly fueled his aspirations to seek the Oval Office.
The last time Trump attended the WHCD was when the country only knew him as a celebrity real estate mogul and host of "The Apprentice." However, Trump had also been generating headlines for his outspoken skepticism that President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. and called for the release of his birth certificate. Days before the 2011 WHCD, the State of Hawaii released Obama's long-form birth certificate proving his citizenship.
"Donald Trump is here tonight," Obama said to the room filled with the Washington elite. "Now I know he's taken some flak lately, but no one is happier, no one is prouder to put this birth certificate matter to rest than The Donald. And that's because he could finally get back to focusing on the issues that matter — like, did we fake the moon landing? What really happened in Roswell? And where are Biggie and Tupac?"
"All kidding aside, obviously we all know about your credentials and breadth of experience," Obama further jabbed at Trump before poking fun at his "Celebrity Apprentice" gig and mocking the "change" he'd bring to the White House, suggesting he'd overhaul it into a hotel and casino.
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Liberal comedian Seth Meyers then took to the podium to roast Trump.
"Donald Trump has been saying that he will run for president as a Republican, which is surprising since I just assumed he'd be running as a joke," Meyers quipped, sparking huge laughs from the audience as the camera was aimed at a stern-faced Trump.
"Gary Busey said recently that Donald Trump would make a great president. Of course, he said the same thing about an old, rusty birdcage he found," Meyers later continued. "Donald Trump recently said that he has a great relationship with the Blacks, though unless the Blacks are a family of White people, I bet he's mistaken."
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In addition to mocking his hair and accent, Meyers joked that while he wouldn't be a "good choice for president," he'd "definitely make a great press secretary."
"How much fun would that be? 'Kim Jong-Il is a loser. His latest rally was a flop. I feel bad for Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The man wears a windbreaker. He has no class. I, on the other hand, sell my own line of ties. You can find them at Macy's in the flammable section,'" Meyers said while impersonating Trump.
After an evening of facing intense ridicule by Obama and Meyers, Trump ultimately earned the last laugh when he shocked the nation by winning the presidency in 2016.
Trump would forgo attending the WHCD during his first term as he had a contentious relationship with the press during the height of Russiagate. Despite his absence, the WHCA carried on with its annual event and had increasingly far-left comedians perform like Hasan Minhaj in 2017 and Michelle Wolf in 2018.
Wolf's vicious personal attacks towards then-White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who attended the event representing the Trump administration, drew so much backlash that the WHCA chose not to invite a comedian the following year, instead tapping a historian to be the marquee speaker.
The WHCD faced a two-year hiatus due to the COVID pandemic and was revived in 2022 for the remainder of the Biden presidency. The WHCA returned to its Rolodex of liberal comedians like Trevor Noah, Roy Wood Jr. and Colin Jost.
After returning to office in 2025, Trump decided once again to skip the WHCD. For last year's banquet, the WHCA initially had anti-Trump comedian Amber Ruffin slated as its featured entertainer but was dropped after the White House put a spotlight on her comments previewing her monologue calling the administration "a bunch of murderers" and denied that they're "human beings."
Days before Trump announced he had accepted the invitation, the WHCA announced that mentalist Oz Pearlman would be headlining the dinner, not another far-left comedian.
"The White House Correspondents Association very nicely asked the President to join them at their annual dinner this year as the Honoree, which he gladly accepted," White House spokesman Davis Ingle told Fox News Digital.
"President Trump is the most transparent and accessible President in American history," he added. "The American people have never had a more direct and authentic relationship with a President of the United States than they have with President Trump."