Donald Trump will be returning the White House Correspondents' Dinner, after years of boycotting the event and attacking journalists for their reporting on him.
According to reporting from Status's Oliver Darcy and analysis from The Atlantic's Paul Farhi, some of the president's most controversial appointees will also be there to cheer him on, courtesy of recently Trump-friendly Paramount and CBS.
CBS News has invited Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Trump advisor Stephen Miller, as special guests, despite their combative relationships with the press.
FCC Chair Brendan Carr, described by Darcy as Trump's "lapdog," will attend as a guest of Paramount, CBS News' parent company, occupying a separate table.
"After declining all invitations to the event throughout his years in office, President Trump informed the White House Correspondents' Association last month that he would be attending this year's dinner," Farhi wrote. "His surprising decision sets up a bizarre dynamic: On Saturday night, the president will break bread with the same people he's spent a decade calling 'fake' and 'enemies of the people.'"
Farhi suggested Trump's sudden change of heart reveals a hint of desperation. "I think he's recognizing he only has so many more chances to do the things a president can do," a WHCA insider told him.
"The evening is promoted as a celebration of journalism and the First Amendment, but it has always been a bit of an embarrassment. These aren't the best of times for White House correspondents or, for that matter, the First Amendment. And this year's gala figures to be even more awkward and embarrassing than usual," Farhi wrote.
Former WHCA President George Condon explained Trump's broader strategy: "In his second term, Trump is determined to 'own' every organization that opposed him or embarrassed him in his first term."
"The Correspondents' Dinner has never been known for the quality of its food. For the reporters and editors in attendance, this year's meal might be particularly hard to stomach," The Atlantic columnist predicted.
