WH teases Trump's 'unifying yet vicious' speech at rescheduled correspondents' dinner
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump is returning to the rescheduled White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) Dinner with the White House promising remarks that will be both "unifying yet vicious."
The event comes months after an alleged assassination attempt forced the original dinner to be evacuated. Trump is also expected to briefly address that night during his speech.
White House previews Trump's remarks
The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner is being held Friday night at Washington's Waldorf Astoria after the April event was abruptly canceled when prosecutors say a heavily armed man rushed through a security checkpoint in an apparent effort to reach the ballroom.
Previewing Trump's appearance, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News on Friday, July 24, "The president's speech will be a combination of unifying yet vicious, and serious yet hilarious, all at the same time, if you can imagine that."
"One thing I can assure you, it will be entertaining," she added.
A senior White House official also told the outlet that "it's safe to say" Trump will "briefly address" the April violence. The official said the president is also expected to use some of the jokes prepared for the original dinner that he never got to deliver.
After the April evacuation, Trump acknowledged he had planned to take aim at the press.
"I don't know if I could ever be as rough as I was going to be tonight," he said at the White House shortly afterward. "I think I'm going to be probably very nice. I'll be very boring the next time, but we're going to have a great event."
Dinner returns under tighter security
Friday's gathering has been moved from the Washington Hilton, where the event had been held since 1972, to the smaller Waldorf Astoria, whose 700-person ballroom is roughly one-quarter the size of the Hilton's main event space.
Prosecutors allege Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, exchanged gunfire with law enforcement after rushing past security.
Allen has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including attempting to assassinate the president. Prosecutors also allege he left a note saying he was targeting administration officials.
The dinner will honor Secret Service officer Victor Gonzales, who was shot during the attack.
"Officer Gonzales played a significant role when he ran toward danger so that thousands of others could make it home safely," the WHCA said. "His courage stemmed from a dedication to service, which we are looking forward to honoring this week."
WHCA president Weijia Jiang told CSPAN the program is "very much the same" as originally planned, though "what will be different is the size. It's a much more intimate gathering."
Media tensions remain in focus
The dinner, traditionally billed as a celebration of the First Amendment, returns as relations between the White House and the media remain strained.
Ahead of the event, hundreds of journalists signed a letter urging the WHCA to publicly challenge what they called the administration's "egregious" actions.
"We believe it is hypocritical to celebrate the First Amendment in front of the man who relentlessly attacks it," the letter said, urging the association to "condemn the administration's actions from the podium and pledge to fight all attempts by his administration to undermine this core pillar of a functioning democracy."
The administration has pushed back on that criticism.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said after the April attack that "many people in this room, if we're going to be honest about it, have done it," arguing media "rhetoric" had contributed to the country's climate of political violence.
