After April attack, Trump to attend rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner
U.S. President Donald Trump is set to attend the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) Dinner in Washington on Friday, nearly three months after the annual event was interrupted by an armed suspect, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The dinner, originally held on April 25, was interrupted when a gunman attempted to breach the security perimeter outside the Washington Hilton ballroom. Law enforcement, including U.S. Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales, stopped the suspect before the suspect could enter the venue. Gonzales was shot in his protective vest while confronting the attacker.
The WHCA said the rescheduled event will include enhanced security and new access procedures.
The dinner will include the remainder of the original program, featuring a salute to the First Amendment as the United States marks the 250th anniversary of independence; recognition of journalism award recipients and scholarship winners; remarks by President Trump; and entertainment from mentalist Oz Pearlman.
This Friday at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, we will present WHCA President’s service awards to the USSS officer who was shot and to the Hilton staff. We are deeply grateful to all law enforcement and the hotel team for their actions in April.https://t.co/QjWBhLK8vP
— Weijia Jiang (@weijia) July 21, 2026
The association will also present its President’s Award for Exceptional Service to Secret Service Police Officer Victor Gonzales and the Washington Hilton staff for their actions during the April incident.
“The WHCA appreciates their professionalism and commitment to service, which was on full display on April 25th. Every member of the team deserves to be recognized for their dedication,” WHCA Association President Weijia Jiang said.
The WHCA honors Washington Hilton employees who assisted guests during the evacuation and arranged the donation of more than 2,000 unserved meals to local shelters after the event was canceled.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that WHCA President Weijia Jiang announced the annual dinner would be held on July 24 in Washington, adding that the association had decided to proceed despite the shooting that disrupted the original event in April.
