WHCA buzz reaches fever pitch as Trump set to attend for first time as president

As President Trump gets ready to take center stage at the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) dinner for the first time, Washington insiders and event organizers say the buzz and excitement surrounding the annual event is through the roof.

A topsy-turvy political climate — including the war in Iran, fights over press freedom and access, affordability concerns and the midterm elections on the horizon — isn’t dimming this year’s celebration, attendees say.

“There is more energy around this dinner than ever before,” said Tammy Haddad, the CEO of Haddad Media and founder of the Washington AI Network.

“I think President Trump has brought that to every major political event in the last decade,” added Haddad, who is co-hosting her long-running Garden Brunch on Saturday in Georgetown ahead of the dinner.

The dinner, which dates to 1921, largely supports the WHCA’s journalism scholarships and typically includes punchy remarks from the president, followed by an entertainer who closes out the night with roastlike zingers.

This year’s performer at the sold-out dinner, mentalist Oz Pearlman, is a break from the late-night TV hosts and comedians who have headlined the gala in recent times. The last time Trump was seen at the dinner was in 2015 — when he told ITK there that “nothing is easy in life” — just weeks before launching his first White House bid.

After bucking tradition throughout his first term and boycotting the dinner, Trump announced last month that he’s planning to attend the annual gathering of journalists, lawmakers and celebrities Saturday at the Washington Hilton hotel.

“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!” Trump — who’s frequently sparred with and used heated rhetoric against the press over the years — said in a Truth Social post in March.

Hundreds of journalists signed an open letter this week urging their colleagues to “use the occasion of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner to forcefully demonstrate opposition to President Trump’s efforts to trample freedom of the press.”

In a statement shared with ITK, WHCA President Weijia Jiang said the dinner........

© The Hill