In a first as president, Trump says he’ll attend the White House correspondents’ dinner

[AP Photo]

President Donald Trump says he’ll attend this year’s White House Correspondent Association dinner on April 25, marking the first time he’s done so as commander-in-chief.

“The White House Correspondents Association has asked me, very nicely, to be the Honoree at this year’s Dinner, a long and storied tradition since it began in 1924, under then President Calvin Coolidge,” Trump posted on his social media site yesterday [Macau time]. He noted that the latest installment comes amid celebrations marking America’s 250th birthday, adding that it “will be my Honor to accept their invitation.”

Trump was invited annually, but never attended the dinner during his first term and also skipped last year’s gathering.

“For more than 100 years, the journalists of the White House Correspondents’ Association have enjoyed an evening with the president,” the association’s president, Weijia Jiang, said in a statement. “We’re happy the president has accepted our invitation and look forward to hosting him.”

The event was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but President Joe Biden attended each of the dinners during his term’s final three years. Every president since Coolidge had attended except Trump — until now.