President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak Friday, July 24, at the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Waldorf Astoria in Washington, D.C. The event follows a security breach in April where an armed gunman attempted to assassinate the president at the original venue, the Washington Hilton. It was President Trump’s first time attending the event while in office.
The rescheduled gala begins at 8 p.m. ET on Friday, nearly three months after a gunman disrupted the original proceedings. This iteration of the event is significantly smaller in scale; while the April event invited 2,600 guests, the Waldorf Astoria ballroom will host approximately 680 people due to space and cost constraints. The Waldorf Astoria is located on Pennsylvania Avenue.
Waldorf Astoria Security and Threat Levels
The shift to a smaller venue comes alongside heightened security and new access procedures. The White House Correspondents’ Association President noted that Friday’s gathering will be smaller and will include new guest access procedures. U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran indicated that the current security posture is a response to global instability.
We are in a heightened level of a threat environment right now,
said U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran. It's no secret. There are things happening around the globe that are always going to impact how we move, and that's how we evaluate what our security plan is going to be.
These measures follow the April incident at the Washington Hilton, where a gunman identified as Cole Allen stormed the dinner while armed and fired a shotgun at a Secret Service officer. Prosecutors allege the breach was an attempt to assassinate President Trump. Allen, who pleaded not guilty in May to federal charges including attempting to kill the president, assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon, and multiple firearm offenses, is scheduled for another court appearance next month.
Officer Victor Gonzales and the President’s Award
The White House Correspondents’ Association will use the Friday event to honor those who responded during the April shooting. Officer Victor Gonzales and the staff of the Washington Hilton will receive the association’s President’s Award for Exceptional Service to the WHCA.
Gonzales was struck once in his bulletproof vest while engaging the suspect and returned fire. The Secret Service described his response as swift and decisive, stating in a statement after the shooting: Gonzales heroically engaged the armed suspect, placing himself directly in harm’s way. During the confrontation, Gonzales was struck in his protective vest and continued responding to the threat. His swift and decisive actions assisted in deterring the gunman from proceeding any further.
The association also recognized the Hilton staff, who remained on duty after the shooting to assist guests and preserve the uneaten meals to be donated.
Trump’s Remarks and Media Tension
President Trump, who was invited to return and speak by White House Correspondents’ Association President Weijia Jiang, is expected to speak around 9 p.m. While he called the decision to stage a rearranged dinner a sign of strength and fortitude,
he has remained noncommittal about the tone of his address.
Last month, the president wrote that he had not decided if he would deliver the originally intended speech, which was widely expected to attack the press. I don’t know whether or not I will give the same rather nasty statements, at least as it concerns certain people, but we will soon find out,
he wrote. In any event, it will be a ‘HOT’ ticket!
The atmosphere surrounding the event remains contentious. Hundreds of former or retired journalists and eight press freedom groups have urged the association to publicly defend journalists and resist efforts to undermine the First Amendment. The letter, organized by former ABC News correspondent Lisa Stark and producer Ian Cameron, specifically cited Justice Department subpoenas issued to New York Times reporters who reported on security concerns over the president’s Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet. The letter notes that subpoenas of phone records included the mother of one reporter and two spouses.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has dismissed conspiracy theories regarding the April shooting as crazy nonsense.
First lady Melania Trump does not plan to attend the dinner, according to a White House official.
Event Programming and Access
The association intends to complete the program interrupted in April. The evening’s agenda includes a salute to scholarship winners, awards for groundbreaking reporting, and a salute to the First Amendment in 250 years of American history.
Mentalist Oz Pearlman will serve as the featured entertainer.
Live Stream: Red carpet coverage begins at 6 p.m. ET.
Apps: The event and the president’s speech will be on the FOX LOCAL app for Roku, Fire TV, and Apple TV.
TV Services: Available via local FOX channels on YouTube TV, Fubo, DirectTV, or Hulu + Live TV.
Digital: FOX 5 D.C. will stream the event on its YouTube channel.
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