Trump returns to White House Correspondents’ Association dinner with ‘fun night’ on tap
The article discusses the upcoming White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner, highlighting notable absences such as first Lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, while noting that White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller will attend. Miller expressed excitement for President Donald Trump’s speech, which is anticipated to be unifying yet vigorous. Trump was observed preparing for his address, and the event is scheduled with enhanced security measures, including private security firms to ensure safety following a past incident involving an alleged gunman. The dinner’s size has been reduced, and new security protocols require guests to register, present IDs, and undergo multiple security checks. Miller applauded law enforcement and Secret Service efforts for ensuring safety. Trump’s appearance coincides with the justice Department withdrawing subpoenas related to reporting on the new Air Force One, which was a gift from Qatar’s royal family.Trump defended his administration’s leak investigations, framing them as efforts against leakers rather than journalists, similar to actions taken during Obama’s presidency. The event is characterized by increased security, smaller crowds, and a focus on safety and order.
Although first lady Melania Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not be at the dinner, the likes of White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller will be.
Miller told reporters outside the West Wing Friday afternoon that he was “very excited” and “very much looking forward to” President Donald Trump’s address. Hours before the event, Trump was seen in “The Beast” reading through papers in seeming preparation for what the White House has billed as a “unifying yet vicious” speech.
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At the same time, Miller reflected on the circumstances surrounding the second dinner after the first was cut short by alleged gunman Cole Allen.
“[I’m] very grateful to law enforcement, very grateful to Secret Service, because I know they’ve [put] a lot of work into making sure this is going to be a safe event for everybody, where we can have fun, we can tell some jokes, and yes, believe it or not, we can celebrate all you guys, differences notwithstanding, and have a good, fun night,” he said.
To that end, as an added safety precaution, the White House Correspondents’ Association hired a private security firm to work with the Secret Service on the dinner.
“What will be different is the size,” former White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang, who organized the first dinner, told CSPAN, with the Waldorf Astoria’s ballroom, which Trump helped renovate, having a 700-odd-person capacity.
Jiang added that there were also “enhanced security measures,” including the assistance of a private security firm that has worked with the Secret Service.
“There are new measures that every single dinner guest has to take,” she said. “You didn’t have to register to come to the dinner, you didn’t have to provide your name or anything, and now every guest has to register and they’ll get a unique QR code and have to present that with a government issue photo ID just to get through the ticketing, and then they’ll have to go through layers of security to enter the ballroom.”
Trump’s appearance coincides with his Justice Department’s decision this week to withdraw subpoenas for information from New York Times reporters and their families regarding their reporting into security concerns related to the new Air Force One that was gifted to Trump by Qatar’s own royal family.
Trump defended his administration undertaking that leak investigation, comparing his actions to those of former President Barack Obama.
“We’re not after journalists,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Friday. “We’re after leakers. We’re after people that are cowards, people that are unpatriotic, people that are treasonous in many cases.”
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