White House Correspondents’ Dinner rescheduled for July after shooting disruption
The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) has announced plans to hold another White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington, D.C., Qazinform News Agency reports.
In a letter to members, WHCA President Weijia Jiang announced that the annual dinner will be held on July 24 in Washington, saying the association had decided to move forward despite the shooting that disrupted the original event in April.
“We will not allow an act of violence to have the last word, especially during a year when we are reflecting on the 250th anniversary of America and everything we stand for,” Jiang wrote, adding that the rescheduled dinner would send a message that “violence has no place in American life and a free press will not be intimidated into silence.”
According to the WHCA, ticket holders from the original event will not be charged for attending the rescheduled dinner, while scholarship recipients will receive travel support.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that President Donald Trump was evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner after a shooting incident disrupted the event in April.